Tag: North Korea

Notice that the ROK government did not completely rule out the possibility that indirect talks may be going on with North Korea which is using the joint drills as leverage:

South Korea is not considering adjusting its joint military drills with the United States as part of efforts to resume stalled talks with North Korea, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Sunday.

Wi made the remarks when asked whether Seoul might review the regular exercises with Washington to help revive inter-Korean dialogue, as Pyongyang has dismissed Seoul’s overtures since President Lee Jae Myung’s first six months in office.

“If we are to resume dialogue, we need to consider what cards we can use. While there are many possible options, we are not directly considering using the Korea-U.S. joint exercises as a card,” Wi said during a press briefing.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

If former President Moon could not get these people back after all the appeasement he did with North Korea, how does President Lee think he can get them released?:

The presidential office on Thursday confirmed that six South Korean nationals have been detained in North Korea and vowed to make efforts to secure the release of them by swiftly resuming talks with Pyongyang. 

The six citizens, including three North Koreans who had defected to South Korea, have been held in the North on charges of espionage and others since between 2013 and 2016.

They include three missionaries arrested by the North Korean authorities from 2013 and 2014, namely Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-gil. The presidential office did not disclose the identities of the three North Korean defectors to protect the safety of their families in the North.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

To restore communications with North Korea will require South Korea to make concessions of some kind. When Lee uses wording such as “shared growth”, that is likely code for whatever monetary concessions the ROK government plans to give to North Korea to restore these communcations:

President Lee Jae Myung proposed restoring communication channels with North Korea on Tuesday, saying it will serve as a starting point for “peaceful coexistence” between Seoul and Pyongyang.

Lee made the remarks during an event to mark the launch of the 22th Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, stressing that unification is a path that must be taken regardless of whether it takes decades or even a millennia.

“The historic task given to us is to end hostility and confrontation between the two Koreas, and to build a new inter-Korean relationship based on peaceful existence,” Lee said, suggesting the Koreas begin by restoring their dialogue channels that have been suspended for seven years.

He stressed the need for “shared growth” that benefits both Seoul and Pyongyang, and called for gradual efforts to start cooperation in areas of global interest, such as climate and environmental issues, disaster, safety, and public health.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The only strategic asset I can think of is something nuclear related. However, it would make no sense for them to develop a strategic bomber when their current ballistic missile inventory is enough for deterrence:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony marking the 80th founding anniversary of the country’s air force, saying it will be given new strategic military assets and a “new important duty,” state media reported Sunday.

Kim made the remarks during the celebration event held Friday at Kalma Airport of the 59th Kil Yong Jo Hero Flying Group of the Second Air Wing, to mark the founding anniversary of the Air Force of the Korean People’s Army, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Delivering a speech at the anniversary celebration, Kim said, “The Air Force will be given new strategic military assets and entrusted with a new important duty,” although he did not specify what those strategic assets would be.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol (3rd from R) holds talks with Russian Gen. Viktor Goremykin (4th from L), who has led a delegation of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, in Pyongyang on Nov. 6, 2025, in this photo released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

North Korea was trying to send a message to the U.S. Secretary of War before his JSA visit:

North Korea fired around 10 artillery shells from its multiple rocket launcher system earlier this week, coinciding with a joint visit by the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the South’s military said Tuesday.

The North launched the rockets toward waters off the northern Yellow Sea at around 4 p.m. Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, adding an analysis of the weapons test is under way.

The launch came less than an hour before U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at Camp Bonifas, just south of the Joint Security Area (JSA) within the DMZ, for a joint visit to the tense border with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like post-Freedom Shield is when there may be some movement on dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea if you belive the NIS:

The state intelligence agency has detected signs that North Korea had been preparing for a possible summit with the United States around the time of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in South Korea, although the meeting did not take place, officials said Tuesday.

The agency also said there is high possibility of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un some time after a regular South Korea-U.S. military drill in March.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like Kim Jong-un is making sure that if the Russians need more meat for their conflict against Ukraine his troops are ready:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected the combat readiness of a military special operations unit and gave instructions for its development, the North’s state media reported Sunday.

Kim visited the headquarters of the 11th Corps of the Korean People’s Army the previous day and watched a training session, expressing “great satisfaction” with its perfect war posture, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The 11th Corps is the North Korean military’s most elite special forces unit, which deployed troops to Russia late last year to support its war with Ukraine and gained experience in modern warfare.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.