ROK-U.S. News

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) — Senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan held phone talks Thursday to discuss North Korea’s recent missile launches and reaffirmed the importance of trilateral security cooperation, Seoul’s defense ministry said.

The phone talks came two days after North Korea fired what it claimed to be a hypersonic missile into the East Sea, the second such launch in less than a week.

During the conversation, Deputy Defense Minister Kim Man-ki, Ely Ratner, the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, and Kazuo Masuda from the Japanese defense ministry shared their views on the security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, including the North’s latest missile launches, according to the ministry.

“South Korea and the U.S., in particular, agreed to accelerate an in-depth analysis and preparations of response measures against North Korea’s growing missile threats,” the ministry said in a statement.

The officials reaffirmed the importance of security cooperation among the three countries, and agreed to hold three-way defense ministerial talks at an agreed upon date, it added.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan earlier pushed for a defense ministerial meeting in Hawaii this month, but postponed the schedule due to the virus situation.

The three countries last held a trilateral defense ministerial meeting on the margins of security talks involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok in November 2019.

By Choi Soo-hyang

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) — North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully conducted the final test-firing of a new hypersonic missile a day earlier, as it continues to develop new weapons systems amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the United States.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s defense ministry said the North fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the East Sea which flew over 700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 60 km and a top speed of Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound.

“The test-fire was aimed at the final verification of overall technical specifications of the developed hypersonic weapon system,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the firing.

During Tuesday’s test, the hypersonic glide vehicle demonstrated “glide jump flight,” “corkscrew maneuvering,” and hit “the set target in waters 1,000 km off.”

“The superior maneuverability of the hypersonic glide vehicle was more strikingly verified through the final test-fire,” the KCNA said.

The latest firing marked the North’s second missile launch in less than a week.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier downplayed the North’s hypersonic missile claims as “exaggeration,” but said the latest launch demonstrated “improvement” from the previously tested versions.

The North conducted the first test-firing of what it claimed to be a “hypersonic” missile Hwasong-8 in last September, though the missile flew at a speed of around Mach 3 at that time.

Developing a hypersonic weapon was one of the North’s “five core tasks” under a five-year plan to strengthen its defense capabilities unveiled at its eighth party congress held a year ago.

On Tuesday, Kim again stressed “the need to further accelerate the efforts to steadily build up the country’s strategic military muscle both in quality and quantity.”

The North’s latest saber-rattling came as nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled since the no-deal Hanoi summit in February 2019.

President Moon Jae-in expressed concern over North Korea’s repeated missile launches ahead of South Korea’s presidential election in March, and ordered officials to come up with measures to ensure “no further tension in inter-Korean relations.”

The White House also condemned North Korea’s latest launch and urged the North to engage in dialogue.

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SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s defense technologies were assessed to be the world’s ninth most advanced as of last year, a triennial government report showed Monday, noting progress in artillery, submarines and other sectors.

According to the report by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT), South Korea ranked ninth among 16 countries, compared with the previous report in which the country tied with Italy for ninth place in 2018.

The institute has published the report since 2008 to assess South Korea’s comparative strengths and weaknesses to help craft strategies for its defense research and development.

Of 26 key defense technology areas, South Korea’s capabilities improved in 10 areas, including artillery, submarines, command control, cyber weapons and underwater surveillance, according to the report.

But the report listed 11 areas, including radar and space weapons systems, as those that need “more attention.”

“Its ranking in the artillery field rose to fourth place based on an improvement in the performance of self-propelled artillery, and autonomous and automation technology,” KRIT said in a press release.

“Its technology level also improved in submarines, such as the successful SLBM underwater test launch,” it added, referring to the South’s test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile last year.

In the latest report, the United States took the top spot, followed by France and Russia, which tied for second. Germany and Britain took fifth place, trailed by China, Israel and Japan.

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220110001900325?section=national/defense

By Song Sang-ho

SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) — North Korea’s latest launch of what it claims to be a hypersonic missile underscores its tenacious efforts to dodge the evolving South Korea-U.S. missile defense shield and bolster its military presence while upping the ante for future nuclear negotiations, analysts said Thursday.

The North successfully test-fired the missile Wednesday, its official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, in its first show of force this year, apparently signaling an advance in the development of what could be a game changer in regional security. The North announced its first known test of a hypersonic missile in September last year.

Its push for the new missile was foreordained, given that at the eighth congress of the ruling Workers’ Party a year ago, the North unveiled its ambitious scheme to “develop and introduce the hypersonic gliding flight warhead in a short period” along with other formidable weapons.

Experts here presume it will take more time for the North to master the hypersonic missile technologies, including airborne control and heat resistance. Still, the new missile sparked concerns over whether South Korea and the U.S. are ready to counter the evolving threat.

“Technology-wise, caution needs to be taken when assessing whether the North really succeeded in developing a hypersonic missile, given that even the United States has yet to fully deploy such a missile,” Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korea studies at Ewha Womans University, said.

“But the problem here is that the hypersonic missile flies so fast it can hardly be blocked by the current-time missile defense system,” he added.

The KCNA said the missile made a “120 km lateral movement” and “precisely hit a set target 700 km away” while touting the “control and stability” of the warhead. It did not mention how fast the missile traveled, but South Korean military sources estimated its speed at over Mach 5.

The KCNA report raised speculation about the possibility of steady progress in the North’s bid to possess the high-tech missile, as the self-styled hypersonic Hwasong-8 missile fired last year was believed to have traveled some 200 km at a speed of Mach 3.

Some experts pointed to differences between the warhead shapes of the two missiles, spawning a view that the one tested earlier this week could be either a brand-new type or an upgraded version of the Hwasong-8.

The warhead of the previous one appeared leaner and more pointed, while that of the latest one looked more like a circular cone.

The latest missile’s “lateral movement” capability was also noteworthy, analysts said, as it could indicate possible improvement in the missile’s maneuverability that would make interception even more difficult.

Apparently seeking to allay growing public concerns, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Kim Jun-rak stressed the South and the U.S. are “capable of detecting and responding” to the missile with their combined assets.

The North’s boast of its missile prowess came as Seoul and Washington have been striving to reinforce their combined multi-layered missile defense capabilities through the installation of various assets, including a THAAD battery in the southeastern county of Seongju.

“The nuclear force is the sole military area where the North could highlight its relative primacy at this point,” Nam Chang-hee, professor of international politics at Inha University, said.

“While the South and the U.S. are seeking to build capabilities, including missile defense and preemptive strike assets, the North might be prioritizing at least disrupting or evading them,” the professor added.

The KCNA report on the latest missile’s range of 700 km suggested it could have security implications well beyond the Korean Peninsula.

“Rather than the latest missile targeting the South, its usage appears to stretch to U.S. military installations on Okinawa, Japan, and the U.S. territory of Guam,” a security expert told Yonhap News Agency, requesting anonymity.

Pyongyang’s latest saber-rattling dealt a dispiriting setback to South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s steadfast pursuit of denuclearization and lasting peace on the divided peninsula, which has made no significant headway over the past few years. A silver lining is that the North has maintained its moratorium on nuclear or long-range missile tests.

The North’s latest ballistic missile test came hours before Moon celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for a railway project at the inter-Korean border town of Goseong. Reconnecting cross-border roads and railways was a key agreement struck during a 2018 summit between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“To fundamentally overcome the root cause of this situation, we should not let go of our efforts for dialogue,” Moon said at the ceremony.

The North’s undeterred drive for new weapons systems could be part of its efforts to pressure the U.S. to show more flexibility to move forward the nuclear negotiations that have remained stalled since the Hanoi summit in early 2019 between the two countries.

Pyongyang has been seeking to develop various other formidable arms, such as a submarine-launched ballistic missile and tactical nuclear weapons as well as various missile launch platforms, including those using railways.

“The North’s message may be this: If you let this be, we will continue to advance and diversify our nuclear force. So take steps to persuade us and engage in arms control negotiations,” Park of Ewha Womans University said.

Speculation has persisted the North might want arms control negotiations to concurrently reduce its nuclear and conventional arsenal with the U.S. rather than denuclearization talks.

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220106004651325?section=national/defense

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SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) — The U.S. Department of Defense has said South Korea and the United States will proceed with their combined springtime exercise as previously agreed upon, according to Radio Free Asia.

The statement by a Pentagon spokesperson came amid concerns that the exercise, if held, could dampen Seoul’s efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang. The North has berated the allies’ drills as a war rehearsal against it.

“No changes to the training/exercise schedule as was discussed in the SCM,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying in response to the U.S.-funded broadcaster’s question of whether the exercise could be postponed.

The SCM (Security Consultative Meeting) is the allies’ annual defense ministerial talks. It was last held in Seoul in December.

Boo Seung-chan, the spokesperson of Seoul’s defense ministry, said the allies have been in close consultation over the exercise plans, but details, including their timing and scale, have yet to be finalized.

“Regarding the exercise planned for the first half of this year, we have had close consultations in consideration of conditions like the COVID-19 situation, domestic schedules and the deployment schedule of U.S. augmentation personnel,” he said.

With just four months left in its term, the Moon Jae-in administration hopes to make progress in its stalled initiative to foster lasting peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.

In recent years, Seoul and Washington have adjusted the scale of their regular drills to back up diplomacy for peace with Pyongyang, despite worries that downsizing combined exercises could take a toll on military readiness.

The Pentagon spokesperson also told the broadcaster that any decision related to the combined training will be made under “a mutual agreement.”

In a joint SCM communique, South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin pledged to “closely cooperate” to conduct two major combined trainings this year. They called them a “critical component of maintaining alliance readiness.”

Meanwhile, Seoul has been seeking to advance the timing of an allied assessment required for it to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington.

During the SCM, Suh and Austin agreed to conduct the full operational capability assessment later this fall, but Seoul hopes to conduct it earlier than planned in order to accelerate the OPCON transfer process.

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220104002151325?section=national/defense

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SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) — South Korea, the United States and Japan are in consultations over the possibility of the countries holding trilateral defense ministerial talks, Seoul’s defense ministry said Tuesday.

Boo Seung-chan, the ministry’s spokesperson, made the remarks following a report by the Japanese broadcaster NHK that the countries are coordinating over the idea of holding the talks among Seoul’s Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Nobuo Kishi, respectively, in Hawaii in mid-January.

“Regarding the issue of holding the trilateral defense ministers’ meeting, we are currently in consultations with the related countries,” Boo told a regular press briefing.

Boo pointed out that through their annual Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul earlier this month and other high-level talks, Seoul and Washington shared the understanding that the allies will seek to hold the three-way defense ministerial talks with Japan at an early date.

The three countries last held a trilateral defense ministerial meeting on the margins of security talks involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok in November 2019.

The envisioned trilateral session, if held, would come at a time when Washington is striving to rally its allies and partner countries to counter China’s assertiveness amid an intensifying great-power rivalry on multiple fronts, including technology, security and trade.

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SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s unification ministry on Monday urged North Korea to start the new year with a step for dialogue and cooperation, as Pyongyang is set to convene a key party meeting this week to discuss domestic and foreign policy issues.

North Korea earlier announced the ruling Workers’ Party will hold a plenary meeting of its central committee “in the last third of December” to “discuss and decide on work plans for the new year.”

“The plenary has been usually held for one to four days with leader Kim Jong-un’s attendance,” ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo said during a regular press briefing.

The Seoul government is keeping a close watch on the expected event for possible messages on inter-Korean relations or nuclear negotiations, she said.

“We hope North Korea will start the new year by opening the door for dialogue with the international community, and take a step forward for engagement and cooperation,” Lee said.

The remarks came as the nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States remain stalled since the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit.

Pyongyang has remained unresponsive to overtures for talks, demanding Washington first retract what it calls “double standards” and “hostile policy” against its regime.

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Article: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211227003500325?section=nk/nk

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By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) — The United States on Monday completed the construction of a new long-range radar in Alaska that is designed to give early warnings for incoming ballistic missiles from rogue nations, such as North Korea, the chief of the U.S. missile defense said.

Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director of U.S. Missile Defense Agency, also explained the new long range discrimination radar (LRDR) will be powerful enough to discriminate or identify lethal objects, such as warheads, allowing the U.S. to successfully intercept such objects.

“There’s a rogue nation there (in the INDO-PACOM region) that is targeting the United States, (has) demonstrated ballistic missile capability time and again and very recently,” Hill said in a virtual media roundtable, referring to North Korea.

“So the radar was strategically placed in Alaska, so with this wide field of view that we can capture threats coming from that region,” he added.

His remarks came shortly after the U.S. marked the initial fielding of the new radar, which the MDA director said will likely become fully operational “roughly in 2023” after testing and systems integration.

The U.S. began constructing the long-range radar following a series of missile provocations from North Korea.

Pyongyang has maintained a self-imposed moratorium on long-range ballistic missiles since November 2017, but staged several short-range missile tests this year, including the test launch of a self-claimed hypersonic missile in September and a submarine-launched ballistic missile the following month.

Hill said the LRDR will eventually be upgraded to track hypersonic missiles, though its current focus is to detect ballistic missile threats.

Still, the radar will be “very powerful” and will “pick out the lethal objects,” as opposed to decoys or non-lethal objects from a missile, such as boosters or fuel cans.

“If we can pick out the lethal objects, then we’re going to be shooting at that lethal object and not at boosters or beanbags,” Hill said.

“So that’s the technical geek stuff behind the term discrimination. It’s picking out the lethal object or lethal objects.”

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ARTICLE: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20211207001500325?section=nk/nk

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