The Defense Intelligence Agency in Seoul said Wednesday that North Korea may conduct its first nuclear weapons test in seven years ahead of the US presidential election, in what would be its seventh such test. In a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly intelligence committee, the Defense Intelligence Agency said North Korea will attempt to draw Washington’s attention by staging a major provocation such as a nuclear test ahead of the election that is less than a week away. “No

Politics Oct. 30, 2024

The South Korean intelligence agency said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter Kim Ju-ae appears to be on a rising path to power. Citing the National Intelligence Service, Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea told reporters there are growing signs suggesting a “clear elevation of Ju-ae’s status.” He was briefed on North Korea affairs by the NIS as vice chair of the National Assembly intelligence committee. The NIS said Kim&

Politics Oct. 29, 2024

South Korea’s military on Monday warned of “corresponding measures” in response to North Korea threatening to fly an uncrewed aerial vehicle over Seoul. “If a North Korean UAV infiltration takes place, we will be taking corresponding measures to protect the safety and property of our people,” Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said. The JCS spokesperson dismissed accusations by North Korea that the UAVs that flew over Pyongyang earlier this month h

Defense Oct. 28, 2024

In a latest development in North Korea’s isolationist policy, new blockades were being built along inter-Korean railways running along the east and west sides of the Korean Peninsula to fortify the border areas, South Korea's Unification Ministry confirmed Friday. Kim In-ae, vice spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification in Seoul, said in a briefing that North Korea "had already built barriers at the undermined sections of Donghae lines through additional construction projects.&quo

Politics Oct. 25, 2024

South Korea's main opposition party lawmakers on Friday rallied in the halls of the National Assembly to condemn President Yoon Suk Yeol for his proposed shift in Ukraine aid policy in response to North Korean troop deployment by Russia. “The Yoon administration is reportedly considering providing ‘offensive weapons’ to Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops. This is an incredibly dangerous idea that treats people’s lives like pawns i

Politics Oct. 25, 2024

[코리아헤럴드=김아린 기자] 국가정보원은 북한이 오물풍선을 살포하는 이유가 대북전단 때문이 아닐 것이라고 평가했다. 24일 코리아헤럴드가 입수한 자료에 따르면 국정원은 “북한의 오물풍선 도발과 민간 단체의 대북전단 활동간의 인과관계 여부를 단정하기 어려우며, 특정한 패턴 없이 무작위로 오물풍선을 부양하고 있다”고 분석했다. 국정원은 9월 이후 북한이 오물풍선을 부양하는 횟수가 급격히 늘어난 것에 주목하면서, 앞으로 도발이 더 잦아질 것으로 예측했다. 북한은 지난 5월 말을 시작으로 올해 총 30차례에 걸쳐 오물풍선을 날려 보냈다. 월별로 살펴보면 ▲ 5월 1회 ▲ 6월 6회 ▲ 7월 3회 ▲ 8월 1회 ▲ 9월 11회에 이어 이번 달은 현재까지 8회로 전체 살포 횟수 중 절반 이상이 최근 한 달 사이에 집중되고 있다. 국정원은 최근 북한의 대남공세 강화 국면을 살펴봤을 때 “대남 적개심 고취 및 내부 결속, 우리 대북정책 전환 압박, 미국 대통령 선거

한국어판 Oct. 24, 2024

North Korea on Thursday flew another batch of trash balloons toward the South, most of which landed in Seoul and nearby areas, including Yongsan where the presidential office is located, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. For the first time since the balloon offensive began in May, the balloons carried leaflets targeting President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee. Some leaflets called Yoon a “thug” while others accused the first lady of going on extravagant

Politics Oct. 24, 2024

The South Korean spy agency believes up to 10,000 members of North Korean forces could be deployed in Russia’s war on Ukraine by December, according to vice chairs of the National Assembly intelligence committee on Wednesday. “To date around 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, with an additional 1,500 to be dispatched sometime soon. By December, the number of soldiers dispatched is expected to total 10,000,” Rep. Park Sun-won told reporters after he was briefe

Politics Oct. 23, 2024

South Korea may mull expanding its support to Ukraine, including supplies of “offensive” weapons, depending on the extent of how deeply North Korea engages with Russia in the war efforts, a Seoul official said Tuesday. Kim Tae-hyo, the South Korean deputy national security director, told reporters following a National Security Council meeting convened on this day that Seoul would be tuning its response to match the role Pyongyang plays in the war. “All weapons, whether defensiv

Politics Oct. 22, 2024

[코리아헤럴드=김아린 기자] 우리 군의 대북 확성기 방송이 북한의 대남 쓰레기 풍선 도발 억제에 실패하고 있을 뿐만 아니라, 추가 살포의 빌미를 제공한다는 유엔군사령부의 조사 결과가 나왔다. 또 유엔사는 유엔사령관의 승인 없이 우리 군이 비무장지대(DMZ)에 출입해 대북 확성기를 설치하고 대북 심리전 방송을 송출한 것이 정전협정 위반에 해당한다고 판단했다. 21일 코리아헤럴드 취재를 종합하면, 유엔사 군사정전위원회는 우리 군이 지난 6월 재개한 대북 확성기 방송과 관련한 특별조사를 실시해 이같은 조사 결과를 10일 국방부에 알렸다. 군정위는 DMZ 내 남북한군의 정전협정 위반 여부를 조사하는 역할을 맡고 있다. 이에 김용현 국방부장관은 유엔사의 조사 결과를 반송하고 수용할 수 없다는 입장을 전하는 등 강력한 대응을 지시한 것으로 알려졌다. 장관 지침에 따라 11일 국방부와 합동참모본부에서 각각 유엔사에 항의 의사를 전달했으나, 유엔사는 우리 군이 정전협정을 위반했다는 기존의 판단을

한국어판 Oct. 21, 2024

The US-led United Nations Command said South Korea broadcasting anti-Kim Jong-un propaganda through loudspeakers along the border with North Korea have encouraged, rather than deterred, North Korea’s launches of balloons carrying trash toward the South, according to a Seoul Joint Chiefs of Staff memo obtained by The Korea Herald. The anti-Pyongyang broadcasts by South Korea “failed to deter the North Korean trash balloons” and “gave North Korea an excuse for additional la

Defense Oct. 21, 2024

GYERYONG, South Chungcheong Province -- On North Korea claiming without evidence that South Korean uncrewed aerial vehicles flew over Pyongyang, the South Korean army chief of staff said North Korean attempts to gamble with the stability of the Korean Peninsula “will not be tolerated.” Gen. Park An-su said North Korea was “using the drone claims” to order artillery corps to be prepared to open fire along the border and blow up inter-Korean roads. “The North Korean r

Defense Oct. 17, 2024

Rep. Lim Jong-deuk, former deputy national security adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol and lawmaker on the National Assembly National Defense Committee, on Wednesday allayed concerns of North Korea waging war on account of its arms trade with Russia. “North Korea is in a difficult position to start a war at this point for a number of reasons. One is that North Korea is already sending large quantities of artillery shells and missiles to Russia, and likely to send troops as well,” he

Politics Oct. 16, 2024

North Korea blew up roads near the border on each side of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, in another demonstration of cutting ties with the South. Exploding the inter-Korean roads north of the border on the east and west coats, which had already been dismantled by North Korea, is thought to be a “largely symbolic move,” an official from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters in a closed-door briefing. Tuesday’s move is a “dramatic visualization” o

Defense Oct. 15, 2024

The head of the South Korean government agency for defense research and development said Tuesday the uncrewed aerial vehicles seen in footage released by North Korean state media do not seem to be South Korean. “These UAVs do not seem distinctly South Korean, although there are similar-looking ones among commercial kinds as well as those developed (by the military),” Lt. Gen. Lee Kun-wan, president of the Agency for Defense Development, said in response to questions from lawmakers. &

Defense Oct. 15, 2024