 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 By Claire LEE Seoul (AFP) Aug 6, 2019
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un says the country's latest missile launches were a warning to Washington and Seoul over their joint war games, state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday, as tensions rise on the Korean peninsula. The latest launch by the nuclear-armed North came after the South Korean and US militaries began mainly computer-simulated joint exercises on Monday to test Seoul's ability to take operational control in wartime. Those drills are taking place despite Pyongyang's warnings that the exercises would jeopardise nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea. KCNA said Kim had watched the launches early Tuesday, which verified the "war capacity" of the "new-type tactical guided missiles". With the launches carried out satisfactorily, "Kim Jong Un noted that the said military action would be an occasion to send an adequate warning to the joint military drill now underway by the US and South Korean authorities," KCNA said. Pyongyang on Tuesday fired two projectiles that "are assumed to be short-range ballistic missiles" into the sea, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier. The latest weapons tests were the fourth pair of projectiles fired in less than two weeks, and the North has threatened more. US President Donald Trump last week downplayed the North's launches, saying Kim would not want to "disappoint" him. Trump and Kim held a historic summit in Singapore last year, where the North made a vague pledge on denuclearisation. A second summit in Hanoi this February broke up amid disagreements over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang might be willing to give up in return. The two agreed to resume nuclear talks during their impromptu June meeting in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula, but working-level dialogue has yet to begin. Analysts say the military manoeuvres on both sides could see discussions pushed back until the autumn, and Pyongyang signalled Tuesday that it was in no mood to talk. It called the drills a "flagrant violation" of the diplomatic process between Pyongyang, Washington and Seoul. Pyongyang has always been infuriated by military exercises between the South and US, seeing them as rehearsals for invasion, but in the past it has tended to avoid carrying out missile tests while the war games were taking place. After the Singapore summit, Trump made a shock announcement halting joint drills, adopting Pyongyang's own description of them as "provocative". War games known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) scheduled for August last year were subsequently suspended and the allies' biggest annual drills, Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, were replaced with a shorter "Dong Maeng" or "Alliance" exercise in March. US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Tuesday said the latest drills are "consistent with the partnership we have with South Korea. "North Korea has continued its exercises unabated. So they don't really have a lot to complain about," he told the "Fox and Friends" television show.
US, S.Korea lack 'political will' on peace talks: KCNA Seoul (AFP) Aug 5, 2019 North Korea on Tuesday said US-South Korean war games are a "flagrant violation" of efforts to reach peace on the Korean peninsula and reflect a lack of "political will" to improve relations. The comments by an unnamed North Korean foreign ministry spokesman, carried by state news agency KCNA, came as Pyongyang fired two "unidentified projectiles" off its eastern coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. There were no further details but the reported firing came after three earlier weapon ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
