Panama finds MiG fighter jets on N. Korean arms ship

Investigators in Panama have found two MiG-21 fighter jets in cargo containers aboard a North Korean ship carrying weapons from Cuba.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Panama finds MiG jets on ship: Forensic workers close a container holding a MiG-21 fighter jet seized from a North Korean ship in Colón, Panama." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/5c/3d4fc8ab15b4c4366ea7ecef226c41/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forensic workers close a container holding a MiG-21 fighter jet seized from a North Korean ship Sunday, July 21, in Colón, Panama.</td></tr></tbody></table>COLON, Panama — Panamanian investigators unloading the cargo of a seized North Korean ship that carried arms from Cuba have found the two MiG-21 fighter jets the Cuban government had said were on board, the government said Sunday.<br /><br />Alongside the two supersonic planes, originally produced by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, officials found two missile radar systems on board the Chong Chon Gang, President Ricardo Martinelli told reporters in the Atlantic port of Colón.<br /><br />The discovery, which included cables and electrical equipment, was made inside containers on the ship Panama had feared might contain explosive material. None was found.<br /><br />After stopping the vessel bound for North Korea last week, Panama revealed it had found weapons in the cargo hold late Monday. In response, Cuba said the shipment contained a range of "obsolete" arms being sent to North Korea for repair.<br /><br />Panama has asked the U.N. Security Council to investigate the ship and its contents amid suspicion that the vessel is in breach of a wide-ranging arms embargo on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile program.<br /><br />"One can't take undeclared weapons through the Panama Canal below other cargo," Martinelli said, adding that he had not spoken personally to any Cuban officials since they first asked for the ship to be released last Saturday.<br /><br />Javier Caraballo, Panama's top anti-drugs prosecutor, said the planes gave off a strong odor of fuel, indicating that they had likely been used recently. So far, Panama has not found anything not on the Cubans' list of ordnance, he added.<br /><br />The U.N. team is expected to arrive in early August once Panama has finished unloading the 510-foot ship.<br /><br />The weapons were hidden under thousands of sacks of sugar on the freighter. Before the arms were discovered, Cuba told Panama the cargo was a donation of sugar for the people of North Korea.<br /><br />The isolated Asian nation has asked Panama to release the ship and its 35 member crew, who were arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle undeclared weapons through the canal.<br /><br />Panama has so far dismissed North Korea's requests.<img alt="Reuters" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/99/6a6e1e9d2013e8fe84e6814a7d491/_h17_w0_m6_otrue_lfalse.gif" /><br /><div><br /></div>

Panama finds MiG fighter jets on N. Korean arms ship

Investigators in Panama have found two MiG-21 fighter jets in cargo containers aboard a North Korean ship carrying weapons from Cuba. Forens...

Websites in 2 Koreas shut down; cyberattacks suspected

A previous cyberattack on South Korea in March affected almost 50,000 computers and servers.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" S. Korea cyberattack: The Cyber Terror Response Center of the National Policy Agency in Seoul, S. Korea " class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/c2/fe3069519d3cf7bb42ba9ed96786/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=" S. Korea cyberattack: The Cyber Terror Response Center of the National Policy Agency in Seoul, S. Korea (AP Photo: Lee Jin-man)" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AP Photo: Lee Jin-man. S. Korea said multiple government and private websites were hacked on the anniversary of the Korea War Tuesday, June 24. </td></tr></tbody></table>SEOUL, South Korea — Major government and media websites in South and North Korea were shut down for hours Tuesday on the 63rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Seoul said its sites were hacked, while it was unclear what knocked out those north of the border.<br /><br />Seoul said experts were investigating attacks on the websites of the South Korean presidential Blue House and prime minister's office, as well as some media servers. There were no initial reports Tuesday that sensitive military or other key infrastructure had been compromised.<br /><br />The attacks in South Korea did not appear to be as serious as a March cyberattack that shut down tens of thousands of computers and servers at South Korean broadcasters and banks. Seoul alerted people to take security measures against cyberattacks.<br /><div><div>The North Korean websites that shut down Tuesday included those belonging to the national airline, Air Koryo, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the North's official Uriminzokkiri site and Naenara, the country's state-run Internet portal. All but Air Koryo were operational a few hours later.</div><div><br /></div><div>South Korean National Intelligence Service officials said they were investigating what may have caused the shutdown of the North Korean websites. North Korea didn't make any immediate comment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Operators of several Twitter accounts who purported to be part of a global hackers' collective known as Anonymous claimed that they attacked North Korean websites. The Associated Press received no answer to several requests to speak to the Twitter users. Shin Hong-soon, an official at South Korea's science ministry in charge of online security, said the government was not able to confirm whether these hackers were linked to Tuesday's attack on South Korean websites.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't immediately clear who was responsible. North and South Korea have traded accusations of cyberattacks in recent years.</div><div><br /></div><div>South Korean officials blamed Pyongyang for a March 20 cyberattack that struck 48,000 computers and servers, hampering banks and broadcasters for several days, although television programming was not interrupted and officials have said that no bank records or personal data were compromised. Seoul officials said in April that an initial investigation pointed to a North Korean military-run spy agency as the culprit.</div></div><div><div>North Korea blamed South Korea and the United States for cyberattacks in March that temporarily disabled Internet access and websites in North Korea.</div><div><br /></div><div>Experts believe North Korea trains large teams of cyber warriors and that the South and its allies should be prepared against possible attacks on key infrastructure and military systems. If the inter-Korean conflict were to move into cyberspace, South Korea's deeply wired society would have more to lose than North Korea's, which largely remains offline.</div><div><br /></div><div>The shutdowns came on a war anniversary that both countries were marking with commemorations. They also are gearing up for the 60th anniversary of the end of the fighting July 27, a day North Koreans call "Victory Day" even though the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tens of thousands of North Koreans were gathering Tuesday to Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung Square for the largest of many rallies around the nation denouncing the United States. On Monday evening, men lined up in the shadow of the capital's iconic Juche Tower to practice coordinating their steps as they hoisted signs reading "Sweep away the imperialist American aggressors," ''sworn enemies," and "U.S. troops out of South Korea" while a man with a megaphone barked out orders.</div><div><br /></div><div>In South Korea, thousands of people, including Korean war veterans, gatherrf at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul for a commemoration. Two South Korean army units held military drills in Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, near the demilitarized zone, defense officials said in Seoul.</div><div><br /></div><div>North Korea in recent weeks has pushed for diplomatic talks with Washington. Tensions ran high on the Korean Peninsula in March and April, with North Korea delivering regular threats over U.N. sanctions and U.S.-South Korean military drills.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Websites in 2 Koreas shut down; cyberattacks suspected

A previous cyberattack on South Korea in March affected almost 50,000 computers and servers. AP Photo: Lee Jin-man. S. Korea said multiple g...

South Korea calling, but North pretends that nobody is home

<div class="first" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHb6JWV4vi3KKd7xuErjMAh3ubKrr6jF7qRKxdKgFqYDDAlE_sJJNA4_4ZtR9at8sDyc8kzroUstDxcZRf-kiTPtIJ27UijYLhihGqz51m9A6Fqaw8yzCFjO2SULyq7F8btPRpbhMRvSM/s1600/Photoshopping_Nort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHb6JWV4vi3KKd7xuErjMAh3ubKrr6jF7qRKxdKgFqYDDAlE_sJJNA4_4ZtR9at8sDyc8kzroUstDxcZRf-kiTPtIJ27UijYLhihGqz51m9A6Fqaw8yzCFjO2SULyq7F8btPRpbhMRvSM/s1600/Photoshopping_Nort.jpg" width="320" /></a><a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="1" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/North+Korea" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">North Korea</a> refused to take calls from <a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="2" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Seoul" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Seoul</a> Wednesday, a day after proposed cabinet-level talks between the two Koreas fell apart over a dispute about the rank of officials who would lead their delegations.</div><h4>North Korea's refusal to take South Korea's phone calls has dashed hopes for proposed peace talks.</h4><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">Reuters reports that <a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="3" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/South+Korea" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">South Korea</a> <a data-rapid_p="4" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/12/us-korea-north-idUSBRE95B06Y20130612" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">received no response from two calls</a>, sent at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time, to the North via a Red Cross hotline reestablished just last week after Pyongyang shut it down earlier this year. The lack of response is most likely <a data-rapid_p="5" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22867471" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a result of this week's collapsed talks</a>, reports the BBC.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50tiNRgMvQkOxDzrYGOVsTspQlsqpLqzAOyYVC4dArnTLb_aVFpa_NUWfN4FT7BI47NsbYC7ILhWs30zPg1oyp0xL2L5B4wxymiwK8MvLh8O17al09EtvswRVKDKfN4XBp7yuouZaQoS0/s1600/u2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50tiNRgMvQkOxDzrYGOVsTspQlsqpLqzAOyYVC4dArnTLb_aVFpa_NUWfN4FT7BI47NsbYC7ILhWs30zPg1oyp0xL2L5B4wxymiwK8MvLh8O17al09EtvswRVKDKfN4XBp7yuouZaQoS0/s1600/u2.png" /></a>Representatives for the two Koreas had met on Monday to arrange high-level discussions planned for today, in what would have been the first such meeting since 2007. But, reports The New York Times, the two sides broke off their preliminary discussions on Tuesday after the two sides <a data-rapid_p="6" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/world/asia/behind-breakdown-of-korea-talks-a-history-of-suspicions.html?_r=0" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">split on what officials would attend</a>.</div><blockquote id="yui_3_8_1_21_1371043801300_205" style="background-color: white; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; color: #767676; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 10px 26px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 25px;"><div id="yui_3_8_1_21_1371043801300_204" style="padding: 0px;"><span class="yshortcuts cs4-visible" id="lw_1371040695044_2" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 2px; color: #366388; cursor: pointer;">South Korea</span> said it would send its vice unification minister, <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1371040695044_6" style="color: black; cursor: pointer;">Kim Nam-shik</span>, to the meeting as its chief delegate. <span class="yshortcuts cs4-visible" id="lw_1371040695044_1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 2px; color: #366388; cursor: pointer;">North Korea</span> said that <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1371040695044_4" style="color: black; cursor: pointer;">Mr. Kim</span> was not senior enough and demanded that the <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1371040695044_7" style="color: black; cursor: pointer;">South send Mr. Kim</span>'s supervisor, the Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae as chief delegate. The South retorted that the proposed chief North Korean delegate — Kang Ji-yong, director of the secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea — was already below Mr. Kim "in status."</div><div id="yui_3_8_1_21_1371043801300_216" style="margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">Last-minute negotiations for a compromise had failed, with both Koreas accusing each other of hurting their ego. Then, on the eve of the talks, North Korea pulled out of the planned Seoul meeting, accusing the South of “an insult,” <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1371040695044_5" style="color: black; cursor: pointer;">South Korean officials</span> said.</div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">Any hopes of the two Koreas soon reducing tension and getting back to business as usual were dashed.</div><div id="yui_3_8_1_21_1371043801300_213" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">In recent months, North Korea has been using particularly heated rhetoric toward the South and the<a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="8" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/United+States" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">US</a>, and it staged several weapons tests this spring. It has also refused to return to the negotiating table over its nuclear weapons program -- despite UN sanctions supported even by its sole ally,<a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="9" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/China" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">China</a>. Gi-Wook Shin, a professor at <a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="10" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Stanford+University" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Stanford University</a>, told The Christian Science Monitor that the<span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1371040695044_3" style="cursor: pointer;">North</span>'s willingness to entertain even preliminary talks with the South <a data-rapid_p="11" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2013/0609/North-South-Korean-officials-meet-for-first-time-in-two-years" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">could be a result of pressure from China</a>, whose president, Xi Jinping, recently met with President Barack Obama.</div><blockquote style="background-color: white; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; color: #767676; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 10px 26px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 25px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">“What we should pay attention to is the timing of all this, as the agreement [to hold meetings] came just before the Obama-Xi summit. With the North's dialogue gesture,<a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="12" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/China" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">China</a> could urge the <a class="inform_link" data-rapid_p="13" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/United+States" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">US</a> to talk to the North. In this sense, North Korea's agreement to talks can be seen as targeting China and the US as much as South Korea,” says Stanford University professor Gi-Wook Shin.</div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won said in a parliamentary session today that it was a matter of "the pride of the South Korean people" that the North and South <a data-rapid_p="14" href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/06/12/97/0301000000AEN20130612006900315F.HTML" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">meet on equal terms</a>, writes Yonhap News. "Dialogue can be accepted by each other when two sides are on the same level. Talks made by a unilateral push would not have sincerity," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">In an editorial, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo argued that "It is common courtesy and global protocol to match the ranks of participants in government talks," and that "<a data-rapid_p="15" href="http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/06/12/2013061201656.html" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">North Korea has been spoiled</a>" by the South's previous willingness to fudge the difference in ranks between diplomats.</div><blockquote style="background-color: white; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; color: #767676; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 10px 26px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 25px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">In previous talks that were billed as "ministerial," the South Korean delegation was always helmed by a minister, as the name suggests, whereas North Korea repeatedly got away with sending some underling, evidently to demonstrate just how little store it set by these meetings. Now its bluff has been called, it sulks, suggesting that it was never sincere about the negotiations in the first place. ...</div><div style="margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">Seoul did the right thing by refusing to blindly accept all the North's conditions for the sake of talks. It was a necessary decision on the road to putting inter-Korean relations on a more sensible footing. South Korea should not shut its doors on North Korea, but it needs to set firm conditions for constructive dialogue.</div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">But Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea scholar at Seoul’s Dongguk University, told the Associated Press that the dispute is in part due to disagreement over <a data-rapid_p="16" href="http://world.time.com/2013/06/11/south-korea-says-it-considers-talks-with-north-scrapped/" style="color: #5d4370; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">how officials within the two Koreas' different political systems match up</a>. Regardless, he said, it will likely take some time before new discussions are held. “The two sides are offended by each other now. The relations may again undergo a cooling-off period before negotiations for further talks resume,” he said.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div>

South Korea calling, but North pretends that nobody is home

North Korea  refused to take calls from  Seoul  Wednesday, a day after proposed cabinet-level talks between the two Koreas fell apart over a...

Koreas cancel planned talks

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQhfS8HWif5cF2XdySZNXZZeEm52D0Mbjl4zfJh7BoEUqE2Fm92b3M_qx5KlVXIEbEjZMljOko1ptEQfawMyOpxc7nrYEomRzrU9ipsA9FmKLjQoUbhFcFqWn-GMoCzxVo0yl5Y8QzPA/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQhfS8HWif5cF2XdySZNXZZeEm52D0Mbjl4zfJh7BoEUqE2Fm92b3M_qx5KlVXIEbEjZMljOko1ptEQfawMyOpxc7nrYEomRzrU9ipsA9FmKLjQoUbhFcFqWn-GMoCzxVo0yl5Y8QzPA/s1600/logo.png" /></a><b>South Korea has said planned talks with Pyongyang will not happen on Wednesday. </b><br /><br />The two-day talks were to be the Koreas’ first high-level meeting in Seoul in six years.<br /><br />Seoul wants the top officials responsible for inter-Korean issues to meet, but it was not clear who would head delegations.<br /><br />It was not immediately reported if the talks were being canceled entirely.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucx7_-knnilA3_rQsv-1fyWO9ixEFCvK73ah0uNIScNqZ-gFxcPTZGX5SyTTQJIQJuqKI9VnzrOHW01bUWClrMfzVCN7LKVvwVSK33cYpPMKjBTJ_pOT4JBDWNw_oWO4k9YFAVCHQ5dU/s1600/index.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucx7_-knnilA3_rQsv-1fyWO9ixEFCvK73ah0uNIScNqZ-gFxcPTZGX5SyTTQJIQJuqKI9VnzrOHW01bUWClrMfzVCN7LKVvwVSK33cYpPMKjBTJ_pOT4JBDWNw_oWO4k9YFAVCHQ5dU/s1600/index.png" /></a></div><br />

Koreas cancel planned talks

South Korea has said planned talks with Pyongyang will not happen on Wednesday.  The two-day talks were to be the Koreas’ first high-level m...

US, ROK special envoys on DPRK to meet

<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e8cfFl_e-9W-qupL_RK3SQqw6PCQkIK00TeMhmU5FB-40YVX25vW1NCMHPTSmfInHh2fIwUOzVyNu5nQym2HXYo3JzuToSHg_MsBJVSwZ665BXZ7OY3C2TBbo1BbZkYShdqysQvFmEZq/s1600/developing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e8cfFl_e-9W-qupL_RK3SQqw6PCQkIK00TeMhmU5FB-40YVX25vW1NCMHPTSmfInHh2fIwUOzVyNu5nQym2HXYo3JzuToSHg_MsBJVSwZ665BXZ7OY3C2TBbo1BbZkYShdqysQvFmEZq/s1600/developing.jpg" width="320" /></a>BEIJING, May 14- United States special envoy on DPRK policy, Glyn Davis, is set to meet with his South Korean counterpart Lin Sung-nam, to discuss ways to restart denuclearization talks with Pyongyang.<br /><br />Davis arrived in Seoul on Monday. He said the Korean Peninsula tension was abating, as Pyongyang recently stopped issuing threats against the South Korea and the US. And his visit aims to give a signal that the US is seeking negotiations with relevant parties.<br /><br />After South Korea, Davis is expected to fly to Beijing on Wednesday and hold talks with China’s special envoy for Korean Peninsula issues Wu Dawei. Following which he will pay a three-day visit to Japan from Thursday.<br /><div><br /></div>

US, ROK special envoys on DPRK to meet

BEIJING, May 14- United States special envoy on DPRK policy, Glyn Davis, is set to meet with his South Korean counterpart Lin Sung-nam, to d...

U.S. envoy on DPRK to visit ROK, China, Japan

<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlN3T-hyxXa_LTk3z2eiOIk_k1liDZOxPc0voF3vrzoOXz2Yc5ydVtl-_8WAGgCnlxJMaEDY3AQBkiDhGfdfpfN1Nqpn_NHVMKqgIyj6pfLNg0EZ3bvHjZbecSalaNOWqCH1sj3lS15r0/s1600/publimetro.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlN3T-hyxXa_LTk3z2eiOIk_k1liDZOxPc0voF3vrzoOXz2Yc5ydVtl-_8WAGgCnlxJMaEDY3AQBkiDhGfdfpfN1Nqpn_NHVMKqgIyj6pfLNg0EZ3bvHjZbecSalaNOWqCH1sj3lS15r0/s1600/publimetro.gif" /></a>WASHINGTON,- The Obama administration is sending its special representative on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy to the Republic of Korea (ROK), China and Japan next week, the State Department said Thursday.<br /><br />In his one-week visit to the three Asian countries starting Sunday, Glyn Davies will meet with senior government officials including his counterparts in the three governments, the department said in a statement.<br /><br />The visit comes after tensions have cooled down on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks. Tensions used to build up as the DPRK scrapped a 1953 Korean War armistice and threatened nuclear strikes on the U.S. and the ROK in response to a UN Security Council resolution condemning its third nuclear test and the military drills between Washington and Seoul.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>

U.S. envoy on DPRK to visit ROK, China, Japan

WASHINGTON,- The Obama administration is sending its special representative on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy to th...

The U.S. and North Korea officially remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

<br /><br /><h4>North Korea: Kenneth Bae Disguised Identity </h4><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMreLFn-f-_VQ2cLFcjv39sG1wvVI7SZABgr_RztEcLvCZnIDR1PAAASGaKHAHOZfctYS4h4FnkA90wVxyQik5ykqpFilftWs1u0UA8vCo-1I8zPedrn49-qFmWjTh5q8usiI3Y3z-dwqy/s1600/kenneth-bae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMreLFn-f-_VQ2cLFcjv39sG1wvVI7SZABgr_RztEcLvCZnIDR1PAAASGaKHAHOZfctYS4h4FnkA90wVxyQik5ykqpFilftWs1u0UA8vCo-1I8zPedrn49-qFmWjTh5q8usiI3Y3z-dwqy/s1600/kenneth-bae.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture of Kenneth Bae (R), a Korean-American,<br />tour operator detained in North Korea</td></tr></tbody></table>SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Sunday revealed a few more details about a Korean-American recently sentenced to 15 years' hard labor, saying he entered the country with a disguised identity. Pyongyang also rejected speculation that it intends to use Kenneth Bae as a bargaining chip.<br /><br />In remarks carried by state media, an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesman did not specify the Washington state man's crimes but said he confessed. He said Bae entered North Korea "with a disguised identity in an intentional way under the back-stage manipulation of the forces hostile toward" the country.<br /><br />Bae, 44, was arrested in early November in Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea's far northeastern region bordering China and Russia, according to the North's state media. The exact nature of Bae's alleged crimes has not been revealed.<br /><br />Friends say Bae is a devout Christian and tour operator based in China who traveled frequently to North Korea to feed orphans. Six other Americans have been detained in North Korea since 2009; they eventually were deported or released, some after trips by prominent Americans including Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.<br /><br />The North Korean spokesman dismissed as "ridiculous and wrong" speculation by foreign media that Pyongyang intends to use Bae as a bargaining chip. He said the "generosity" the country showed in past cases "will be of no use in ending Americans' illegal acts."<br /><br />North Korea "has no plan to invite anyone of the U.S. as regards Pae's issue," the spokesman said. Pyongyang refers to Bae as Pae Jun Ho, the North Korean spelling for his Korean name.<br /><br />Bae's sentencing last week came as tension remains on the Korean Peninsula following weeks of warlike rhetoric from Pyongyang and threats to attack the U.S. and South Korea. The U.S. has called for the North to grant amnesty and immediately release Bae.<br /><br />The U.S. and North Korea officially remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.<br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>

The U.S. and North Korea officially remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

North Korea: Kenneth Bae Disguised Identity  picture of Kenneth Bae (R), a Korean-American, tour operator detained in North Korea SEOUL, Sou...

Report sees DPRK as US security threat

<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDz4mdAm7ZeGj8wxdJtqSsYQ7Vs0OeqCjhaOQr9fqqcsk1-6MekIYHVtwG9HVkkwS3smT5tWXONSxG5TzPmw0MUh3fzM3E67jMxIZvczB7BbsWvrjZg-YS8tdc7SMGwr7fRhXl92YgZR4t/s1600/136d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDz4mdAm7ZeGj8wxdJtqSsYQ7Vs0OeqCjhaOQr9fqqcsk1-6MekIYHVtwG9HVkkwS3smT5tWXONSxG5TzPmw0MUh3fzM3E67jMxIZvczB7BbsWvrjZg-YS8tdc7SMGwr7fRhXl92YgZR4t/s1600/136d.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Pentagon says the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea poses one of the most critical US security challenges in Northeast Asia as it pursues nuclear capabilities and develops long-range ballistic missiles.<br /><br />US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s first report on the DPRK’s military development to Congress says the DPRK is continuing to invest in nuclear infrastructure.<br /><br />It conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and earlier this year and could conduct more tests at any time. It also says Pyongyang’s development of a multi-stage rocket, highlighted by the launch of a satellite into space last December, "contributes heavily" to its efforts to build a long-range ballistic missile capable of hitting the US with a nuclear warhead.<br /><br />The Pentagon believes that the DPRK’s large, military could inflict "great damage" on South Korea despite serious resource shortfalls and ageing hardware, but the strength of the US-South Korean alliance deters the DPRK from conducting attacks on its southern neighbor.<br /><div><br /></div>

Report sees DPRK as US security threat

The Pentagon says the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea poses one of the most critical US security challenges in Northeast Asia as it pu...

Last seven South Koreans back from Kaesong

<br />SEOUL,-- The last seven South Koreans arrived at the customs, immigration and quarantine office in South Korea's border city Paju Friday, marking the complete pullout of South Koreans in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea (DPRK).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIioEXyyU5f6-xJqqEWxpD0rTtVzQPi0rm2XHdvEf5yYeI6_-w7jLzcAwoW-VvhCIvTricjUER8NLPEigKhpDe6Gb5g0_uJLFTfQhjhc0GmgaL7lPJia_7JONSFF5pTBdbssn4BPTGI5M4/s1600/1xc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIioEXyyU5f6-xJqqEWxpD0rTtVzQPi0rm2XHdvEf5yYeI6_-w7jLzcAwoW-VvhCIvTricjUER8NLPEigKhpDe6Gb5g0_uJLFTfQhjhc0GmgaL7lPJia_7JONSFF5pTBdbssn4BPTGI5M4/s1600/1xc.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A vehicle carrying the last seven South Koreans arrive at a border checkpoint in Paju, South Korea, on May 3, 2013, after returning from Kaesong Industrial Complex. The last seven South Koreans arrived at the customs, immigration and quarantine office in South Korea's border city Paju Friday, marking the complete pullout of South Koreans in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea (DPRK).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee chairman Hong Yang-ho, one of the seven persons, entered the South Korean territory at around 6:43 p.m. after reaching a settlement on the payment of outstanding wages and other tax issues with the DPRK side, the local media reported.<br /><br />Hong Yang-ho told reporters that he hoped the operation of the Kaesong Industrial Complex would return to normal through dialogue, but he declined to tell any details about the settlement and future plan.<br /><br />The South Korean government has taken a variety of support measures, including provide 300 billion won (273 million U.S. dollars) in emergency operating funds to the 123 South Korean companies at the Kaesong industrial park.<br /><br />A Spokesman of the South Korean Unification Ministry on Wednesday urged the DPRK to normalize operation of the Kaesong industrial park and emphasized that Seoul keeps its door open for dialogue with Pyongyang.<br /><br />The Kaesong Industrial Complex, as the last symbol between inter-Korean cooperation, is suffering the most serious crisis since it opened in 2004.<br /><div><br /></div>

Last seven South Koreans back from Kaesong

SEOUL,-- The last seven South Koreans arrived at the customs, immigration and quarantine office in South Korea's border city Paju Friday...

S.Korea,U.S. end massive joint military exercise amid tensions on Korean Peninsula

<br />SEOUL,-- South Korea and the United States wrapped up Tuesday their joint military drills which was denounced by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK)as "an irresponsible and dangerous action."<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRlfoUQQz8GnNYkFW5doHw5Uisy52EoD1DfyAAjisBTnM9_y0Cba-LIzV9C0sByQOfJSk7GOBHSL6zG-MZIjc-E2i19MbvaEvzU4onxZ-IXaO6zFc1JoBaQnubjqm1FngLF0hdR1HW-q4/s1600/kim-jong-un-sees-chuck-norris-through-binoculars.-says-oh-sh...t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRlfoUQQz8GnNYkFW5doHw5Uisy52EoD1DfyAAjisBTnM9_y0Cba-LIzV9C0sByQOfJSk7GOBHSL6zG-MZIjc-E2i19MbvaEvzU4onxZ-IXaO6zFc1JoBaQnubjqm1FngLF0hdR1HW-q4/s1600/kim-jong-un-sees-chuck-norris-through-binoculars.-says-oh-sh...t.jpg" width="570" /></a></div><br />The two-month Foal Eagle exercises, launched on March 1, were aimed to improve the readiness of U.S.-South Korea alliance to defend South Korea, with 10,000 U.S.troops and 200,000 South Korean troops involved.<br /><br />The United States deployed nuclear-capable weapons during this year's joint military exercise, including two B-22 bombers.Two B-2 Spirit Bombers were sent from Whiteman Air Force Base in the U.S. state of Missouri to the Korean Peninsula to carry out its first firing drill in South Korea. F-22 Raptor fighters and MV-22 Ospreys also joined the exercise.<br /><br />Ahead of the exercises, the DPRK had successfully conducted a third nuclear tests on February 12,T which drew condemnation from the international community. The United States and some other countries are pressing for stricter sanctions against Pyongyang at the UN Security Council.<br /><br />The DPRK strongly protested the Foal Eagle exercises, but the U. S.-led Combined Forces Command(CFC) insisted on continuing the military exercises, describing them as defensive in nature and unrelated to DPRK's recent nuclear test.<br /><br />Soon afterwards the DPRK vowed to nullify an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War from March 11, and warned of more and stronger countermeasures if the United States and South Korea continued joint military drills.<br /><br />Tensions have escalated sharply on the Korean Peninsula as the U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers conducted its first- ever firing drill in South Korea on March 28.<br /><br />"As the B-2 has radar-evading stealth function, it can penetrate the anti-aircraft defense to drop conventional and nuclear weapons,"South Korean Yonhap News Agency quoted a senior military official as saying. "It is the strategic weapon most feared by North Korea (DPRK)."<br /><br />Two days later,Pyongyang said it had entered a "state of war" with South Korea and threatened to shut down their joint industrial park located in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong.<br /><br />South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on April 1 that she " sees the recent DPRK's threat very seriously," and ordered the military to respond strongly to possible provocation by the DPRK without any political considerations over DPRK's recent threats.<br /><br />Situations in the conflict-prone regions near the "Northern Limit Line" and the Military Demarcation Line has worsened since Pyongyang banned the entry of South Korean workers to the Kaesong Industrial Park, allowing only for their departure from Kaesong on April 3.<br /><br />South Korean Unification Minister Kihl-jae said that Seoul has had its door open for dialogue with Pyongyang, urging the DPRK to normalize passage to Kaesong complex.<br /><br />The DPRK withdrew all its 53,000 workers from the industrial zone on April 9 in defiance of South Korea's protests. The operations of 123 South Korean companies in Kaesong Industrial Complex has been halted since then.<br /><br />Two weeks after suspensions of South Korean companies in Kaesong, South Korea proposed talks with the DPRK. But the DPRK rejected Seoul's proposal and warned of decisive action if South Korea keeps aggravating the situation.<br /><br />Following the DPRK's response, South Korea decided to withdraw all their workers in Keasong last week. South Korea has pulled out all but seven of its workers in the early morning of Tuesday.<br /><br />Kaesong Industrial Complex, an important symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, faces closure amid tensions on the peninsula.<br /><div><br /></div>

S.Korea,U.S. end massive joint military exercise amid tensions on Korean Peninsula

SEOUL,-- South Korea and the United States wrapped up Tuesday their joint military drills which was denounced by the Democratic People's...

NKorea says verdict soon for American citizen

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuFdWRgovJcomHDzUN6LlL4fchFvcKQDOfkpSNkwE-OfVxUyE2VRL7IFN1Nb7uxcxNhMUMO6V56Mi-S7o9kIOHuAixPb1zu-z9uCnm3poZOkH83fxFdupcci6EmwcrPAdSFVdCGHYZhaW/s1600/publimetro.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuFdWRgovJcomHDzUN6LlL4fchFvcKQDOfkpSNkwE-OfVxUyE2VRL7IFN1Nb7uxcxNhMUMO6V56Mi-S7o9kIOHuAixPb1zu-z9uCnm3poZOkH83fxFdupcci6EmwcrPAdSFVdCGHYZhaW/s1600/publimetro.gif" /></a>PYONGYANG, North Korea- North Korea says it will soon deliver a verdict in the case of a detained American it accuses of trying to overthrow the government, further complicating already fraught relations between Pyongyang and Washington. The announcement about Kenneth Bae comes in the middle of a lull after weeks of war threats and other provocative acts by North Korea against the U.S. and South Korea.  Bae, identified in North Korean state media by his Korean name, Pae Jun Ho, is a tour operator of Korean descent who was arrested after arriving with a tour on Nov. 3 in Rason, a special economic zone bordering China and Russia.  "The preliminary inquiry into crimes committed by American citizen Pae Jun Ho closed," the official Korean Central News Agency said. "In the process of investigation he admitted that he committed crimes aimed to topple the DPRK with hostility toward it. His crimes were proved by evidence. He will soon be taken to the Supreme Court of the DPRK to face judgment."  DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.  It is not known what sort of sentence Bae faces, but under North Korea's criminal code, terrorist acts include murdering, kidnapping and injuring the country's citizens can lead to a death sentence or life in jail.  In 2009, American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for trespassing and unspecified hostile acts.  They were freed later that year after former President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang to negotiate their release.  Including Ling and Lee, Bae is the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. The other Americans were eventually deported or released after high-profile diplomatic interventions, such as by Clinton. North Korea has expressed rage over U.N. sanctions over a February nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills, though analysts say Pyongyang's motive is to get its Korean War foes to negotiate on its own terms.  "For North Korea, Bae is a bargaining chip in dealing with the U.S. The North will use him in a way that helps bring the U.S. to talks when the mood slowly turns toward dialogue," said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean Studies at Seoul's Dongguk University.  North Korea and the United States fought the 1950-53 Korean War and don't have diplomatic relations. The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the United States. KCNA didn't say when Bae's verdict will be announced.  North Korea's state media and the U.S. government have made little information about Bae public. But his friends, colleagues and South Korean activists specializing in North Korea affairs said Bae is a Christian missionary based in a Chinese border town who frequently made trips to North Korea to feed orphans there. It is not known whether he tried to evangelize while in North Korea.  Officially, North Korea guarantees freedom of religion. In practice, authorities crack down on Christians, who are seen as Western-influenced threats to the government. The distribution of Bibles and secret prayer services can mean banishment to a labor camp or execution, defectors from the country have said.  Meanwhile, South Korea is pulling its citizens from a joint factory park in North Korea after Pyongyang rejected Seoul's demand for talks on the inter-Korean symbol of detente. <br /><br />The park was shuttered earlier this month after the North pulled its workers out of it, objecting to views in South Korea that the complex is a source of badly needed hard currency for Pyongyang. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div>

NKorea says verdict soon for American citizen

PYONGYANG, North Korea- North Korea says it will soon deliver a verdict in the case of a detained American it accuses of trying to overthrow...

China says new North Korea nuclear test possible

<br />BEIJING — China's top general said a fourth North Korean nuclear weapons test is a possibility that underscores the need for fresh talks between Pyongyang and other regional parties.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCeUap_a5Dhp-XrPjOd829zgHBKihaglykrhoXkRKg9dmouvFRLLKo6p7GIGVKx8pmAoW4sAqfW0-FAwKIPdKokyUz6pZQeUlyYRSBYnXJL_PkS0FffTZ1nQDPLSgXKmmjnQPdoC8QdAb/s1600/uschim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCeUap_a5Dhp-XrPjOd829zgHBKihaglykrhoXkRKg9dmouvFRLLKo6p7GIGVKx8pmAoW4sAqfW0-FAwKIPdKokyUz6pZQeUlyYRSBYnXJL_PkS0FffTZ1nQDPLSgXKmmjnQPdoC8QdAb/s1600/uschim.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Chief of the General Staff Gen. Fang Fenghui said Beijing firmly opposes the North's nuclear weapons program and wants to work with others on negotiations to end it. He said Beijing's preference is for a return to long-stalled disarmament talks involving the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the U.S.<br /><br />"We ask all sides to work actively to work on the North Koreans to stop nuclear tests and stop producing nuclear weapons," Fang told reporters. "We believe that dialogue should be the right solution."<br /><br />Fang offered no indication as to when Beijing thought a test might happen or give other details.<br /><br />His comments Monday followed a meeting with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whose first visit to China in that position comes amid heightened tensions between Pyongyang, South Korea and the U.S.<br /><br />North Korea has been threatening to attack the U.S. and South Korea over recent military drills and sanctions imposed as punishment for its third nuclear test in February. Pyongyang calls the annual drills a rehearsal for invasion. South Korean officials have said the North is poised to test-fire a medium-range missile capable of reaching the American territory of Guam.<br /><br />China is North Korea's most important diplomatic ally, main trading partner, and a key source of food and fuel aid. Yet while Beijing signed on to tougher U.N. sanctions following the February test, it says it has limited influence with Pyongyang and Fang declined to say whether Beijing would adopt tougher measures to pressure the North into reducing tensions.<br /><br />In other remarks, Fang also sought to reassure Dempsey over recent reports of Chinese military-sponsored hacking attacks on U.S. targets, saying China opposed all such activity. The new spotlight on a long-festering problem has prompted calls for Washington to get tough on Beijing, and the administration is reportedly considering measures ranging from trade sanctions to diplomatic pressure and electronic countermeasures.<br /><br />Fang repeated China's portrayal of itself as a major victim of hacking, saying China is heavily reliant on the Internet and has a strong vested interest in ensuring cybersecurity, Fang said.<br /><br />"If control is lost over security in cyberspace, the effects can be, and I don't exaggerate, at times no less than a nuclear bomb," Fang said.<br /><br />For his part, Dempsey sought to allay Chinese unease about the U.S. military's renewed focus on Asia. That has reawakened Chinese fears of being encircled by U.S. bases and alliances and brought strong criticism from the military.<br /><br />"One of the things I talked about today with the general, is we seek to be a stabilizing influence in the region. And in fact, we believe, that it would be our absence that would be destabilizing, not our presence," Dempsey said.<br /><br />However, while Washington is committed to building a "better, deeper, more enduring" relationship with China, its traditional alliances in Asia — including with Japan and other Chinese rivals — could at times create friction, he said.<br /><br />While distrust lingers on both sides, efforts to expand cooperation between the Chinese and U.S. militaries have gained friction in recent months, and new anti-piracy and humanitarian relief drills are planned.<br /><div><br /></div>

China says new North Korea nuclear test possible

BEIJING — China's top general said a fourth North Korean nuclear weapons test is a possibility that underscores the need for fresh talks...

North Korea turns to Mongolia for food aid

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlN3T-hyxXa_LTk3z2eiOIk_k1liDZOxPc0voF3vrzoOXz2Yc5ydVtl-_8WAGgCnlxJMaEDY3AQBkiDhGfdfpfN1Nqpn_NHVMKqgIyj6pfLNg0EZ3bvHjZbecSalaNOWqCH1sj3lS15r0/s1600/publimetro.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlN3T-hyxXa_LTk3z2eiOIk_k1liDZOxPc0voF3vrzoOXz2Yc5ydVtl-_8WAGgCnlxJMaEDY3AQBkiDhGfdfpfN1Nqpn_NHVMKqgIyj6pfLNg0EZ3bvHjZbecSalaNOWqCH1sj3lS15r0/s1600/publimetro.gif" /></a>North Korean Ambassador to Mongolia Hong Gyu revealed to Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj that the politically isolated East Asian country may face a severe shortage of food.<br /><br /><br />According to information posted by the website for the Mongolian presidency, Gyu requested that the country "study the possibility of providing food assistance" to North Korea.<br /><br />The former Soviet client state has received humanitarian aide from the United Nations and China since the nineties. Anywhere from 240,000 to 3,500,000 people are thought to have died during the country's mass famine between 1994 and 1998.

North Korea turns to Mongolia for food aid

North Korean Ambassador to Mongolia Hong Gyu revealed to Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj that the politically isolated East Asian ...

Anonymous launches new assault on N. Korean websites

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuFdWRgovJcomHDzUN6LlL4fchFvcKQDOfkpSNkwE-OfVxUyE2VRL7IFN1Nb7uxcxNhMUMO6V56Mi-S7o9kIOHuAixPb1zu-z9uCnm3poZOkH83fxFdupcci6EmwcrPAdSFVdCGHYZhaW/s1600/publimetro.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuFdWRgovJcomHDzUN6LlL4fchFvcKQDOfkpSNkwE-OfVxUyE2VRL7IFN1Nb7uxcxNhMUMO6V56Mi-S7o9kIOHuAixPb1zu-z9uCnm3poZOkH83fxFdupcci6EmwcrPAdSFVdCGHYZhaW/s1600/publimetro.gif" /></a>Hacktivist collective Anonymous claimed it has launched another major assault on North Korean websites as part of <i>‘Operation Free Korea.’</i> Central news and information site Uriminzokkiri.com has been taken offline, while photoshopped images of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have been placed on three other hacked sites: English language news sites minjok.com, jajusasang.com and paekdu-hanna.com. <br /><br />The Twitter and Flickr accounts of North Korea’s central news agencies were hacked earlier this month, after Pyongyang announced it was on a war footing towards its southern neighbor. <br /><br />At the end of March, the group took down five of North Korea's official websites, including its official Web portal and the site of the country’s foreign relations committee.

Anonymous launches new assault on N. Korean websites

Hacktivist collective Anonymous claimed it has launched another major assault on North Korean websites as part of ‘Operation Free Korea.’ C...

North Korea ready to develop relations, ensure stability ‘as a responsible nuke state’

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpOh60vhRapIbkq_Xp7wUAGPDfGESpAzJGr6V09bUAc4iBUauyMEwg_e1MxWyjU2HdiorBKqLP9Mu5oCPMqcbI2Cnl9IrU5zir8ExMVmVEU56zO7LPhwENSDAnTBm8YmOqxeykPmqpKXG/s1600/oo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpOh60vhRapIbkq_Xp7wUAGPDfGESpAzJGr6V09bUAc4iBUauyMEwg_e1MxWyjU2HdiorBKqLP9Mu5oCPMqcbI2Cnl9IrU5zir8ExMVmVEU56zO7LPhwENSDAnTBm8YmOqxeykPmqpKXG/s1600/oo1.jpg" /></a></div>North Korea is ready to develop peaceful relations with world nations – but only as a nuke state, the DPRK’s nominal head of state Kim Yong-nam said on Sunday. <br />This comes as the US, Japan, and China call for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.<br />North Korea, which, despite tension, is getting ready to celebrate the birthday of the country’s founder Kim Il-sung, said it was ready to conduct relations “based on the ideals of peace and sovereignty” and contribute to security and stability in Asia, and in the whole world “as a responsible nuclear-weapon state.”<br />However, North Korea’s Kim Yong-nam pointed out that not every nation is worthy their friendship, saying the country’s “invincible defense forces” armed with strengthening “nuclear deterrence forces” will “unfold a total fight against the USA, acting in accordance with a wartime scenario.”<br />“We will expand in quantity our nuclear weapons capability, which is the treasure of a unified Korea... that we would never barter at any price,” Kim Yong-nam stressed.<br />Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday asserted the United States is willing to “reach out” to North Korea – as long as it “takes action” towards giving up its nuclear program.<br />“I think it is really unfortunate that there has been so much focus and attention in the media and elsewhere on the subject of war, when what we really ought to be talking about is the possibility of peace. And I think there are those possibilities,” Kerry said during his Sunday visit to Tokyo where he is meeting his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.<br />Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kishida reiterated the American condition for talks, saying both Japan and the US “cannot allow North Korea in any way to possess nuclear weapons.”<br />North Korea should cease its “provocative speech and behavior,” Kishida stressed, urging it to take “concrete action toward denuclearization.”<br />Just the day before, China also said it is “firmly committed to upholding peace and stability and advancing the denuclearization process on the Korean peninsula.”<br />“There is no question in my mind that China is very serious – very serious – about denuclearizing,” Kerry noted after his Saturday talks with top Chinese officials.<br />He also warned the North Korean government would be making a “huge mistake” if it were to launch a missile as he stopped in South Korea, where some 28,000 US troops are stationed.<br />The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday added that North Korea should realize their “provocative acts do not bring any benefit,” other than making the situation for them “more difficult.” He said that Japan is willing to coordinate with the United States, South Korea, China and Russia to prevent the North Korean missiles from being launched.<br />The other battle front<br />In the meantime, Pyongyang warned South Korea of “catastrophic consequences,” should there be a propaganda action during the Day of the Sun – Kim Il-sung’s 101th birthday celebrations on April 15.<br />Several South Korean NGOs have recently announced plans to launch air balloons with leaflets criticizing the North Korean regime over the border between the two countries.<br />Reports said the South Korean police have already prevented one such launch on Saturday, “for the first time ever,” according to activists. The latter undertook such attempts in the past, sometimes also attaching dollar bills to the leaflets. The people living in the border areas have protested the actions, as it inevitably leads to flare-ups with the North, the police explained.<br />North Korea itself is responsible for some recent provocative actions – which are taking place on the cyber-front, Seoul officials have claimed.<br />The South Korean nuclear power plant operator Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said it had to cut off the Internet access and even seal the USB ports on all the computers inside their facilities for the fear of possible cyber-attacks from North Korea. Such “preventive measures” were taken after several other state companies, including banks and TV stations, became subject to such attacks that were officially blamed on North Korean hackers.<br />Some 48,000 South Korean computers have been hacked during the recent attacks, leading some of the country’s experts to claim the war is already going on in cyber-space. They estimate an army of at least 3,000 ‘hacker troops’ from the North are taking part, according to Itar-Tass.<br />North Korea has dismissed the allegations as “rumors” and “deliberate provocations” aimed at worsening the existing tension.<br />It also thwarted the South Korean president Park Geun-hye’s recent call for dialogue and “trust-building process,” calling it “a cunning trick to hide the South’s policy of confrontation.”<br />There would be no negotiation until South Korea and the United States end their joint military drill on the peninsula, the North Korean Reunification committee spokesman said in a statement on Sunday, adding that under these circumstances “such a dialogue would be meaningless.”<br />The statement aired by the KCNA news agency also blamed the South for trying to “shift its responsibility for putting the Kaesong Industrial Complex into a crisis.” Some 53,000 North Korean workers employed by 123 South Korean companies were working at the Kaesong Industrial Complex until it closed down due to the recent escalation of diplomatic hostilities.<br />The South Korean media is now speculating whether the North will test-fire a missile during Monday’s birthday celebrations, some claiming the launch facility is already on standby, RT’s Aleksey Yaroshevky reported from the region on Sunday.

North Korea ready to develop relations, ensure stability ‘as a responsible nuke state’

North Korea is ready to develop peaceful relations with world nations – but only as a nuke state, the DPRK’s nominal head of state Kim Yong-...

Japan issues false N. Korea missile alarm instead of quake alert

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1aXehU9d61VyHP6rVLKv9SwHnS6It0rXhb4b-tFcB_xJ__pTEi0HTJ3psz2qon2Y4Nh_MwGvUZKOpE81aFWiwhwbdi7735tzV303XVvTQLPIQjkD8ve8qy38jvXbnz8JmGeB98SxEWl/s1600/p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1aXehU9d61VyHP6rVLKv9SwHnS6It0rXhb4b-tFcB_xJ__pTEi0HTJ3psz2qon2Y4Nh_MwGvUZKOpE81aFWiwhwbdi7735tzV303XVvTQLPIQjkD8ve8qy38jvXbnz8JmGeB98SxEWl/s1600/p1.jpg" /></a>A Japanese official mistakenly issued a pre-prepared alert announcing the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile instead of sending a message concerning a recent earthquake in western Japan.<br /><br />A reported 87 airport offices in Japan received emails on Saturday saying that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile. <br /><br />The messages were sent by mistake, the country’s transportation ministry later explained.<br /><br /> An official at the Osaka aviation bureau was going to send out a letter asking if any of the region's airports had been damaged by the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that earlier hit the western part of the country, injuring dozens. <br /><br /> Instead, the official mistakenly dispatched a pre-prepared alert about a North Korean missile launch.<br /><br /> At least one domestic flight was delayed due to the false alarm, though the mistaken email was retracted six minutes after it was sent, AFP reported.<br /><br /> This wasn't the first time Japan has raised a false alarm about a North Korean missile launch: On Wednesday, the Japanese city of Yokohama sent a message to its Twitter account's 40,000 followers saying that North Korea had launched a missile.<br /><br /> The tweet had a blank space where the exact time of the launch should have been pasted in, indicating that the message was posted prematurely. The message was visible for 20 minutes before the city retracted it.<br /><br /> Japan has lately been on high alert, with Patriot missiles stationed in Tokyo to protect its people from an expected mid-range missile test launch by North Korea.<br /><br /> On Friday, Pyongyang warned that Tokyo would be its primary target if war broke out on the Korean Peninsula, blaming Japan for its “hostile posture.<br /><br />” It also threatened a nuclear strike against the island nation if it intercepts any North Korean test missiles.<br /><h4>All nerves: Japan issues false N. Korea missile alarm instead of quake alert</h4><h4><img alt="A soldier (R) of Japan's Ground Self Defence Force looks on as Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (unseen in this picture) inspected Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile launchers at the Defence Ministry headquarters in Tokyo on April 13, 2013 (AFP Photo / Yoshikazu Tsuno)" src="http://rt.com/files/news/1e/b7/00/00/japan-nkorea-false-alarm.si.jpg" style="float: none;" title="" /></h4><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div>

Japan issues false N. Korea missile alarm instead of quake alert

A Japanese official mistakenly issued a pre-prepared alert announcing the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile instead of sending a me...

Looking for logic in North Korea's threats

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1aXehU9d61VyHP6rVLKv9SwHnS6It0rXhb4b-tFcB_xJ__pTEi0HTJ3psz2qon2Y4Nh_MwGvUZKOpE81aFWiwhwbdi7735tzV303XVvTQLPIQjkD8ve8qy38jvXbnz8JmGeB98SxEWl/s1600/p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1aXehU9d61VyHP6rVLKv9SwHnS6It0rXhb4b-tFcB_xJ__pTEi0HTJ3psz2qon2Y4Nh_MwGvUZKOpE81aFWiwhwbdi7735tzV303XVvTQLPIQjkD8ve8qy38jvXbnz8JmGeB98SxEWl/s1600/p1.jpg" /></a>No matter how irrational the situation looks, North Korea's leadership is not crazy for threatening to wipe its enemies off the map with nuclear strikes. <br /><br />SEOUL, South Korea — To the outside world, the talk often appears to border on the lunatic, with the poor, hungry and electricity-starved nation threatening to lay waste to the United States' cities in an atomic firestorm, or to overrun South Korea in a lightning attack.<br />Enemy capitals, North Korea said, will be turned "into a sea of fire." North Korea's first strikes will be "a signal flare marking the start of a holy war." Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal is "mounted on launch pads, aimed at the windpipe of our enemies."<br />And it's not all talk. The profoundly isolated, totalitarian nation has launched two rockets over the past year. A February nuclear test resulted in still more U.N. sanctions. Another missile test may be in the planning stages.<br />But there is also a logic behind North Korea's behavior, a logic steeped in internal politics, one family's fear of losing control and the ways that a weak, poverty-racked nation can extract concessions from some of the world's most fearsome military powers.<br />It's also steeped in another important fact: It works.<br />At various points over the past two decades, North Korea's cycles of threats and belligerence have pressured the international community into providing billions of dollars in aid and, for a time, helped push South Korea's government into improving ties.<br />Most important to Pyongyang, it has helped the Kim family remain in power decades after the fall of its patron, the Soviet Union, and long after North Korea had become an international pariah. Now the third generation of Kims, the baby-faced Kim Jong Un, is warning the world that it may soon face the wrath of Pyongyang. If the virulence of Kim Jong Un's threats has come as a surprise, he appears largely to be following in his father's diplomatic footsteps.<br />"You keep playing the game as long as it works," said Christopher Voss, a longtime FBI hostage negotiator and now the CEO of the Black Swan Group, a strategic advisory firm focusing on negotiation. "From their perspective, why should they evolve out of this? If it ain't broke, don't fix it."<br />Like hostage takers, the North Koreans find themselves backed into a corner of their own creation, surrounded by heavily armed foes and driven by beliefs that seem completely illogical to everyone else. "From the outside, it makes no sense," Voss said. "From the inside, it makes all the sense in the world."<br />But the North Koreans also have repeatedly and purposefully backed themselves into those corners, terrifying the world with missile launches and nuclear tests that often end with North Korea getting more international assistance.<br />Take the early 1990s, when Pyongyang backed away from a nuclear weapons program in exchange for promises of $5 billion in fuel and two nuclear reactors. Or the late 1990s, when North Korea launched a suspected missile over Japan and dispatched a submarine into South Korean waters, but by 2000 the leaders of both Koreas were sitting down for a historic summit in Pyongyang. Then, in 2006, North Korea terrified the world with a nuclear weapons test, but a year later ratcheted back its nuclear program in exchange for aid and political concessions.<br />The predictability of the pattern is an important sign to scholars that at least part of what is going on has been considered carefully and that Pyongyang has clear goals in mind.<br />In other words: No matter how irrational the situation looks, North Korea's leadership is not crazy.<br />Instead, many observers believe, North Korea simply wants the world to believe they are crazy, leveraging the international community's fear of unpredictability to magnify their power.<br />The result is obvious.<br />"How many countries have been overrun since the end of the Cold War? How many dictators have been deposed?" asked Rodger Baker, an analyst for Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence firm. "And where is North Korea? It's still there."<br />The North Korean leadership also retains, as far as is known, the support of its people. Their lives are often miserable, hunger is widespread and indoor toilets are a luxury to many. But other than a few whispered rumors of minor military rebellions, there has been no sign of revolt.<br />To many North Korean exiles, the recent round of threats are really about retaining that internal support<br />"Kim Jong Un is so young," said Nam-su Han, who fled North Korea as a young man after his father, a military officer, was executed, and who now runs a Seoul-based activist group. "He needs to gather the support of his citizens ... and he's using this (belligerence) to make the people come together."<br />Fear of outsiders, and pride in their own resilience, has long helped unify the people of North Korea. The country was pulverized during the Korean War, when more than 1 million North Koreans are believed to have died. In the mid-1990s, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have died as famine swept the country.<br />Through it all, North Koreans have been fed an unrelenting stream of propaganda that the Kims are watching over them as parents and are bravely standing up to the aggressive foreign powers — South Korea and the United States — who are said to be preparing to attack.<br />Now it is Kim Jong Un — "the great, brilliant commander ... leading the world's most powerful country" — who is standing up to the aggressors.<br />Kim is under immense pressure, not just because he is a new ruler, but because a new generation of North Korean military and civilian leaders will rise to prominence in coming years, anxious to live in a more developed nation, said Peter Hayes, head of the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, an Asia-focused think tank. More exposed to the outside world than their predecessors, Hayes believes they will be far more likely to turn on their ruler if he doesn't come through.<br />"If he doesn't deliver an economy worth living in, he's toast," Hayes said.<br />Kim Jong Un has to try to cement his popular support, ensure the backing of this key elite and negotiate his way through the complex waters of international diplomacy, a juggling trick that may explain why the threats, and the volume of those threats, are more bellicose than normal.<br />"Maybe he's more risk-taking ... maybe he's trying to create his own brand," Hayes said. "But he's playing many different games at many different levels at the same time."<br /><img alt=" North Korea's threats: North Korean workers and students. " class="image" data-src="{"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/66/9287e190d223a2eb7bec8669cd9294_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg"}" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/66/9287e190d223a2eb7bec8669cd9294_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg" title=" North Korea's threats: North Korean workers and students. (AP Photo: David Guttenfelder, File)" width="650" /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" width="320" /></a></div>

Looking for logic in North Korea's threats

No matter how irrational the situation looks, North Korea's leadership is not crazy for threatening to wipe its enemies off the map with...

Russia Calls On Pyongyang To Show Restraint

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has met with North Korea’s ambassador to express Moscow’s concerns about Pyongyang’s recent actions.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYC2FLzwu-V3R9z7X_KqA7lP5ecp6LGHx71Ru5k5ye8fTVecvzOE9zH-JnzneUZcxz4D1v5Mjs7gkk8CsHQKjhLnxSMG-cau-CcJqY7pg-LyZsk5vFVPrsdQn2_Wm6zI0rg8-u2XFf8R7/s1600/rusia.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYC2FLzwu-V3R9z7X_KqA7lP5ecp6LGHx71Ru5k5ye8fTVecvzOE9zH-JnzneUZcxz4D1v5Mjs7gkk8CsHQKjhLnxSMG-cau-CcJqY7pg-LyZsk5vFVPrsdQn2_Wm6zI0rg8-u2XFf8R7/s1600/rusia.gif" /></a></div> Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov met with North Korean Ambassador Kim Yong Jae on April 12.<br /><br /> Morgulov urged North Korea to "refrain from actions which can lead to a further escalation of violence" and also called on Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table and seek a diplomatic solution to problems on the Korean Peninsula.<br /><br /> Earlier on the same day in Seoul, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said North Korea’s threats of war are "unacceptable" and that the United States "will, if needed, defend our allies and defend ourselves."<br /><br /> In recent weeks North Korea has threatened to launch a nuclear strike and said a "state of war" exists with South Korea.<br /><br /> Based on reporting by ITAR-TASS, Interfax, and AFP

Russia Calls On Pyongyang To Show Restraint

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has met with North Korea’s ambassador to express Moscow’s concerns about Pyongyang’s recent actions.  Russian Depu...

Obama tells N. Korea to stop the threats

<h4>Obama: North Korea should end belligerence now.</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpcUIevexcBPXMvEzMNKP7VjSAXcdMQvgn2QqdEUPuV7soj-06XnwokllY-nkuo9LXTWKj_Aw2JBQVioqbyq2Rq7R6yfBDyqvbzFhHeO0eM4BTVtJq7EyAoUCAt33nMzjoSoKHJa3w2Yb/s1600/a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpcUIevexcBPXMvEzMNKP7VjSAXcdMQvgn2QqdEUPuV7soj-06XnwokllY-nkuo9LXTWKj_Aw2JBQVioqbyq2Rq7R6yfBDyqvbzFhHeO0eM4BTVtJq7EyAoUCAt33nMzjoSoKHJa3w2Yb/s1600/a1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="abs">After meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Obama said the U.S. will be protected with "all necessary steps."</div><section><div class="first" data-class="float1"><br /></div>WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says now is the time for North Korea to end its belligerence. He says the United States will take, in his words, "all necessary steps" to protect its people.<br />But Obama also says that no one wants to see a conflict on the Korean Peninsula.<br /><a href="http://img1.catalog.video.msn.com/image.aspx?uuid=76c3f872-c9f3-4766-9111-fb02e3566a52&w=300&h=169&so=4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Obama says N. Korea must end "belligerent" approach" border="0" class="image" data-src="{"default":"http://img1.catalog.video.msn.com/image.aspx?uuid=76c3f872-c9f3-4766-9111-fb02e3566a52&w=300&h=169&so=4"}" src="http://img1.catalog.video.msn.com/image.aspx?uuid=76c3f872-c9f3-4766-9111-fb02e3566a52&w=300&h=169&so=4" title="Obama says N. Korea must end "belligerent" approach" width="300" /></a>North Korea ratcheted up its threats against the U.S. after the U.N. Security Council levied new economic sanctions on the isolated nation. The penalties were in response to a February rocket launch.<br />Obama spoke alongside U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after the two met in the Oval Office.</section>

Obama tells N. Korea to stop the threats

Obama: North Korea should end belligerence now. After meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Obama said the U.S. will be...

Kerry: N. Korea's rhetoric is unacceptable

The U.S. Secretary of State is on a trip that was planned before North Korea's preparations for another missile test and aims to begin the process of shifting U.S. power away from Europe and the Middle East and toward Asia.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img alt=" Kerry in South Korea: South Korean President Park and U.S. Secretary of State Kerry shake hands before their talks at the presidential Blue House in Seoul. " class="image" data-src="{"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/49/8b4597346d62e1f6b7d53cbb475dd8_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg"}" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/49/8b4597346d62e1f6b7d53cbb475dd8_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg" title=" Kerry in South Korea: South Korean President Park and U.S. Secretary of State Kerry shake hands before their talks at the presidential Blue House in Seoul. (Reuters)" width="650" /><br />SEOUL — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry dismissed as "unacceptable by any standard" weeks of bellicose warnings of impending nuclear war by North Korea and said Washington would never accept the reclusive state becoming a nuclear power.<br />Kerry, addressing reporters after talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and leaders of the 28,000-strong U.S. military contingent in the country, also said the United States would defend its allies in the region if necessary.<br />"The rhetoric we are hearing from North Korea is simply unacceptable by any standard," Kerry said. "We are all united in the fact that North Korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power."<br />North Korea has issued weeks of shrill warnings to the United States and South Korea, including of waging thermonuclear war, after the imposition of new U.N. sanctions in response to its third nuclear arms test in February.<br />Kerry's visit coincides with preparations for the anniversary on Monday of North Korean state founder Kim Il-sung's birth date, a possible pretext for a military show of strength.<br />Speculation has mounted that Pyongyang may launch a medium-range missile after reports in South Korea and the United States that missiles had been moved into suitable locations.<br />Kerry said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be making a "huge mistake" if he proceeded with a launch.<br />He also said that China, the North's sole diplomatic and financial ally, has the ability to make a difference on influencing North Korea's policies.<br />Hours before his arrival, a U.S. government agency said North Korea had a nuclear weapon it can mount on a missile, adding an ominous dimension to discussions in Seoul.<br />However, the assessment by the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was swiftly dismissed by several U.S. officials and South Korea.<br />Asked if war was imminent, a U.S. official in South Korea said: "Not at all."<br />Washington's greatest concern, the official said, was the possibility of unexpected developments linked to 30-year-old Kim Jong-un.<br />"Kim Jong-un's youth and inexperience make him very vulnerable to miscalculation. Our greatest concern is a miscalculation and where that may lead," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.<br />"We have seen no indications of massive troop movements, or troops massing on the border, or massive exercises or anything like that that would back up any of the rhetoric that is going on."<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/12/e07ee8d928de6f6f584669328b5d7_h300_w610_m6_utrue_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kerry in South Korea: US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, looks at South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se during a joint press conference in Seoul on Friday." border="0" class="image" data-src="{"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/12/e07ee8d928de6f6f584669328b5d7_h300_w610_m6_utrue_lfalse.jpg"}" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/12/e07ee8d928de6f6f584669328b5d7_h300_w610_m6_utrue_lfalse.jpg" title="Kerry in South Korea: US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, looks at South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se during a joint press conference in Seoul on Friday. (AP Photo: Lee Jin-man)" width="610" /></a>Park, meeting officials from her ruling Saenuri Party before her talks with Kerry, struck a conciliatory note by suggesting Seoul should at least listen to what North Korea had to say.<br />"We have a lot of issues, including the Kaesong industrial zone," local media quoted her as saying. So should we not meet with them and ask: "Just what are you trying to do?'"<br />The president was referring to North Korea's closure this week of the jointly run Kaesong industrial park, with the loss of 53,000 jobs.<br />In Washington, Republican Representative Doug Lamborn quoted the DIA as saying it had concluded with "moderate confidence" that North Korea had developed a nuclear bomb that could be fitted on a ballistic missile, but added such a weapon would probably be unreliable.<br />North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, but it was not believed to be near weapons capability.<br />In Pyongyang, Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, said North Korea would never abandon its nuclear weapons program, made necessary by the "invariable ambition of the U.S. to militarily invade" North Korea.<br />South Korea's Defence Ministry maintained it did not believe North Korea could mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.<br />Despite the DIA report, the Pentagon's spokesman and the U.S. national intelligence director both said it was "inaccurate" to infer Pyongyang had the proven ability to launch a nuclear missile.<br />The DIA was criticized after the start of the Iraq war in 2003 for being too bullish in predicting Baghdad might have weapons of mass destruction.<br />Its conclusion about North Korea follows more than a month of rising tension on the Korean peninsula.<br />Asked about the U.S. reports that Pyongyang may have developed a nuclear weapon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "China upholds the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and pushing for its denuclearization via talks and consultations. No matter what changes there are in the situation, we will uphold this direction."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFvN3A0Sct3ZU42wYh2DSyd3l0qVOKO70vJY7RnAx-8D7A6g65nWTElIFEr4_RR52qkH3nJSa5UQAsDzGQWHqMNkdtncF_krEXSQCL28JLGA5cjUeTMA3BDyE7_Ao197_V5DA9zMdWG0C/s1600/u4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFvN3A0Sct3ZU42wYh2DSyd3l0qVOKO70vJY7RnAx-8D7A6g65nWTElIFEr4_RR52qkH3nJSa5UQAsDzGQWHqMNkdtncF_krEXSQCL28JLGA5cjUeTMA3BDyE7_Ao197_V5DA9zMdWG0C/s1600/u4.png" /></a>U.N. sanctions sparked a furious response from Pyongyang. The North has also called annual military drills between U.S. and South Korean forces a "hostile" act.<br />North Korea has stationed as many as five medium-range missiles on its east coast, according to defense assessments by Washington and Seoul. South Korean and U.S. officials believe it is preparing to launch a Musudan missile, whose range of 3,500 km (2,100 miles) or more would put Japan within striking distance and may threaten Guam, home to U.S. military bases.

Kerry: N. Korea's rhetoric is unacceptable

The U.S. Secretary of State is on a trip that was planned before North Korea's preparations for another missile test and aims to begin t...