Tag Archives: South Korea

Kim Jong-un finally emerged back onto the world stage earlier this week after a 20-day absence, which led to much speculation about his health and well-being. The weeks of speculation about the North Korean dictator’s health brought home an alarming fact: no one really knows who will control North Korea …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has died, according to a leading Hong Kong television channel Hong Kong Satellite Television (HKSTV). A vice director of HKSTV reported the news on Saturday, citing a “solid source”. Her post first appeared on the Chinese messaging app Weibo, according to the International Business …

North Korean media hasn’t mentioned Kim’s health or whereabouts, even though other media have sparked international speculation about his well-being. Kim Jong Un may be dead, according to a Hong Kong broadcast network, while a Japanese magazine is reporting that the North Korean dictator is in a “vegetative state” after …

The United States and South Korea postponed joint military drills on Thursday to limit the spread of coronavirus, as the number of infections outside China, the source of the outbreak, for the first time surpassed those appearing in the country. Taiwan raised its epidemic response level to the highest as …

A coronavirus outbreak in South Korea fanned fears on Thursday of the global spread of the pathogen as research suggested it was more contagious than thought and two elderly passengers from a cruise ship quarantined in Japan died. China reported a sharp drop in new cases but the data was …

Al Dhafra Petroleum, a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, the Korea National Oil Company, KNOC, and GS Energy, and one of ADNOC’s youngest operating companies, announced, today, it has begun producing crude oil from Abu Dhabi’s Haliba field and discovered potential resources in three new …

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plans to visit South Korea this week as the two countries seek to bolster economic ties, officials in Seoul said on Monday. The two-day visit from Wednesday will be the first by an heir to the throne of the world’s largest oil exporter since …

The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korean International Trade Association, KITA, hosted a seminar in Seoul on the investment opportunities available in Abu Dhabi. The seminar, held on Tuesday, was attended by around 120 major companies, private sector institutions and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, …

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation is not ready to give the company that will run the country’s first nuclear plant a license to operate, a senior official said on Wednesday. The $24.4 billion Barakah power plant is the world’s largest nuclear project under construction and will …

Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday the kingdom had launched a uranium exploration program and initial indications were positive, Al-Arabiya Business reported on Twitter. Falih added that a project to construct two nuclear plants, was proceeding at an excellent pace according to plan, according to Al-Arabiya. No further …

Refiners in Japan and South Korea are looking to resume Iranian oil imports from January after receiving waivers from U.S. sanctions on Tehran, sources familiar with the matter said. The unexpected resurgence in Iranian oil imports due to the waivers has helped push spot prices for Middle East crude and …

A South Korean company’s claim to have found a sunken Russian warship has triggered investor frenzy amid speculation the ship was carrying an enormous amount of gold when it sank 113 years ago. South Korea’s financial regulator subsequently issued a warning against possible investment losses. The Seoul-based Shinil Group said …

The UAE is looking at strengthening economic ties with South Korea and is exploring market growth opportunities in the energy sector, a statement from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) said on Wednesday, quoting the company’s CEO Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, who is on a two-day visit to the …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will shut down his nuclear test site in May and invite experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States into the country to ensure “transparency” around its closure, South Korea’s presidential office said Sunday. It is the latest breakthrough on the peninsula …

Friday’s summit between the leaders of North and South Korea was a “historic meeting” paving the way for the start of a new era, North Korea’s media say. The North’s Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in of South Korea agreed to work to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons. The official …

Masdar and Korea Energy Agency (KEA) are exploring collaboration in the energy sector by boosting investment in renewables. The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday coinciding with the visit of the South Korean President Korea Moon Jae-in to the UAE. Under the terms of the agreement, …

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday received South Korea President Moon Jae-in. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to not use nuclear or conventional weapons against South Korea and expressed willingness to hold talks with the United States on denuclearization, Seoul said on Tuesday after a rare two-day visit to Pyongyang. The Hermit Kingdom added that it’s willing to give up …

The Pentagon released a new nuclear arms policy Friday that calls for the introduction of two new types of weapons, effectively ending Obama-era efforts to reduce the size and scope of the U.S. arsenal and minimize the role of nuclear weapons in defense planning. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in …

North Korea shipped coal to Russia last year which was then delivered to South Korea and Japan in a likely violation of U.N. sanctions, three Western European intelligence sources said. The U.N. Security Council banned North Korean exports of coal last Aug. 5 under sanctions intended to cut off an …

A group of North Korean citizens living in Japan called the Chongryon have proposed sending a cheer squad to the upcoming Pyeongchang Olympics. According to sources close to the group, the Chongryon cheer delegation is set to be around 170 people and may expand if they receive many applicants, Yonhap reported. According to …

Many South Koreans are up in arms over a plan to field a single Korean women’s hockey team at next month’s Winter Olympics, viewing it as a step too far in the government’s attempt to bring about a thaw in relations between the two Koreas. The plan to combine the …

A North Korean missile test went embarrassingly wrong for the rogue nation, according to a report. A U.S. government source says that a 2017 rocket launch failed and crashed into one of the country’s own cities. According to the Japanese magazine The Diplomat, North Korea’s test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on April …

South Korea on Tuesday offered talks with North Korea amid a standoff over its weapons programs, a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was open to negotiations but that his country would push ahead with “mass producing” nuclear warheads. The offer for high-level talks next Tuesday …

North Korea’s surprise call on Monday for direct talks with South Korea could drive a wedge into the decades-old alliance between Seoul and Washington, potentially creating a reprieve from months of tensions but also undercutting President Trump’s tough approach to the nuclear-armed North. A New Year’s Day speech by Kim Jong-un, …

South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday. The seizure was the second to be revealed by South Korea within a few days, as the United Nations steps up efforts to …

The millions of Chinese nationals who travel across the world carry enormous clout. Investors in South Korea just got another painful reminder. Stocks in South Korea sensitive to developments with neighbor China fell Wednesday, lagging the benchmark Kospi index, which was mostly flat at 11:25 a.m. HK/SIN. Those so-called THAAD-related …

The U.S. agency tasked with protecting the country from missile attacks is scouting the West Coast for places to deploy new anti-missile defenses, two Congressmen said on Saturday, as North Korea’s missile tests raise concerns about how the United States would defend itself from an attack. West Coast defenses would likely include Terminal High Altitude …

Hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever combined air force exercise. The war games come a week after North Korea test-fired its most powerful missile ever, an ICBM that may be able to target the eastern …

The demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas was the scene of an unusual amount of action Monday as an American man unsuccessfully attempted to cross into the North and a North Korean soldier succeeded in defecting to the South. The 2.5-mile-wide strip between North and South Korea, which President Bill …

President Trump asserted Tuesday that his administration is making “a lot of progress” on North Korea, and he urged dictator Kim Jong Un to “make a deal” at the negotiating table on the rogue nation’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. “I believe it makes sense for North Korea to …

South Korea and China will push to normalize their ties badly strained over the deployment of a contentious U.S. missile defense system in the South, both countries announced Tuesday, with Seoul saying their leaders are set to hold summit talks next week. South Korea allowed the United States to install …

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis visited Friday morning the heavily fortified border between North Korea and South Korea known as the Demilitarized Zone amid heightened tensions over the North’s nuclear program and the war of words between President Trump and Kim Jong Un. At the DMZ, Mattis was briefed at …

A trove of classified military documents, including the joint South Korea-US wartime operational plans for conflict with Pyongyang, were stolen by North Korean hackers, a lawmaker in Seoul said. Lee Cheol-hee, a member of the ruling Democratic party, on Tuesday said hackers had broken into a defence data centre in …

Several North Korean missiles were recently spotted moved from a rocket facility in the capital Pyongyang, South Korea’s Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) reported late Friday amid speculation that the North was preparing to take more provocative actions. The report cited an unnamed intelligence source saying South Korean and U.S. intelligence …

If North Korea’s foreign minister hoped to draw a response from U.S. President Donald Trump with his Saturday speech to the U.N. General Assembly, he succeeded. “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N.,” the president tweeted late Saturday. “If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they …

South Korea approved a plan on Thursday to send $8 million worth of aid to North Korea, as China warned the crisis on the Korean peninsula was getting more serious by the day and the war of words between Pyongyang and Washington continued. North Korea’s foreign minister likened U.S. President …

By Graham Fuller It’s hard to make up a character like Kim Jong Un—his demeanor that reeks callow youth, corpulent self-indulgence, bathing in the adulation of his attendant military brass who sport the highest crowned military visors in the business, the adoring public applause as he presides over another reckless …

Resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis is impossible with sanctions and pressure alone, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday after meeting his South Korean counterpart, adding that the impact of cutting oil would be worrying. Putin met South Korea’s Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of an economic summit in …

South Korea said on Tuesday an agreement with the United States to scrap a weight limit on its warheads would help it respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test two days ago. South Korean officials believe more provocation from the …

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would discuss the fate of a five-year-old U.S.-South Korean free trade deal with his advisers next week, in a move that could see him pull out of the accord with a key American ally at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean …

President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday that President Trump had agreed to seek South Korea’s consent before taking any action on North Korea, including a military strike, assuring his public that there would be no war on the Korean Peninsula. “No matter what options the United States and President Trump …

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, agreed to apply maximum pressure and sanctions on North Korea in a telephone call on Monday, while China expressed hope that North and South Korea could resume contact soon. The U.N. Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North …

By​ George Friedman for Stratfor — There is widespread interest in the rising tensions over the waters east of China. China has become increasingly assertive in the region, and regional powers from Japan to Singapore have become alarmed at China’s behavior. The Chinese recently built an island in the South …