ROK-U.S. News

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) — First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun called Wednesday for the U.S. military’s cooperation on a plan to return part of its Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul, as South Korea pushes to turn the base into a national park.

Choi and Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min visited the garrison to take stock of progress in the implementation of the plan to return nearly 500,000 square meters of land — about one-fourth of the garrison site — by early next year, the foreign ministry said.

Seoul and Washington announced the plan in July, amid worries any further delay in the return and decontamination of the garrison would hamper the mega project to establish the park.

“Vice Minister Choi stressed that the return of the Yongsan Garrison is a crucial matter directly linked to everyday life of our citizens and asked the U.S. Forces Korea to closely cooperate to ensure the return will proceed without a problem,” the ministry said in a press release.

The 500,000 square meters of land in point — about the combined size of 70 soccer fields — is expected to mostly include parts of the garrison’s southern section, called the South Post, which houses schools, sports fields and officers’ quarters.

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SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) — South and North Korea held daily phone calls via their liaison and military hotlines Tuesday, officials said, a day after Pyongyang restored the inter-Korean communication channels.

On Monday, the two Koreas reopened the cross-border communication lines following a near two-month suspension. The move came hours after the North’s state media announced that the lines would be back in normal operation as of 9 a.m. on the day.

“South and North Korea’s daily call at 9 a.m. took place normally via the inter-Korean liaison office,” a unification ministry official said.

The two Koreas also held a phone call through the inter-Korean liaison line at 5 p.m. as scheduled, the ministry said later in the day.

The defense ministry also said both of their direct military communication lines — the eastern and western hotlines — as well as their call via ship-to-ship radio links that use the global merchant marine communication network operated normally.

The resumption of daily calls came 55 days after the North began refusing to answer South Korea’s calls in protest of an annual combined military exercise between the South and the United States.

The North has long denounced the allies’ annual military exercise as a rehearsal for invasion.

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By Choi Soo-hyang

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) — North Korea’s recent missile launches show the “seriousness of threat” posed to the United States and South Korea, a Pentagon official said Monday, amid a conciliatory gesture from Pyongyang after a series of weapons tests.

Siddharth Mohandas, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, made the remark at the start of the biannual 20th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Seoul to discuss regional security situations and pending alliance issues.

“North Korea’s recent missile launches remind us of the seriousness of the threat we face together,” Mohandas said, calling the alliance the “linchpin” of peace and security in the region against such challenges.

The remarks came two days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, said the North could declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, as suggested by South Korea, and even discuss an inter-Korean summit if Seoul drops what she called a “hostile policy” against Pyongyang.

Kim’s statement came amid concerns over the North’s recent cruise and ballistic missile launches, and signs of the reclusive regime reactivating a key nuclear reactor at its mainstay Yongbyon complex.

Earlier in the day, U.S. reconnaissance aircraft, including a Global Hawk, were spotted flying over the Korean Peninsula in an apparent move to track North Korea’s activities following the missile launches and Kim’s statement.

Referring to the recent talks of a formal end to the Korean War, Deputy Defense Minister Kim Man-ki said, “It is time a more close coordination between the South Korea-U.S. alliance is required.”

During the two-day meeting, the two sides plan to discuss “major pending security issues,” such as the assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and the policy coordination on North Korea, according to the defense ministry.

Also on the table during this week’s meeting will be the conditions-based transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul and ways to strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries, the ministry said.

Launched in 2011, KIDD is a comprehensive defense forum between Seoul and Washington that usually meets twice a year. The last session took place in Washington in May.

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By Koh Byung-joon

SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) — The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Friday that President Moon Jae-in’s proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War is an “admirable idea” and Pyongyang is willing to discuss improving inter-Korean relations if Seoul ceases to be hostile toward it.

Kim Yo-jong stressed, however, that the right conditions should be created first before an end-of-war declaration is adopted, such as the removal of what she called “inveterate hostile policy and unequal double standards” toward the North.

Her statement came just hours after a vice foreign minister of the North dismissed Moon’s end-of-war declaration proposal as “something premature,” saying such a declaration would end up as nothing more than a scrap of paper as long as the U.S. hostile policy remains unchanged.

While the earlier statement from Vice Foreign Minister Ri Thae-song appeared to be geared toward the United States, the statement from the North Korean leader’s sister was seen as targeted more toward South Korea.

“The declaration of the termination of the war is an interesting and an admirable idea. … But it is necessary to look into whether it is the right time now and whether there are conditions ripe for discussing this issue,” Kim said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

“Now double-dealing standards, prejudice and hostile policies toward the DPRK and speeches and acts antagonizing us persist. Under such situation it does not make any sense to declare the end of the war with all the things, which may become a seed of a war between parties that had been at odds for more than half a century, left intact,” she added.

DPRK stands for the North’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Kim said that such preconditions should be met first before both Koreas will be able to sit down face-to-face to have meaningful discussions on the matter.

Kim also said that North Korea is willing to discuss improvements in inter-Korean relations but that is also contingent upon whether South Korea stops applying double standards and hostile policy toward the North.

“We have willingness to keep our close contacts with the South again and have constructive discussion with it about the restoration and development of the bilateral relations if it is careful about its future language and not hostile toward us,” she said.

Inter-Korean relations have significantly chilled since North Korea blew up a liaison office in its border town of Kaesong and cut off all cross-border communication lines in June last year.

The communication lines were back online briefly in late July, but the North did not respond to Seoul’s regular calls again in protest of summertime joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, which Pyongyang usually denounces as a rehearsal for invasion.

North Korea has recently heightened tensions by test-firing a new type of long-range cruise missile, which was followed by ballistic missile launches.

Some cautiously raised the possibility North Korea could respond to calls for dialogue as indicated by its previous pattern of turning conciliatory after such military drills ended.

“North Korea has a track record of demonstrating a very hawkish stance during joint military drills by South Korea and the U.S., and then becoming conciliatory after the drills were over,” said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute.

“In view of Kim Yo-jong’s statement, the possibility has risen North Korea could restore the inter-Korean communication lines at an appropriate time and come out for dialogue with the South on occasion of such events as the Beijing Winter Olympics,” he added.

The two Koreas are still technically at war, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

By Lee Chi-dong

HONOLULU, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in received the remains of 68 Korean soldiers, killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, from the United States in a ceremony in Honolulu on Wednesday.

South Korea also handed over five sets of American service members’ remains to the U.S. during the joint repatriation ceremony held at Hickam Air Force Base.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) hosted the event, along with the South Korean defense ministry’s Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification, and Moon “organized” it in person, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

He became the first South Korean president to organize such a remains handover ceremony abroad, it added.

Moon was on a visit to Hawaii following a New York trip for a U.N. General Assembly session.

The remains of two soldiers who have been identified — Pfc. Kim Seok-joo and Pfc. Jung Hwan-jo — was transported on Moon’s presidential jet after a mutual handover signing ceremony. The caskets carrying the remains were drapped in the South Korean national flag.

The caskets containing the remains will be placed on the seats of the aircraft in a show of respect for “the heroes” even while in flight, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

The two were serving at the 32nd Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Seventh Division under the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) Soldier Program. They were killed in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in 1950.

Their remains were discovered by North Korea and sent to Hawaii, along with those of American soldiers. The remains were identified in early September.

“What our war heroes wanted to see on the Korean Peninsula was a complete peace,” Moon said at the event and reiterated his call to bring an official end to the Korean War by forging an end of war declaration between the two Koreas and the United States, and possibly China.

The Korean War ended only with an armistice, technically leaving the divided Koreas at war to date.

Moon added, “Sustainable peace is what the world hoped to achieve through the foundation of the U.N. An end of war declaration will give new hope and courage to everyone around the world aspiring for peace beyond the Korean Peninsula.”

He also said Seoul and Washington’s “unwavering endeavor to achieve complete denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula” will never stop.

Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said that the Korean War “brought our two nations side by side to fight for and defend the values embodied in the ideals of freedom,” and also thanked member nations of the U.N. Command for paving the way for the strong network and alliances offering security and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region.

South Korea’s military will carry the other 66 sets of remains, still unidentified, on a KC-330 Cygnus Multi Role Tanker Transport, with Defense Minister Suh Wook aboard.

Among other attendees at the ceremony were Hwang Ki-chul, South Korea’s minister of patriot and veterans affairs; Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, commander of United Nations Command; and Hawaii Gov. David Ige.

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210923000551315?section=national/defense

By Koh Byung-joon and Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) — North Korea has successfully test-fired a new type of long-range cruise missile over the weekend, state media reported Monday, a low-level provocation amid stalled talks with the United States.

The test-firings, which took place Saturday and Sunday without leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, came right after the North held a scaled-down military parade, and appeared to be intent on demonstrating its military power in a low-level provocation without violating U.N. sanctions.

The North is banned from using ballistic technology under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. Cruise missiles, however, are not subject to the sanctions as they are considered less of a threat than ballistic missiles.

The missiles “traveled for 7,580 seconds along an oval and pattern-8 flight orbits in the air above the territorial land and waters” in North Korea and “hit targets 1,500 km away,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

“The development of the long-range cruise missile, a strategic weapon of great significance in meeting the key target of the five-year plan for the development of the defense science and the weapon system … has been pushed forward according to the scientific and reliable weapon system development process for the past two years,” the KCNA said.

“Detailed tests of missile parts, scores of engine ground thrust tests, various flight tests, control and guidance tests, warhead power tests, etc. were conducted with success,” it added.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the latest test poses threats to the region and beyond.

“We are aware of reports of DPRK cruise missile launches. We will continue to monitor the situation and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the command said in a release. DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“This activity highlights DPRK’s continuing focus on developing its military program and the threats that poses to its neighbors and the international community. The U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad,” it added.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that an in-depth analysis is under way in close cooperation with U.S. intelligence authorities but refused to confirm details, including where the test was conducted and if they detected the launches in advance.

The South Korean military has disclosed information on North Korea’s test-firings of ballistic missiles almost on a real-time basis, but not for cruise missile tests.

Experts say the North’s newly unveiled weapon resembles the U.S.’ long-range Tomahawk and South Korea’s Hyunmoo-3C cruise missiles.

Ballistic missiles have a much longer range and move faster than cruise missiles of the same size. But cruise missiles are still threatening as they fly in a relatively straight line and at low altitudes, making them harder to detect. Cruise missiles can also carry nuclear warheads, according to the experts.

The latest test-firings came after the North held a scaled-down military parade at midnight Thursday to mark the 73rd state founding anniversary.

The North paraded mostly paramilitary troops, fire engines and artillery-carrying tractors rather than intercontinental ballistic missiles and other strategic weapons. The event appeared to be aimed at consolidating internal solidarity amid challenges from the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions on its economy.

The test-firings also came after the North warned of “a serious security crisis” in protest against the major combined exercise between South Korea and the U.S. last month. Many have expected the North to carry out major weapons tests or to undertake provocations.

Pak Jong-chon, member of the Presidium of the politburo of the ruling Workers’ Party, watched the latest test-firings, along with other senior officials, the KCNA said. Leader Kim did not attend the tests.

“He stressed the need for the field of the national defense science to go all out to increase the defense capabilities, the war deterrence of the country and keep making achievements in meeting the grand and long-term targets of securing war deterrence,” Pak said, according to the KCNA.

Experts said that North Korea appears to have conducted the test-firings in a way that demonstrates its military power, but by using cruise missiles, not ballistic missiles, it avoided provoking the U.S. too much.

They still worried that the North could continue conducting such tests going forward and seek to make those missiles smaller and possibly adaptable to submarines down the line.

“Given that the missile development was launched two years ago as part of the five-year plan, the project appears to have started after mid-2019,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-run think tank.

“The North could continue such tests so as to make them smaller as part of the five-year plan, and there is also a possibility that the missiles could be developed to be able to be launched from submarines,” he added.

The latest firing marks the third known major missile test by the communist country so far this year.

On March 21, the North fired two cruise missiles off the west coast, according to the JCS. Four days later, it fired off two ballistic missiles into the East Sea, believed to be an upgraded version of its KN-23 Iskander-type missile.

Some local media also reported that the North conducted a cruise missile test in January just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden took office.

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By Koh Byung-joon and Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) — North Korea held a midnight military parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of its founding, but leader Kim Jong-un did not deliver an address and no new strategic weapons were displayed, according to state media and South Korean officials.

The parade, which began at midnight Thursday, was watched closely by South Korea and others because the North could show off state-of-the-art weapons systems or leader Kim could make a speech about inter-Korean relations or nuclear talks with the United States.

But the parade at Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung Square featured artillery-carrying tractors and military search dogs rather than intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and other strategic weapons. Also seen were fire engines looking like the same model produced by German carmaker Mercedes Benz.

Leader Kim reviewed the parade, but no speech was given.

The official Korean Central News Agency said the parade was mostly led by the Worker-Peasant Red Guards (WPRG), a civilian defense organization in North Korea composed of around 5.7 million workers and farmers, rather than regular troops.

“North Korea does not appear to have presented strategic weapons this time. I think the parade was mainly for domestic audiences, rather than to convey messages to the U.S. or South Korea,” a military official in Seoul said.

The parade was also conducted on a smaller scale than the previous ones held in January this year and in October last year, as it seemed to have lasted for about an hour and involved a small number of personnel and equipment, he added.

It marked the North’s first military parade since U.S. President Joe Biden took office. The January event was held days before Biden’s inauguration.

“The military parade of civilian and security armed forces was held at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang to mark the 73rd anniversary of the republic’s founding,” the KCNA said. “As the welcoming music was performed at midnight on Thursday, Comrade Kim Jong-un walked up to a podium.”

Photos and reports by the KCNA and the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim dressed in a Western-style suit waving at rifle-toting, goose-stepping soldiers marching through the square.

Later in the day, state TV aired recorded footage of the parade.

Instead of leader Kim, Ri Il-hwan, a party secretary, addressed the parade.

“The government of the republic will firmly defend the dignity and the fundamental interests of our people and solve everything our own way with our own efforts on the principle of self-reliance and self-development under any circumstances,” Ri was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

“We will increase the People’s Army, a pillar in defending the state, in every way, put the defense industry on a higher juche and modernized basis and keep spurring the struggle for carrying out the Party’s policy on putting all the people under arms and turning the whole country into a fortress to ceaselessly improve the defense capability of the country,” he added.

The North last staged a military parade in January after a rare party congress and showcased a new submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and other advanced ballistic missiles. In October last year, it also held a massive nighttime military parade, displaying new types of SLBM and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Thursday’s parade came as the North has been struggling with a worsening economy amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and international sanctions. North Korea claims to be coronavirus-free but has maintained border closures with China since early last year.

Denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea have also stalled. Washington has said it is ready to hold talks with the North anywhere, at anytime, but the communist country has remained unresponsive to U.S. overtures.

Last month, the North warned of “a serious security crisis” in protest against the major combined exercise between South Korea and the U.S. Some have expected the North to carry out major weapons tests or to undertake provocations, but the JCS has said the North had not shown any unusual military moves.

North Korea last held a military parade on the occasion of the national foundation day in 2018 to celebrate the 70th anniversary. At that time, the communist country did not display ICBMs that could target the U.S., as the event took less than three months after the first summit between Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

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