Nov 14, 5:00 AM EST Newsletter Signup BusinessTechnologyWorldNationalMedia & CultureOpinionSportsLuxury World By Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan 11/14/18 AT 5:00 AM North Korea was reportedly continuing its nuclear and missile activity even after the summit between President Donald Trump and the former nation’s leader Kim Jong Un in June saw the latter agreeing to permanently close its nuclear program, South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), was quoted as saying Wednesday. Participants said the agency made this statement in a report during a closed-door meeting of the parliamentary intelligence committee held Wednesday. The report was a result of the very little progress the denuclearization process has made in recent weeks, which included the cancellation of the planned high-level talks between Washington and Pyongyang last week."Nuclear and missile-related activity is believed to be going on even after the North-U.S. summit. It is presumed that … [Read more...] about North Korea’s Nuclear, Missile Activity Continues Even After US Summit: Seoul
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Report: North Korea Continues Missile Research at Secret Bases
A study that the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published on Monday found that North Korea is maintaining at least 13 ballistic missile bases, seemingly contradicting the spirit of denuclearization even as Pyongyang demands sanctions relief as a reward for the steps it has taken so far. The report from the think tank based in Washington, DC, claimed there are about 20 “undeclared North Korean missile operating bases,” of which 13 have been discovered through satellite photography. The North Koreans made a great show of dismantling the missile launch facility at Sohae, which they described as a “satellite launching station.” However, CSIS asserted the actions taken at Sohae were a distraction, a theatrical gesture toward fulfilling commitments made by dictator Kim Jong-un at his June summit with President Trump, while many other bases in remote locations are quietly kept operational.The New York Times pronounced the CSIS report an … [Read more...] about Report: North Korea Continues Missile Research at Secret Bases
Japan’s military seeks record spending to reinforce North Korea missile defences
By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's military wants record spending next year to help pay for major upgrades to defences designed to shoot down North Korean ballistic missiles that Tokyo sees as a continued threat despite Pyongyang's promise to abandon nuclear weapons. The Ministry of Defence budget proposal released on Friday calls for defence spending to rise 2.1 percent to 5.3 trillion yen (36.86 billion pounds) for the year starting April 1. If approved, it will be the seventh straight annual increase as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reinforces Japan's military to respond to any North Korea missile strike and counter China's growing air and sea power in the waters around Japan. The proposed defence budget still has to face scrutiny by Ministry of Finance officials who may seek to curtail any rise in military outlays to secure funds for Japan's burgeoning health and welfare spending. The biggest proposed outlay in the military budget will be on ballistic missile defence, with a … [Read more...] about Japan’s military seeks record spending to reinforce North Korea missile defences
IAEA report: “Grave concern” over continuation of North Korea’s nuclear program
NEW YORK — A new report from the UN's nuclear watchdog expresses "grave concern" that North Korea is continuing to develop its nuclear program, despite the regime's commitment to work towards denuclearization following June's summit in Singapore. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wrote in the report published Monday that inspectors have not been granted access to key nuclear sites in North Korea, including the research facility at Yongbyon. The agency used satellite imagery and open-source reports to conclude that construction has resumed or continued at several locations in and around the site. The agency, based in Geneva, said the North's continued nuclear activities constitute "clear violations of relevant UN Security Council resolutions" and "are deeply regrettable." Split apart by war, families from North and South Korea hold emotional reunions "The continuation and further development of the DPRK's nuclear programme and related statements by the DPRK are … [Read more...] about IAEA report: “Grave concern” over continuation of North Korea’s nuclear program
North Korea Shows No Sign of Halting Nuclear Program, Causes ‘Grave Concern,’ U.N. Watchdog Warns
World International Affairs North Korea has shown no indications that it has curbed its nuclear program, despite its promises to President Donald Trump, the U.N.s’ nuclear watchdog has warned. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called the “continuation and further development” of Pyongyang’s nuclear program a “cause for grave concern” in a report released late on Monday, according to Reuters. “As the agency remains unable to carry out verification activities in the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea], its knowledge of the DPRK’s nuclear program is limited and, as further nuclear activities take place in the country, this knowledge is declining,” the IAEA report said. People watch a news report on North Korea's first hydrogen bomb test at a railroad station in Seoul on January 6, 2016. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called the “continuation and further development” of … [Read more...] about North Korea Shows No Sign of Halting Nuclear Program, Causes ‘Grave Concern,’ U.N. Watchdog Warns