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Korea Herald
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
South Korea begins dismantling border loudspeakers to ease tensions with the North
South Korea on Monday began dismantling its loudspeakers near the border used for anti-Pyongyang propaganda, in a "practical step" to ease tensions with North Korea, Seoul's Defense Ministry said the same day. 'The removal is a follow-up measure to the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts in June,' said Col. Lee Kyung-ho, vice spokesperson of the Defense Ministry, during a press briefing. 'It is being carried out within a scope that does not affect our military's readiness.' The ministry's vice spokesperson added that the latest move was a result of discussions within the Lee Jae Myung administration and was not pre-negotiated with North Korea. Seoul has dismantled and reinstalled loudspeakers near the border repeatedly since the 1960s, depending on the status of inter-Korean relations. The most recent suspension occurred under the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration during the liberal Moon Jae-in administration. The system was reactivated in June 2024 under the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration in response to North Korea's launch of waste-carrying balloons over the border. President Lee Jae Myung, who took office on June 4, ordered broadcasts to be halted on June 11 in an effort to thaw inter-Korean relations. He also cited stress caused to residents near the border as an additional reason to stop the broadcasts. North Korea ceased its own broadcasts towards the South the following day. All fixed loudspeakers are expected to be removed within a few days, according to the ministry. Mobile and vehicle-mounted units were withdrawn following the June 11 suspension. A Seoul-based expert projected the decision to be effective in reducing border tensions. 'This is not a reciprocal move, but a preemptive action that enhances South Korea's image as a peace-loving nation,' said Yang Moo-jin, president and professor at the University of North Korean Studies. He added that the move could mark the beginning of efforts to restore the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. The accord was nullified after North Korea unilaterally withdrew from it in November 2023. South Korea later suspended the deal in June 2024 in response to North Korea's launch of trash-filled balloons across the border. Yang also stressed the importance of reviewing the scale and nature of joint South Korea-US military drills going forward. 'Military training is natural for any nation with armed forces. However, for progress toward a peace-based economic model on the Korean Peninsula, we must limit operations to defensive drills and halt retaliatory or large-scale punitive responses,' he said. North Korea has yet to take corresponding steps. 'We've observed signs of maintenance work on some of their loudspeakers, but not removal,' said Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun during Monday's briefing. He noted that North Korea is believed to operate slightly more loudspeakers than South Korea, which reportedly had about 20 in use before June. Meanwhile, Seoul's Defense Ministry confirmed that annual joint military drills with the United States will proceed as scheduled in mid-August.
Los Angeles Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Trump's attack on Iran pushed diplomacy with Kim Jong Un further out of reach
SEOUL — Since beginning his second term earlier this year, President Trump has spoken optimistically about restarting denuclearization talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he met for a series of historic summits in 2018 and 2019 that ended without a deal. 'I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un, and we'll see what happens, but certainly he's a nuclear power,' he told reporters at an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in March. Earlier this month, Trump attempted to send a letter to Kim via North Korean diplomats in New York, only to be rebuffed, according to Seoul-based NK News. And now, following the U.S. military's strike on three nuclear facilities in Iran on Sunday, the chances of Pyongyang returning to the bargaining table have become even slimmer. For North Korea, which has conducted six nuclear tests over the years in the face of severe economic sanctions and international reprobation — and consequently has a far more advanced nuclear program than Iran — many analysts say the lesson from Sunday is clear: A working nuclear deterrent is the only guarantor of security. 'More than anything, the North Korean regime is probably thinking that they did well to dig in their heels to keep developing their nuclear program,' said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. 'I think this strike means the end of any sort of denuclearization talks or diplomatic solutions that the U.S. had in mind in the past,' he said. 'I don't think it's simply a matter of worsened circumstances; I think the possibility has now gone close to zero.' On Monday, North Korea's foreign ministry condemned the U.S. strike on Iran as a violation of international law as well as 'the territorial integrity and security interests of a sovereign state,' according to North Korean state media. 'The present situation of the Middle East, which is shaking the very basis of international peace and security, is the inevitable product of Israel's reckless bravado as it advances its unilateral interests through ceaseless war moves and territorial expansion, and that of the Western-style free order which has so far tolerated and encouraged Israeli acts,' an unnamed ministry spokesperson said. Trump has threatened to attack North Korea before. Early in Trump's first term, when Pyongyang successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the U.S. West Coast., administration officials reportedly considered launching a 'bloody nose' strike — an attack on a nuclear site or military facility that is small enough to prevent escalation into full-blown war but severe enough to make a point. 'Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely,' Trump wrote on social media in August 2017. While it is still uncertain how much damage U.S. stealth bombers inflicted on Iran's nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordo — and whether they have kneecapped Iran's nuclear program, as U.S. officials have claimed — experts say the feasibility of a similar attack against North Korea is much smaller. 'North Korea has been plowing through with their nuclear program for some time, so their security posture around their nuclear facilities is far more sophisticated than Iran,' Kim Dong-yup said. 'Their facilities are extremely dispersed and well-disguised, which means it's difficult to cripple their nuclear program, even if you were to successfully destroy the one or two sites that are known.' Kim Dong-yup believes that North Korea's enrichment facilities are much deeper than Iran's and potentially beyond the range of the 'bunker buster' bombs — officially known as the GBU-57 A/B — used Sunday. And unlike Iran, North Korea is believed to already have 40 to 50 nuclear warheads, making large-scale retaliation a very real possibility. A preemptive strike against North Korea would also do irreparable damage to the U.S.-South Korea alliance and would likely also invite responses from China and, more significantly, Russia. A mutual defense treaty signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un last June states that the two countries 'shall immediately provide military and other assistance' to the other if it 'falls into a state of war due to armed invasion from an individual or multiple states.' Yet talk of such an attack in Trump's first term was soon replaced by what he has described as a friendship with Kim Jong Un, built over the 2018-19 summits, the first ever such meetings by a sitting U.S. president. Though the talks fell apart over disagreements on what measures North Korea would take toward disarmament and Trump's reluctance to offer sanctions relief, the summits ended on a surprisingly hopeful note, with the two leaders walking away as pen pals. In recent months, administration officials have said that the president's goal remains the same: completely denuclearizing North Korea. But the attack on Iran has made those old sticking points — such as the U.S. negotiating team's demand that North Korea submit a full list of its nuclear sites — even more onerous, said Lee Byong-chul, a nonproliferation expert who has served under two South Korean administrations. 'Kim Jong Un will only give up his nuclear weapons when, as the English expression goes, hell freezes over,' Lee said. 'And that alone shuts the door on any possible deal.' Still, Lee believes that North Korea may be willing to come back to the negotiating table for a freeze — though not a rollback — of its nuclear program. 'But from Trump's perspective, that's a retreat from the terms he presented at the [2019] Hanoi summit,' he said. 'He would look like a fool to come back to sign a reduced deal.' While some, like Kim Dong-yup, the professor, argue that North Korea has already proven itself capable of withstanding economic sanctions and will not overextend itself to have them removed, others point out that this is still the United States' primary source of leverage — and that if Trump wants a deal, he will need to put it on the table. 'Real sanctions relief is still valuable,' Stephen Costello, a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington-based think tank. While he agrees that immediate denuclearization may be unrealistic, Costello has argued that even halting production of new fissile material, nuclear weapons and long-range missiles are 'well worth ending nonmilitary sanctions,' such as those on energy imports or the export of textiles and seafood. 'Regardless of U.S. actions in the Middle East, the North Koreans would likely gauge any U.S. interest by how serious they are about early, immediate sanctions relief,' he said. The attack on Iran will have other ramifications beyond Trump's dealmaking with Kim Jong Un. Military cooperation between North Korea and Iran, dating back to the 1980s and including arms transfers from North Korea to Iran, will likely accelerate. Lee, the nonproliferation expert, said that the attack on Iran, which was the first real-world use of the United States' bunker-buster bombs, may have been a boon to North Korea. 'It's going to be a tremendous lesson for them,' he said. 'Depending on what the total damage sustained is, North Korea will undoubtedly use that information to better conceal their own nuclear facilities.'
Sharjah 24
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Sharjah 24
North Korea tests new destroyer's weapons system
New warship "Choe Hyon" unveiled Over the weekend, North Korea unveiled a new 5,000-ton destroyer-class vessel named Choe Hyon , which analysts believe could be fitted with short-range tactical nuclear missiles. Kim personally oversaw the first day of a two-day weapons test involving the new ship. Weapons test showcases ship-based missiles State media reported that the destroyer carried out tests involving ship-to-ship tactical guided weapons, automatic guns, smoke and electronic jamming systems. On Monday, additional tests included a supersonic cruise missile, strategic cruise missile, anti-aircraft missile, and a 127 mm ship-based gun. Kim highlights combined strike capabilities Kim praised the integration of powerful ship-based weaponry with advanced strike systems, including cruise and tactical ballistic missiles. He emphasized accelerating the nuclear arming of the navy to enhance deterrence. South Korea and US monitoring North Korea's naval developments Seoul's defense ministry confirmed it is monitoring North Korea's military shipbuilding activities in cooperation with the United States. Possible military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow The naval development news came shortly after Pyongyang confirmed that it had sent troops to support Russia in Ukraine. Moscow also acknowledged the presence of North Korean soldiers in its military operations. Analysts suggest North Korea may have received modern weapons from Russia in exchange. Kim attends launch ceremony with daughter State media released images of Kim and his daughter Ju Ae attending the launch ceremony of the Choe Hyon , fueling speculation about her future role as his successor. Naval expansion part of broader military strategy Kim has previously emphasised the need for a 'radical' enhancement of naval power, including nuclear-powered submarines. While Pyongyang claims to be developing underwater nuclear drones, analysts remain skeptical about the credibility of such capabilities. Regional tensions and strategic response The United States and South Korea have intensified joint military drills and deployed strategic assets to the region in response to North Korea's growing threats. Pyongyang, which calls itself an 'irreversible' nuclear weapons state, views these exercises as provocations. Naval tests signal blue-water ambitions Experts say this week's naval tests indicate North Korea's ambitions to carry out long-range, open-sea operations. 'The new destroyer suggests Pyongyang is moving toward a blue-water navy,' said Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies.
Korea Herald
09-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Amid Trump's tariffs, pressure grows on Seoul to shoulder more defense costs
Defense cost-sharing agreement could rise as key issue between Seoul, Washington in tariff negotiations, expert says South Korea needs to brace for the possibility of shouldering more of its defense costs, with US President Donald Trump implying Seoul's payment for the 28,500 US troops stationed on the peninsula could play a big part in a broader deal between the two countries, experts said Wednesday. Following a phone call with South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo late Tuesday, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that 'payment for the big time Military Protection' that the US provides for South Korea was mentioned in the conversation. "I just had a great call with the Acting President of South Korea. We talked about their tremendous and unsustainable Surplus, Tariffs, Shipbuilding, large-scale purchase of US LNG, their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline, and payment for the big time Military Protection we provide to South Korea," he wrote on Truth Social. 'Like with South Korea, we are bringing up other subjects that are not covered by Trade and Tariffs, and getting them negotiated also. 'ONE STOP SHOPPING' is a beautiful and efficient process!!!' The phone call came a day before Trump's 25 percent "reciprocal" tariffs on South Korea, imposed on most goods imported from its Asian ally, took effect on Wednesday. With Seoul seeking to negotiate the tariffs, the issue of defense cost-sharing for the upkeep of US Forces Korea is likely to play a key part in potential talks on a broader deal with Washington, an expert said. And it may require some sacrifices from South Korea. 'At this point, it seems the only option for South Korea is to shoulder more costs in various areas (where the US is hinting at the possibility of negotiations) and present it as a package deal,' said Kim Jung, associate professor of comparative politics at the University of North Korean Studies, via email. 'The key is to include the defense cost-sharing deal in a package alongside potential agreements in shipbuilding and liquefied natural gas, which are important leverage for South Korea at the negotiating table. Ultimately, it boils down to lessening Washington's tariff on South Korea and, in the process, Seoul may need to make some sacrifices,' he added. Another expert pointed to the term 'one stop shopping' used by Trump as a major clue that describes what could unfold in the negotiations between Seoul and Washington. 'The term one-stop shopping reflects Trump's willingness to pursue a big deal with South Korea, and this could work to Seoul's advantage,' said Kim Yeoul-soo, senior analyst at Korea Institute for Military Affairs, via phone. 'Handling everything separately with Washington, especially with trade and North Korea issues, would put more pressure on South Korea than negotiating it as a single big package.' The security and international relations expert at the think tank explained that shoring up Seoul's part of the defense cost-sharing deal would play a significant part in eliminating the US' bilateral trade deficit with South Korea. 'There is a high possibility that South Korea will pay more in the defense cost-sharing deal, but we would have to take it if Trump presents the big deal option, as it would be the best-case scenario for Seoul,' Kim said. Around noon, a senior official at the acting president and prime minister's office, who declined to be named, said 'it is difficult to confirm at the moment' when asked whether the government is reviewing the option of paying more in defense costs if it leads to lower tariff rates. The official added that lowering the tariff rate is currently a top priority in the negotiations with the US. A separate Foreign Ministry official said in the afternoon that South Korea has contributed to the allies' joint defense posture and "steady maintenance" of the USFK here through a "consistent increase in defense budget." It pledged to keep its efforts to do so and actively communicate with Washington for continued cooperation. In October, Seoul and Washington struck a defense cost-sharing deal, dubbed the Special Measures Agreement. Under the deal for the 2026-30 period, Seoul is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.03 billion) in 2026, up from 1.4 trillion won this year. Trump, who was a presidential candidate at the time, called South Korea a "money machine" and said it would be paying "$10 billion a year" to keep USFK deployed on the Korean Peninsula if he had been in the White House. His remarks prompted concerns here that Seoul would deal with earlier-than-expected renegotiations of the bilateral defense cost-sharing deal with Washington under the second Trump administration.
Korea Herald
09-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
After Han-Trump call, pressure grows on Seoul to shoulder more defense costs
Defense cost-sharing agreement could rise as key issue between Seoul, Washington in tariff negotiations, expert says South Korea needs to brace for the possibility of shouldering more of its defense costs, with US President Donald Trump implying Seoul's payment for the 28,500 US troops stationed on the peninsula could play a big part in a broader deal between the two countries, experts said Wednesday. Following a phone call with South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo late Tuesday, Trump said in a social media post that 'payment for the big time Military Protection' that the US provides for South Korea was mentioned in the conversation. "I just had a great call with the Acting President of South Korea. We talked about their tremendous and unsustainable Surplus, Tariffs, Shipbuilding, large-scale purchase of US LNG, their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline, and payment for the big time Military Protection we provide to South Korea," he wrote on Truth Social. 'Like with South Korea, we are bringing up other subjects that are not covered by Trade and Tariffs, and getting them negotiated also. 'ONE STOP SHOPPING' is a beautiful and efficient process!' The phone call came a day before the US' 25 percent tariff on South Korea, affecting most goods imported from its Asian ally, took effect on Wednesday. With Seoul seeking to negotiate the tariff, the issue of defense cost-sharing for the upkeep of US Forces Korea is likely to play a key part in potential talks on a broader deal with Washington, an expert said. And it may require some sacrifice from South Korea. 'At this point, it seems the only option for South Korea is to shoulder more costs in various areas (where the US is hinting at the possibility of negotiations) and present it as a package deal,' said Kim Jung, associate professor of comparative politics at the University of North Korean Studies, via e-mail. 'The key is to include the defense cost-sharing deal in a package alongside potential agreements in shipbuilding and liquefied natural gas, which are important leverage for South Korea at the negotiation table. Ultimately, it boils down to lessening Washington's tariff on South Korea and in the process, Seoul may need to make some sacrifices,' he added. Another expert pointed to the term 'one stop shopping' used by Trump as a major clue that describes what could unfold in the negotiations between Seoul and Washington. 'The term one-stop shopping reflects Trump's willingness to pursue a big deal with South Korea, and this could work to Seoul's advantage,' said Kim Yeoul-soo, senior analyst at Korea Institute for Military Affairs, via phone. 'Handling everything separately with Washington, especially with trade and North Korea issues, would put more pressure on South Korea than negotiating it as a single big package.' The security and international relations expert at the think tank explained that shoring up Seoul's part of the defense cost-sharing deal would play a significant part in eliminating the US' bilateral trade deficit with South Korea. 'There is a high possibility that South Korea will pay more in the defense cost-sharing deal, but we would have to take it if Trump presents the big deal option, as it would be the best-case scenario for Seoul,' Kim explained. Around noon, a senior official at the acting president and prime minister's office, who declined to be named, said 'it is difficult to confirm at the moment' when asked whether the government is reviewing the option of paying more in defense costs if it leads to lower tariff rates. The official added that lowering the tariff rates is currently a top priority in the negotiations with the US. In October, Seoul and Washington struck a defense cost-sharing deal, dubbed the Special Measures Agreement. Under the deal for the 2026-30 period, Seoul is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.03 billion) in 2026, up from 1.4 trillion won this year. Trump, who was a presidential candidate at the time, said that Seoul would be paying $10 billion a year to keep USFK deployed on the Korean Peninsula if he had been in the White House.
