Quote:N Korea conducts third weapons test in eight days
The launch, the third in just over a week, came from North Korea's east coast early on Friday.
The string of tests are being seen as reaction to planned military exercises between South Korea and the US.
On Thursday, the UK, France and Germany called on North Korea to engage in "meaningful" talks with the US.
After a closed-door meeting at the UN Security Council, the countries said international sanctions needed to be fully enforced until Pyongyang had dismantled its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The latest launches happened at 02:59 (17:59 GMT Thursday) and 03:23 local time from the Yonghung area in South Hamgyong province into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
It said the missiles flew very low - at about 25km (15 miles) - and travelled about 220km. Analysts said they appeared to have been unusually fast.
A spokesperson from South Korea's presidential office said there was a high possibility they were a new type of short range ballistic missile, similar to those fired last week.
The launch site appeared to have been a new one, said Ankit Panda, adjunct senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists.
However US President Donald Trump said he was not worried with the recent spate of launches, as they were "very standard" and not part of recent talks with Kim Jong-un.
What about the other tests? On Wednesday, the North launched two missiles that flew 250km and reached a height of 30km before landing in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, according to South Korea.
The South identified the missiles as a different type from previous models. But on Thursday, Pyongyang gave a different assessment, saying it had tested a new rocket launcher system, without providing details.
On 25 July, the North had fired two other missiles, one of which travelled about 690km.
That launch was the first since Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held an impromptu meeting in June at the demilitarised zone (DMZ), an area that divides the two Koreas, where they agreed to restart denuclearisation talks.
North Korea has recently voiced anger over planned US-South Korea exercises, an annual event which the allies have refused to cancel but have scaled back significantly.
North Korea sees the drills as preparation for war and has called them a "violation of the spirit" of the joint statement signed by Mr Trump and Mr Kim at their first face-to-face talks in Singapore last year.
Pyongyang had warned the exercises could affect the resumption of denuclearisation talks.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that he hoped these talks could start "very soon", but that there were no further summits planned.
What about US-North Korea relations? Last year, Mr Kim said North Korea would stop nuclear testing and would no longer launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Nuclear activity appears to be continuing, however, and satellite images of North Korea's main nuclear site last month showed movement, suggesting the country could be reprocessing radioactive material into bomb fuel.
Pyongyang also continues to demonstrate its abilities to develop new weapons despite strict economic sanctions.
It conducted a similar short-range missile launch earlier in May, its first such test since its intercontinental ballistic missile launch in 2017.
North Korea also showed off a new submarine recently, which South Korean officials have determined is capable of carrying up to three ballistic missiles.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
Quote:SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea continued to ramp up its weapons demonstrations by firing two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea Tuesday while lashing out at the United States and South Korea for continuing military exercises that the North says could derail fragile nuclear diplomacy.
North Korea’s fourth round of weapons launches in less than two weeks came amid a standstill in nuclear negotiations and after President Donald Trump repeatedly dismissed the significance of the country’s recent tests despite the threat the weapons pose to allies South Korea and Japan and to U.S. bases there.
Experts say Trump’s downplaying of the North’s weapons display has allowed the country more room to advance its military capabilities as it attempts to build leverage ahead of negotiations, which could possibly resume sometime after the end of the allies’ drills later this month.
South Korea’s military alerted reporters to the launches minutes before the North’s Foreign Ministry denounced Washington and Seoul over the start of their joint exercises on Monday. The ministry’s statement said the drills, which North Korea sees as an invasion rehearsal, leave the country “compelled to develop, test and deploy the powerful physical means essential for national defense.”
The statement from an unidentified spokesperson said Pyongyang remains committed to dialogue, but it could seek a “new road” if the allies don’t change their positions.
“It is too axiomatic that a constructive dialogue cannot be expected at a time when a simulated war practice targeted at the dialogue partner is being conducted,” said the statement. “We remain unchanged in our stand to resolve the issues through dialogue. But the dynamics of dialogue will be more invisible as long as the hostile military moves continue.”
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the two projectiles the North flew cross-country were likely short-range ballistic missiles. They were launched early Tuesday from an area near the North’s western coast and traveled about 450 kilometers (279 miles) on an apogee of 37 kilometers (23 miles) at a maximum speed of above Mach 6.9 before landing in waters off the country’s eastern coast, the JCS said.
It said the projectiles showed similar flight characteristics to short-range missiles North Korea fired on July 25, which traveled about 600 kilometers (373 miles) during launches the North described a “solemn warning” to South Korea over its plans to continue military drills with the United States.
South Korea’s military had said the flight data of the July missiles showed similarities to the Russian-made Iskander, a solid-fuel, nuclear capable missile that is highly maneuverable and travels on lower trajectories compared to conventional ballistic weapons, improving its chances of evading missile defense systems. The North last week also conducted two test firings of what it described as a new multiple rocket launcher system.
Analysts say the new North Korean weapons, which are fired from vehicles and difficult to detect before launch, would significantly enhance its ability to strike targets in all of South Korea.
Choi Hyun-soo, spokeswoman of South Korea’s Defense Ministry, said the North’s launches go against the spirit of a bilateral military agreement reached last year to reduce conventional threats. The office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in said his chief national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, held an emergency meeting with the country’s defense minister and spy chief on Tuesday to discuss the launches.
Japan’s defense minister, Takeshi Iwaya, said the North’s efforts to advance its missile capabilities are a serious threat to the region.
North Korea had said it will wait to see if the allied exercises take place to decide on the fate of its diplomacy with the United States and whether to continue its unilateral suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests, which leader Kim Jong Un announced last year amid a diplomatic outreach to Washington.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry has not provided details about the drills, which were expected to be computer simulated and not involve actual combat troops and equipment.
Shin Beomchul, a senior analyst from Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said North Korea is trying to strengthen its bargaining position with Washington, which has so far rejected Pyongyang’s demands for sanctions relief in return for piecemeal steps toward partially surrendering its nuclear capabilities.
By demonstrating weapons that directly threaten South Korea but not the U.S. mainland or its Pacific territories, North Korea is also dialing up pressure on Seoul to coax major concessions from the Washington on behalf of Pyongyang, Shin said.
The allies have scaled down their major military exercises since last year as Trump and Kim began their nuclear summitry. But the North insists even the downsized drills violate agreements between the leaders.
The North’s recent tests have dampened the optimism that followed the third and latest summit between Trump and Kim on June 30 at the inter-Korean border. The leaders agreed to resume working-level nuclear talks, but there have been no known meetings between the two sides since then.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
The GOP booth was up at the county fair (pretty solid D county) with tons of Trump flags and a cardboard cutout of Trump. Not so many signs for the 2 or 3 GOP members who actually hold office in the county.
I really wanted to ask them about North Korea in a genuine "what do you think" way, but I was wearing my Pete 2020 shirt so I knew they wouldn't take me seriously.
At this moment, his response to North Korea and praise of Kim has me the most floored in terms of what his supporters will excuse.
(08-06-2019, 05:20 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: The GOP booth was up at the county fair (pretty solid D county) with tons of Trump flags and a cardboard cutout of Trump. Not so many signs for the 2 or 3 GOP members who actually hold office in the county.
I really wanted to ask them about North Korea in a genuine "what do you think" way, but I was wearing my Pete 2020 shirt so I knew they wouldn't take me seriously.
At this moment, his response to North Korea and praise of Kim has me the most floored in terms of what his supporters will excuse.
Was this the grifters plan all along? To extort money?
I mean there's a 98% chance he just made the number up but that he's tweeting out that he's demanding more money to protect an ally from their neighbor that HE has screwed up continuing negotiations with is mafia level stuff.
...Talks have begun to further increase payments to the United States. South Korea is a very wealthy nation that now feels an obligation to contribute to the military defense provided by the United States of America. The relationship between the two countries is a very good one!
....also a small apology for testing the short range missiles, and that this testing would stop when the exercises end. I look forward to seeing Kim Jong Un in the not too distant future! A nuclear free North Korea will lead to one of the most successful countries in the world!
Quote:North Korea wants ‘major’ concessions from the US in nuclear talks, professor says
KEY POINTS
Washington will have to make big concessions before a nuclear deal between the U.S. and North Korea can be reached, one professor says.
His comments follow recent working-level nuclear talks between the two countries, which ended in a stalemate last weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and impeachment probe could factor into future negotiations for the bilateral nuclear talks, another researcher says.
Washington will have to consider big concessions before a nuclear deal between the U.S. and North Korea can be reached, one professor said Monday.
Robert Kelly, associate professor of political science at South Korea’s Pusan National University, explained that the White House may need to be more open to compromise if it wants a real breakthrough.
“Trump has sort of framed victory with North Korea as North Korea giving up stuff, and (the U.S.) not giving up very much in response,” Kelly said. “I think the Americans need to offer some pretty major counter-concessions for the North Koreans if we’re going to ask them for any serious quantity of their nuclear weapons or their missiles.”
What does the U.S. need to give? But offering sanctions relief alone may not be good enough, Kelly said. Rather, Washington needs to offer something “juicy,” like bringing the long-isolated North Korea into U.S.-dominated institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, or even a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, he said.
Washington and Pyongyang have made little progress in their discussions about dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile program. The two sides abruptly ended a February summit in Vietnam as President Donald Trump and North Korean Kim Jong Un left without a deal.
Nuclear weapons are valuable to the small, isolated nation of North Korea, which counts China as its sole major ally, Kelly noted. These weapons are an important part of the Pyongyang’s defense strategy, and it’ll take a big offer from the U.S. before it would give them up.
If not, America will just have to accept the status quo, Kelly said.
Political developments could factor into future negotiations for bilateral nuclear talks, another researcher said Monday. These developments include Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and impeachment probe, which ramp up pressure as public sentiment among Republicans shifts.
“I think the North Koreans will try their best to push as hard as they can,” RSIS associate research fellow Shawn Ho said Monday.
Senior partner at consultancy Control Risks, Dane Chamorro, said Monday that interactions with North Korea are always “infused with a lot of theater.” In this case, the recent stalemate could be another step toward further bilateral talks, said Chamorro, in which Pyongyang might want to strike a bargain they perceive as more beneficial.
The U.S. said it accepted Sweden’s invitation to return to Sweden for more discussions with Pyongyang in two weeks. It is unclear whether North Korea will return to the talks. Reuters reported, citing state media, North Korea doubts the U.S. would have alternative plans ready by then.
And all DJT had to give up with his dignity by posing and smiling next to a killer. Yay.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
We are living in a moment when NK says they won't gift America with a meeting after the POTUS asks for one.
Who's boosting who on the world stage?
I feel like this is appropriate.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
(11-18-2019, 01:18 PM)jj22 Wrote: In an unprecedented moment in American history America begs to meet with Kim and he turns us down. https://thehill.com/policy/international/asia-pacific/470882-north-korea-we-wont-gift-trump-with-summit-before
“We are no longer interested in such talks that bring nothing to us. As we have got nothing in return, we will no longer gift the U.S. president with something he can boast of, but get compensation for the successes that President Trump is proud of as his administrative achievements,” Kim Kye Gwan said, according to the AP.
The statement comes shortly after Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced the cancellation of joint military exercises by South Korea and the U.S. in what he said was a gesture of “goodwill” toward the North.
North Korea received the announcement of the cancellation coolly, saying it would not return to the negotiating table unless the U.S. offered to end “hostile” policies toward the nation, citing a recent United Nations resolution condemning North Korean human rights violations as evidence of a U.S.-led attempt to isolate the nation.
WOW! The "art of the deal" for sure.
Let's not forget that after two summits, Kim now won't meet with anyone less than Trump.
Trump gave NK this power to embarass. Kim KNOWS him.
Oh for the days when Hannity excoriated Obama's "naivete" over the latter's willingness to meet Kim--provided a schedule for de-nuclearization could be agreed to FIRST.
Is this to suggest that Trump's "different" way was an abject failure because he wouldn't listen to anyone? Weird.
It's almost like he thinks he know smore that the people who do such things for a living and his supporters believe him because "the old way" wasn't successful enough. Very strange.
Who could have seen that coming?
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
China signs defense agreement with South Korea as U.S. angers Seoul with demand for $5 billion troop payment
The defense ministers of South Korea and China have agreed to develop their security ties to ensure stability in northeast Asia, the latest indication that Washington’s longstanding alliances in the region are fraying.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
(11-19-2019, 05:09 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: And our influence in Eastern Asia, the most dynamic economic area on the planet, continues to whither to nothing.
Can't see how that is gonna "make us great".
Because it's not what Obama did and it's "different". Duh.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
Quote:Denuclearization is off the table in negotiations with the United States, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations said in a statement Saturday.
In the statement, the ambassador, Kim Song, said the United States' pursuit of "sustained and substantial dialogue" was a "time-saving trick" to benefit a "domestic political agenda."
"We do not need to have lengthy talks with the US now and the denuclearization is already gone out of the negotiation table," he said.
CNN is reaching out to the State Department, the White House and the National Security Council for comment.
Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland and the UK said they were "deeply concerned by the continued testing of ballistic missiles," saying they undermined regional stability.
"As these six EU member states are making much trouble to play the role of pet dog of the United States in recent months, one cannot but wonder what do they get in return for currying favour with the United States," Kim, the ambassador, said. Saturday's statement comes as North Korea inches closer to its self-imposed end-of-year deadline for nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration and just days after a North Korean official ominously warned of a "Christmas gift" to the US.
According to South Korea's Presidential Blue House, President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula in a phone call on Friday night.
Both agreed, the Blue House said in a statement, that a dialogue needed to continue in order to achieve denuclearization.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
And I am POSITIVE that it has nothing to do with Trump's lack of experience, refusal to listen to anyone because he thinks he is smarter than everyone, and his inability to learn from mistakes.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
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