ALERT The Winds of War Blow in Korea and The Far East
- Thread starter northern watch
- Start date
northern watch
TB Fanatic
jward
passin' thru
en.yna.co.kr
(3rd LD) N. Korea fires suspected IRBM into East Sea: S. Korean military
Chae Yun-hwan
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with details; REPLACES, ADDS photo)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, in Pyongyang's first missile launch this year amid heightened tensions over its continued saber-rattling.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2:55 p.m. and the missile flew around 1,000 kilometers before splashing into the sea.
The JCS strongly condemned the launch, calling it a "clear provocative act," adding that it shared data on the North Korean missile with U.S. and Japanese authorities, with an analysis on its specifications under way.
"Under a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, our military will closely monitor North Korea's various activities and maintain capabilities and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation," it said.
Last month, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo fully activated a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real-time in an effort to bolster trilateral cooperation against the North's evolving military threats.
A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launch is aired on a television at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Jan. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)
A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launch is aired on a television at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Jan. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency last week, South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said the North could test-fire a new type of IRBM as early as this month after the country said it staged solid-fuel engine tests for a new IRBM in November.
Seoul officials believe Pyongyang's solid-fuel IRBM under development is capable of targeting U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam. IRBMs have a range of up to 5,500 km.
Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-fuel ones that require more preparations, such as the injection of fuel.
The North has recently pressed ahead with its missile development program, firing a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile at a lofted trajectory into the East Sea on Dec. 18.
The latest launch took place amid heightened tensions after North Korea fired artillery shells near the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea from Jan. 5 to 7.
The firing prompted the South to stage live-fire drills from its northwestern border islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong for the first time in over six years.
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he has no intention of avoiding war with South Korea, and threatened to annihilate the South if it attempts to use force against the North.
South Korean officials have said the North is likely to stage provocative acts early this year and escalate tensions ahead of South Korea's general elections in April.
The launch also came just before North Korean state media said its Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui will visit Russia from Monday through Wednesday in the latest sign of growing bilateral ties.
Seoul and Washington have accused Pyongyang of delivering arms to Moscow after the North's leader Kim Jong-un traveled to Russia's Far East in September for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fire shoots out and smoke rises during a ground jet test of a new type of high-thrust solid engine for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), in this undated file photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 15, 2023. The North successfully conducted the first ground jet tests of the first-stage engine and the second-stage engine on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively, according to the KCNA. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Fire shoots out and smoke rises during a ground jet test of a new type of high-thrust solid engine for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), in this undated file photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 15, 2023. The North successfully conducted the first ground jet tests of the first-stage engine and the second-stage engine on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively, according to the KCNA. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr
(3rd LD) N. Korea fires suspected IRBM into East Sea: S. Korean military
Chae Yun-hwan
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with details; REPLACES, ADDS photo)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, in Pyongyang's first missile launch this year amid heightened tensions over its continued saber-rattling.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2:55 p.m. and the missile flew around 1,000 kilometers before splashing into the sea.
The JCS strongly condemned the launch, calling it a "clear provocative act," adding that it shared data on the North Korean missile with U.S. and Japanese authorities, with an analysis on its specifications under way.
"Under a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, our military will closely monitor North Korea's various activities and maintain capabilities and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation," it said.
Last month, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo fully activated a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real-time in an effort to bolster trilateral cooperation against the North's evolving military threats.
A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launch is aired on a television at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Jan. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)
A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launch is aired on a television at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Jan. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency last week, South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said the North could test-fire a new type of IRBM as early as this month after the country said it staged solid-fuel engine tests for a new IRBM in November.
Seoul officials believe Pyongyang's solid-fuel IRBM under development is capable of targeting U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam. IRBMs have a range of up to 5,500 km.
Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-fuel ones that require more preparations, such as the injection of fuel.
The North has recently pressed ahead with its missile development program, firing a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile at a lofted trajectory into the East Sea on Dec. 18.
The latest launch took place amid heightened tensions after North Korea fired artillery shells near the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea from Jan. 5 to 7.
The firing prompted the South to stage live-fire drills from its northwestern border islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong for the first time in over six years.
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he has no intention of avoiding war with South Korea, and threatened to annihilate the South if it attempts to use force against the North.
South Korean officials have said the North is likely to stage provocative acts early this year and escalate tensions ahead of South Korea's general elections in April.
The launch also came just before North Korean state media said its Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui will visit Russia from Monday through Wednesday in the latest sign of growing bilateral ties.
Seoul and Washington have accused Pyongyang of delivering arms to Moscow after the North's leader Kim Jong-un traveled to Russia's Far East in September for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fire shoots out and smoke rises during a ground jet test of a new type of high-thrust solid engine for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), in this undated file photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 15, 2023. The North successfully conducted the first ground jet tests of the first-stage engine and the second-stage engine on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively, according to the KCNA. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Fire shoots out and smoke rises during a ground jet test of a new type of high-thrust solid engine for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), in this undated file photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 15, 2023. The North successfully conducted the first ground jet tests of the first-stage engine and the second-stage engine on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively, according to the KCNA. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
(3rd LD) N. Korea fires suspected IRBM into East Sea: S. Korean military | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with details; REPLACES, ADDS photo)By Chae Yun...
jward
passin' thru
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis reposted
Ankit Panda
@nktpnd
The new North Korean solid propellant IRBM we'd been expecting for some time now has been flight-tested, it seems
Ankit Panda
@nktpnd
The new North Korean solid propellant IRBM we'd been expecting for some time now has been flight-tested, it seems
en.yna.co.kr
(3rd LD) N. Korea fires suspected IRBM into East Sea: S. Korean military
Chae Yun-hwan
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with details; REPLACES, ADDS photo)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, in Pyongyang's first missile launch this year amid heightened tensions over its continued saber-rattling.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2:55 p.m. and the missile flew around 1,000 kilometers before splashing into the sea.
The JCS strongly condemned the launch, calling it a "clear provocative act," adding that it shared data on the North Korean missile with U.S. and Japanese authorities, with an analysis on its specifications under way.
"Under a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, our military will closely monitor North Korea's various activities and maintain capabilities and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation," it said.
Last month, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo fully activated a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real-time in an effort to bolster trilateral cooperation against the North's evolving military threats.
A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launch is aired on a television at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Jan. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)
A news report on North Korea's ballistic missile launch is aired on a television at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Jan. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency last week, South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said the North could test-fire a new type of IRBM as early as this month after the country said it staged solid-fuel engine tests for a new IRBM in November.
Seoul officials believe Pyongyang's solid-fuel IRBM under development is capable of targeting U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam. IRBMs have a range of up to 5,500 km.
Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-fuel ones that require more preparations, such as the injection of fuel.
The North has recently pressed ahead with its missile development program, firing a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile at a lofted trajectory into the East Sea on Dec. 18.
The latest launch took place amid heightened tensions after North Korea fired artillery shells near the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea from Jan. 5 to 7.
The firing prompted the South to stage live-fire drills from its northwestern border islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong for the first time in over six years.
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he has no intention of avoiding war with South Korea, and threatened to annihilate the South if it attempts to use force against the North.
South Korean officials have said the North is likely to stage provocative acts early this year and escalate tensions ahead of South Korea's general elections in April.
The launch also came just before North Korean state media said its Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui will visit Russia from Monday through Wednesday in the latest sign of growing bilateral ties.
Seoul and Washington have accused Pyongyang of delivering arms to Moscow after the North's leader Kim Jong-un traveled to Russia's Far East in September for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fire shoots out and smoke rises during a ground jet test of a new type of high-thrust solid engine for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), in this undated file photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 15, 2023. The North successfully conducted the first ground jet tests of the first-stage engine and the second-stage engine on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively, according to the KCNA. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Fire shoots out and smoke rises during a ground jet test of a new type of high-thrust solid engine for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), in this undated file photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 15, 2023. The North successfully conducted the first ground jet tests of the first-stage engine and the second-stage engine on Nov. 11 and 14, respectively, according to the KCNA. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
(3rd LD) N. Korea fires suspected IRBM into East Sea: S. Korean military | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with details; REPLACES, ADDS photo)By Chae Yun...
jward
passin' thru
Global: Military-Info
@Global_Mil_Info
North Korea has announced that they successfully test fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile that carried a hypersonic warhead.
The missile flew approximately 1,000 kilometers before it splashed in the East Sea.
The launch was done to verify the warhead gliding and maneuver capabilities and the reliability of the multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines.
@Global_Mil_Info
North Korea has announced that they successfully test fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile that carried a hypersonic warhead.
The missile flew approximately 1,000 kilometers before it splashed in the East Sea.
The launch was done to verify the warhead gliding and maneuver capabilities and the reliability of the multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines.
jward
passin' thru
Global: Military-Info
@Global_Mil_Info
North Korea is planning to make changes to its constitution that focus on labeling South Korea as an enemy state and eliminating traces of inter-Korean links.
- North Korea will be taking practical steps to completely separate all connections with South Korea in the border areas.
- North Korea will physically destroy inter-Korean links.
- North Korea will permanently remove formal communication and cooperation avenues with South Korea.
- They will enhance their nuclear weapon stockpile in preparation for war with South Korea.
- North Korea will redefine its territorial borders.
- Any South Korean incursion within North Korea will be treated as a declaration of war.
- North Korea will continue to not recognize the Northern Limit Line.
@Global_Mil_Info
North Korea is planning to make changes to its constitution that focus on labeling South Korea as an enemy state and eliminating traces of inter-Korean links.
- North Korea will be taking practical steps to completely separate all connections with South Korea in the border areas.
- North Korea will physically destroy inter-Korean links.
- North Korea will permanently remove formal communication and cooperation avenues with South Korea.
- They will enhance their nuclear weapon stockpile in preparation for war with South Korea.
- North Korea will redefine its territorial borders.
- Any South Korean incursion within North Korea will be treated as a declaration of war.
- North Korea will continue to not recognize the Northern Limit Line.
jward
passin' thru
thedrive.com
Images posted to the Chinese social media platform Weibo appear to be stills from a previously undisclosed inspection by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un of the country's most advanced drones. These are almost exact visual copies of the well-known U.S.-made RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Sunday, North Korea carried out its long-anticipated test of a solid fuel intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), and it had an intriguing payload on top.
According to @RupprechtDeino, who researches China’s military, the drones are the Saetbyol-4, which closely resembles the jet-powered U.S. RQ-4 and the Saetbyol-9, which appears to be very similar to the prop-driven U.S. MQ-9.
The North Korean jet-powered Saetbyol-4 drone is very similar to the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk. (Via Weibo) The North Korean Saetbyol-9 looks very much like the U.S. made MQ-9 Reaper. (Via Weibo)
North Korean state media has described the Saetbyol-4 (Morning Star-4) as “a strategic reconnaissance drone,” according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The Saetbyol-9 (Morning Star-9) has been labeled a “multi-purpose attack drone.”
As we initially reported at the time, North Korean state media first unveiled the two drones in July 2023 and provided brief videos showing both of them in flight.
Both were formally revealed during the Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023 July 26, 2023, attended by Kim and Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu was visiting Pyongyang to further military cooperation between the two countries and to secure more North Korean-made armaments for use in Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
As we noted in our original report, the precise capabilities of these North Korean drones was very much unclear and few details have emerged since.
“Next to no details are available of the specifications of the Global Hawk-type drone or even the mission that it’s intended to perform. However, its close resemblance to the RQ-4 series clearly suggests a high-altitude flight profile. Depending on engine performance and other factors, it’s likely expected to fly over longer distances. The RQ-4A has an endurance of more than 30 hours and has an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission, carrying a variety of sensors including imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and moving target indicator (MTI) sensors.”
The North Korean Saetbyol-4 jet-powered surveillance drone. (Via Weibo) An RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft like the one shown is currently flying non-military mapping missions over South, Central America and the Caribbean at the request of partner nations in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka)
As for the Saetbyol-9, satellite imagery of it besides the Saetbyol-4 “indicated a wingspan of around 65 feet. The MQ-9 has a wingspan of 66 feet. While the turboprop-powered MQ-9 is used for both ISR and attack missions, it’s notable that the North Korean Reaper-type drone was displayed with two different types of missiles carried on six pylons below its wings, including one weapon that looks very similar to the U.S.-made AGM-114 Hellfire. This popular air-to-ground missile is used by the MQ-9, among many others.”
The brief video clip below also shows the drone launching a pair of Hellfire-lookalike missiles, although the authenticity of that clip is unclear.
Another issue we raised in our earlier report concerned the impossibility that North Korean industry can “actually replicate some of the more complex components and subsystems that lie at the heart of these UAVs’ capabilities. The high-technology sensors that the RQ-4 and MQ-9 series rely on are beyond North Korea’s reach, even with the benefit of espionage. That is not to say that sensors with significantly lower performance aren’t possible. The complex composite structures that make up these aircraft are another issue as is the engine technology. Simpler means of production and engines with less performance could result in significantly lower ceilings and ranges.”
Kim Jong Un stands near the front of the Saetbyol-9 drone and its gimbled sensor pod. (Via Weibo)
Still, even with these negative aspects factored in, these aircraft look remarkably impressive for North Korea to duplicate in flying form. It isn't clear who helped them achieve such a feat, if anyone at all, but Iran did capture large parts of a U.S. Global Hawk derivative it shot down near the Strait of Hormuz. We also saw a Global Hawk-like tail structure being transported in Iran. You can read about what Iran recovered from the shoot down and the appearance of the tail section in this past article. But overall the airframes themselves are impressive in terms of what North Korean aerospace industry was able to accomplish and these are a massive leap forward for the country's fledgling roster of unmanned capabilities.
Even with severely less capability, both in terms of performance and onboard sensors and control architecture, these drones could be useful in peacetime, although they would be first to be shot down during an actual conflict. The Reaper 'clone' could patrol South Korea's borders, including the DMZ, while the Global Hawk-like jet could use its higher ceiling and longer endurance to look and listen deeper into South Korean territory for extended periods of time. Both could also be used in a naval patrol context as well, although they would likely be limited to line-of-sight connectivity for high-fidelity, real-time control and exploitation of gathered intelligence. This is a huge difference compared to the U.S., with both the RQ-4 and MQ-9 being highly enabled by high bandwidth satellite datalink capability.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)
Aside from showcasing the new drones, North Korea also claimed it test-fired “an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile [IRBM] loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead” on Jan. 14, according to state media outlet KCNA.
“The test-fire was aimed at verifying the gliding and maneuvering characteristics of intermediate-range hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead and the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines,” KCNA reported, adding that the test was successful.
Image from the test of the solid fuel IRBM and hypersonic vehicle. KCNA
“The test-fire never affected the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation,” according to KCNA. However, an IRBM, which has a range of between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers [1,864 to 3,418 miles], would place the U.S. territory of Guam within range if fired from Pyongyang, the South Korean Yonhap news agency noted in its story about the test. Kim has threatened to fire an IRBM near Guam in the past and North Korean IRBMs have been a top reason why a THAAD anti-ballistic missile battery has been deployed to Guam for years.
Sunday’s test comes after KCNA reported on engine trials for a new solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) conducted at separate facilities on both coasts last November, according to NKNews.org.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the latest launch at around 2:55 p.m. KST on Sunday, “saying it appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that flew around 621 miles (1,000 km) into the Sea of Japan (East Sea),” according to NKNews.org. North Korea tests missiles at extreme altitudes in order to stay closer to the peninsula. The performance during these tests can be extrapolated into a shallower, down-range optimized, operational trajectory.
While North Korea has recently developed other solid fuel missile designs, including recently demonstrating a solid-fuel ICBM for the first time, having an IRBM with this capability is especially noteworthy. They would be among the most threatening missiles to U.S. interests during a conflict. Solid fuel capability means they can be erected and launched far quicker than their liquid-fuel progenitors. This makes them much harder to strike preemptively and gives less time for realizing a an attack may be imminent. As such, solid fuel ballistic missiles increase the North Korean ballistic missile arsenal's survivability, effectiveness and flexibility, among other advantages. North Korea has been on a quest to develop solid fuel designs for years and has made remarkable progress in this area of rocketry since it began a campaign of rapid iterative missile testing in 2016.
The hypersonic boost glide vehicle (BGV) supposedly mounted atop the missile is a whole other issue. North Korea claimed it tested a BGV in 2021. It has since claimed to have tested similar vehicles multiple times atop various missiles, but putting one on a solid-fuel IRBM would drastically increase the value of such a weapon.
Yet much is still unknown about the viability of North Korea's BGV designs and if they would even withstand the voyage to their target area. The technologies behind hypersonic flight, and especially those needed for dynamically maneuvering at velocities in excess of Mach 5, are very hard to master. If North Korea can make it work, especially aboard a solid fuel IRBM, that would be a major development that would significantly complicate defending against incoming North Korean attacks.
A graphic showing, in a very rudimentary way, the difference in trajectories between a traditional ballistic missile and a hypersonic boost-glide vehicle., GAO
There is also some debate over if at least some of these conical, finned, hypersonic vehicles are really just maneuvering reentry vehicles that are less capable of higher degrees of maneuverability. Hypersonic terminal velocities are not abnormal for ballistic missiles, especially IRBMs, so the vehicle would be hypersonic, regardless, but not having the same capabilities of a HBGV. Still, this would be a troubling development, but nothing as big of accomplishment as making an operationally relevant hypersonic BGV.
Regardless, Kim's inspection of the advamced drones and the solid fuel missile test come at a perilous time on the Korean Peninsula. On Monday, he called for a constitutional amendment to change the status of South Korea as a separate state and warned that while his country doesn't seek war, it didn't intend to avoid it, KCNA reported, according to Reuters.
We will continue to monitor North Korean's weapons programs and provide updates when warranted.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
www.thedrive.com
North Korea's Most Advanced Drones Reemerge, Solid Fuel IRBM Tested
Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway
Images posted to the Chinese social media platform Weibo appear to be stills from a previously undisclosed inspection by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un of the country's most advanced drones. These are almost exact visual copies of the well-known U.S.-made RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Sunday, North Korea carried out its long-anticipated test of a solid fuel intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), and it had an intriguing payload on top.
According to @RupprechtDeino, who researches China’s military, the drones are the Saetbyol-4, which closely resembles the jet-powered U.S. RQ-4 and the Saetbyol-9, which appears to be very similar to the prop-driven U.S. MQ-9.
The North Korean jet-powered Saetbyol-4 drone is very similar to the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk. (Via Weibo) The North Korean Saetbyol-9 looks very much like the U.S. made MQ-9 Reaper. (Via Weibo)
North Korean state media has described the Saetbyol-4 (Morning Star-4) as “a strategic reconnaissance drone,” according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The Saetbyol-9 (Morning Star-9) has been labeled a “multi-purpose attack drone.”
As we initially reported at the time, North Korean state media first unveiled the two drones in July 2023 and provided brief videos showing both of them in flight.
Both were formally revealed during the Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023 July 26, 2023, attended by Kim and Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu was visiting Pyongyang to further military cooperation between the two countries and to secure more North Korean-made armaments for use in Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
As we noted in our original report, the precise capabilities of these North Korean drones was very much unclear and few details have emerged since.
“Next to no details are available of the specifications of the Global Hawk-type drone or even the mission that it’s intended to perform. However, its close resemblance to the RQ-4 series clearly suggests a high-altitude flight profile. Depending on engine performance and other factors, it’s likely expected to fly over longer distances. The RQ-4A has an endurance of more than 30 hours and has an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission, carrying a variety of sensors including imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and moving target indicator (MTI) sensors.”
The North Korean Saetbyol-4 jet-powered surveillance drone. (Via Weibo) An RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft like the one shown is currently flying non-military mapping missions over South, Central America and the Caribbean at the request of partner nations in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka)
As for the Saetbyol-9, satellite imagery of it besides the Saetbyol-4 “indicated a wingspan of around 65 feet. The MQ-9 has a wingspan of 66 feet. While the turboprop-powered MQ-9 is used for both ISR and attack missions, it’s notable that the North Korean Reaper-type drone was displayed with two different types of missiles carried on six pylons below its wings, including one weapon that looks very similar to the U.S.-made AGM-114 Hellfire. This popular air-to-ground missile is used by the MQ-9, among many others.”
The brief video clip below also shows the drone launching a pair of Hellfire-lookalike missiles, although the authenticity of that clip is unclear.
Another issue we raised in our earlier report concerned the impossibility that North Korean industry can “actually replicate some of the more complex components and subsystems that lie at the heart of these UAVs’ capabilities. The high-technology sensors that the RQ-4 and MQ-9 series rely on are beyond North Korea’s reach, even with the benefit of espionage. That is not to say that sensors with significantly lower performance aren’t possible. The complex composite structures that make up these aircraft are another issue as is the engine technology. Simpler means of production and engines with less performance could result in significantly lower ceilings and ranges.”
Kim Jong Un stands near the front of the Saetbyol-9 drone and its gimbled sensor pod. (Via Weibo)
Still, even with these negative aspects factored in, these aircraft look remarkably impressive for North Korea to duplicate in flying form. It isn't clear who helped them achieve such a feat, if anyone at all, but Iran did capture large parts of a U.S. Global Hawk derivative it shot down near the Strait of Hormuz. We also saw a Global Hawk-like tail structure being transported in Iran. You can read about what Iran recovered from the shoot down and the appearance of the tail section in this past article. But overall the airframes themselves are impressive in terms of what North Korean aerospace industry was able to accomplish and these are a massive leap forward for the country's fledgling roster of unmanned capabilities.
Even with severely less capability, both in terms of performance and onboard sensors and control architecture, these drones could be useful in peacetime, although they would be first to be shot down during an actual conflict. The Reaper 'clone' could patrol South Korea's borders, including the DMZ, while the Global Hawk-like jet could use its higher ceiling and longer endurance to look and listen deeper into South Korean territory for extended periods of time. Both could also be used in a naval patrol context as well, although they would likely be limited to line-of-sight connectivity for high-fidelity, real-time control and exploitation of gathered intelligence. This is a huge difference compared to the U.S., with both the RQ-4 and MQ-9 being highly enabled by high bandwidth satellite datalink capability.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)
Aside from showcasing the new drones, North Korea also claimed it test-fired “an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile [IRBM] loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead” on Jan. 14, according to state media outlet KCNA.
“The test-fire was aimed at verifying the gliding and maneuvering characteristics of intermediate-range hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead and the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines,” KCNA reported, adding that the test was successful.
Image from the test of the solid fuel IRBM and hypersonic vehicle. KCNA
“The test-fire never affected the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation,” according to KCNA. However, an IRBM, which has a range of between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers [1,864 to 3,418 miles], would place the U.S. territory of Guam within range if fired from Pyongyang, the South Korean Yonhap news agency noted in its story about the test. Kim has threatened to fire an IRBM near Guam in the past and North Korean IRBMs have been a top reason why a THAAD anti-ballistic missile battery has been deployed to Guam for years.
Sunday’s test comes after KCNA reported on engine trials for a new solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) conducted at separate facilities on both coasts last November, according to NKNews.org.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the latest launch at around 2:55 p.m. KST on Sunday, “saying it appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that flew around 621 miles (1,000 km) into the Sea of Japan (East Sea),” according to NKNews.org. North Korea tests missiles at extreme altitudes in order to stay closer to the peninsula. The performance during these tests can be extrapolated into a shallower, down-range optimized, operational trajectory.
While North Korea has recently developed other solid fuel missile designs, including recently demonstrating a solid-fuel ICBM for the first time, having an IRBM with this capability is especially noteworthy. They would be among the most threatening missiles to U.S. interests during a conflict. Solid fuel capability means they can be erected and launched far quicker than their liquid-fuel progenitors. This makes them much harder to strike preemptively and gives less time for realizing a an attack may be imminent. As such, solid fuel ballistic missiles increase the North Korean ballistic missile arsenal's survivability, effectiveness and flexibility, among other advantages. North Korea has been on a quest to develop solid fuel designs for years and has made remarkable progress in this area of rocketry since it began a campaign of rapid iterative missile testing in 2016.
The hypersonic boost glide vehicle (BGV) supposedly mounted atop the missile is a whole other issue. North Korea claimed it tested a BGV in 2021. It has since claimed to have tested similar vehicles multiple times atop various missiles, but putting one on a solid-fuel IRBM would drastically increase the value of such a weapon.
Yet much is still unknown about the viability of North Korea's BGV designs and if they would even withstand the voyage to their target area. The technologies behind hypersonic flight, and especially those needed for dynamically maneuvering at velocities in excess of Mach 5, are very hard to master. If North Korea can make it work, especially aboard a solid fuel IRBM, that would be a major development that would significantly complicate defending against incoming North Korean attacks.
A graphic showing, in a very rudimentary way, the difference in trajectories between a traditional ballistic missile and a hypersonic boost-glide vehicle., GAO
There is also some debate over if at least some of these conical, finned, hypersonic vehicles are really just maneuvering reentry vehicles that are less capable of higher degrees of maneuverability. Hypersonic terminal velocities are not abnormal for ballistic missiles, especially IRBMs, so the vehicle would be hypersonic, regardless, but not having the same capabilities of a HBGV. Still, this would be a troubling development, but nothing as big of accomplishment as making an operationally relevant hypersonic BGV.
Regardless, Kim's inspection of the advamced drones and the solid fuel missile test come at a perilous time on the Korean Peninsula. On Monday, he called for a constitutional amendment to change the status of South Korea as a separate state and warned that while his country doesn't seek war, it didn't intend to avoid it, KCNA reported, according to Reuters.
We will continue to monitor North Korean's weapons programs and provide updates when warranted.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
North Korea's Most Advanced Drones Reemerge, Solid Fuel IRBM Tested
Kim Jong Un is seen inspecting his knockoffs of America's Global Hawk and Reaper and North Korea has now tested a solid fuel IRBM.
www.thedrive.com
jward
passin' thru
Mario Nawfal
@MarioNawfal
KIM WARNS OF CONFLICT POTENTIAL
"Invasion from the south of even '0.001' millimeters will be considered a war provocation."
North Korea's leader asserted the country does not seek war but won't avoid it, warning of dire consequences for South Korea and the U.S.
He emphasized that any conflict would lead to South Korea's destruction and an "unthinkable defeat" for the U.S.
Source: Asia Today
@MarioNawfal
KIM WARNS OF CONFLICT POTENTIAL
"Invasion from the south of even '0.001' millimeters will be considered a war provocation."
North Korea's leader asserted the country does not seek war but won't avoid it, warning of dire consequences for South Korea and the U.S.
He emphasized that any conflict would lead to South Korea's destruction and an "unthinkable defeat" for the U.S.
Source: Asia Today
northern watch
TB Fanatic
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 reposted
Apex
@Apex_WW
·
1h
AP: Japan signed a deal with the United States on Thursday to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of its ongoing military buildup in response to increased regional threats.
Apex
@Apex_WW
·
1h
AP: Japan signed a deal with the United States on Thursday to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of its ongoing military buildup in response to increased regional threats.
jward
passin' thru
insiderpaper.com
North Korea says tested 'underwater nuclear weapon system'
AFP
North Korea said Friday that it had tested an “underwater nuclear weapon system” in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that involved a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The drills were “seriously threatening the security” of the North, so in response, Pyongyang “conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system ‘Haeil-5-23’ under development in the East Sea of Korea,” according to a statement from the defence ministry carried by state news agency KCNA.
Early last year, Pyongyang said it had carried out multiple tests of a purported underwater nuclear attack drone — a different version of the Haeil, which means tsunami in Korean — claiming it could unleash a “radioactive tsunami”.
Analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang has such a weapon.
Earlier this week, South Korea, the United States and Japan carried out joint naval drills in waters off southern Jeju Island, which they said were in response to North Korea’s Sunday launch of a hypersonic missile.
The drills involved nine warships from the three countries, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
Pyongyang said Friday the drills “constituted a cause of further destabilising the regional situation, and they are an act of seriously threatening the security” of the North, the defence ministry spokesman said, according to KCNA.
North Korea’s own test — the exact date of which was not given — ensured “our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the US and its allies,” the spokesman said.
Recent months have seen a sharp deterioration in long-tense ties between the two Koreas, with both sides jettisoning key tension-reducing agreements, ramping up frontier security, and conducting live-fire drills along the border.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week declared the South his country’s “principal enemy”, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement.
– Drones deployed? –
The new announcement on the underwater test “is a clear sign of Haeil drones deployment to its navy fleets for use”, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.
“The North’s statement illustrates Pyongyang’s stance that it will respond in proportion to military exercise by the South, Japan and the US,” he said, adding that the North didn’t appear to be trying “to cross the line so as to provoke an armed conflict.”
Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP that it was “difficult to determine the exact capabilities” of North Korea’s purported underwater nuclear weapons systems.
“Considering North Korea’s defence science level and the fact that the weapon is still in a developing stage, it is not yet at a stage to pose a significant threat,” he said.
At Pyongyang’s year-end policy meetings, Kim threatened a nuclear attack on the South and called for a build-up of his country’s military arsenal ahead of armed conflict he warned could “break out any time”.
On Sunday, the North launched a solid-fuel hypersonic missile, just days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the country’s tense maritime border with South Korea, which prompted counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some border islands belonging to the South.
Kim also successfully put a spy satellite into orbit late last year, after receiving what Seoul said was Russian help, in exchange for arms transfers for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
insiderpaper.com
North Korea says tested 'underwater nuclear weapon system'
AFP
North Korea said Friday that it had tested an “underwater nuclear weapon system” in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that involved a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The drills were “seriously threatening the security” of the North, so in response, Pyongyang “conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system ‘Haeil-5-23’ under development in the East Sea of Korea,” according to a statement from the defence ministry carried by state news agency KCNA.
Early last year, Pyongyang said it had carried out multiple tests of a purported underwater nuclear attack drone — a different version of the Haeil, which means tsunami in Korean — claiming it could unleash a “radioactive tsunami”.
Analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang has such a weapon.
Earlier this week, South Korea, the United States and Japan carried out joint naval drills in waters off southern Jeju Island, which they said were in response to North Korea’s Sunday launch of a hypersonic missile.
The drills involved nine warships from the three countries, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
Pyongyang said Friday the drills “constituted a cause of further destabilising the regional situation, and they are an act of seriously threatening the security” of the North, the defence ministry spokesman said, according to KCNA.
North Korea’s own test — the exact date of which was not given — ensured “our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the US and its allies,” the spokesman said.
Recent months have seen a sharp deterioration in long-tense ties between the two Koreas, with both sides jettisoning key tension-reducing agreements, ramping up frontier security, and conducting live-fire drills along the border.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week declared the South his country’s “principal enemy”, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement.
– Drones deployed? –
The new announcement on the underwater test “is a clear sign of Haeil drones deployment to its navy fleets for use”, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.
“The North’s statement illustrates Pyongyang’s stance that it will respond in proportion to military exercise by the South, Japan and the US,” he said, adding that the North didn’t appear to be trying “to cross the line so as to provoke an armed conflict.”
Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP that it was “difficult to determine the exact capabilities” of North Korea’s purported underwater nuclear weapons systems.
“Considering North Korea’s defence science level and the fact that the weapon is still in a developing stage, it is not yet at a stage to pose a significant threat,” he said.
At Pyongyang’s year-end policy meetings, Kim threatened a nuclear attack on the South and called for a build-up of his country’s military arsenal ahead of armed conflict he warned could “break out any time”.
On Sunday, the North launched a solid-fuel hypersonic missile, just days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the country’s tense maritime border with South Korea, which prompted counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some border islands belonging to the South.
Kim also successfully put a spy satellite into orbit late last year, after receiving what Seoul said was Russian help, in exchange for arms transfers for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
North Korea says tested 'underwater nuclear weapon system'
North Korea said Friday that it had tested an "underwater nuclear weapon system" in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that
insiderpaper.com
What was Ellen Ripley's famous quote?.....
jward
passin' thru
danielboon
TB Fanatic
jward
passin' thru
Ian Ellis
@ianellisjones
U.S. B-1 Bombers, escorted by Japanese fighters, flying in the vicinity of North Korea—on the same day Pyongyang conducted a test of its underwater nuclear drone system.
View: https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1748199712925048877?s=20
@ianellisjones
U.S. B-1 Bombers, escorted by Japanese fighters, flying in the vicinity of North Korea—on the same day Pyongyang conducted a test of its underwater nuclear drone system.
View: https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1748199712925048877?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Geo-Politics & Defense News
@IndoPac_Info
#US wants #Japanese shipyards to help keep warships ready to fight in Asia The United States and Japan are looking to make a deal for Japanese shipyards to regularly overhaul and maintain U.S. Navy warships so they can stay in Asian waters ready for any potential conflict, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said on Friday.
"China watches what ships are coming in and out. It is not like this is a secret, they know what's happening. So therefore, they take an evaluation of your deterrence," Emanuel told reporters at the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo. Unchallenged in Asian waters for decades, the U.S. Navy faces a growing Chinese navy being built in shipyards that are outpacing U.S. warship production.
China has more than 370 ships and submarines, up from the 340 ships they had in 2023, according to an annual report released by the Pentagon in October, making it numerically the largest navy in the world. Using Japanese dry docks would ease pressure on U.S. yards that are wrestling with maintenance backlogs of up to 4,000 days and allow them to focus on shipbuilding that will allow the U.S. to expand its fleet, Emanuel said. Washington and Tokyo, he added, had established a council to work out a joint plan for the maintenance work. U.S. ally Japan hosts the biggest overseas concentration of U.S. military power, including the only forward-deployed carrier strike group, which operates from Yokosuka.
That group of warships is part of the Seventh Fleet, which commands up to 70 ships and submarines from its headquarters at the Japanese naval base. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which makes warships and submarines for Japan's Self Defense Forces, operates commercial dockyards in nearby Yokohama, which have done some maintenance work on U.S. Navy ships in the past. Reporting by John Geddie and Tim Kelly; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Christian Schmollinger. https://reuters.com/world/asia-pac
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1748552029533089977?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
#US wants #Japanese shipyards to help keep warships ready to fight in Asia The United States and Japan are looking to make a deal for Japanese shipyards to regularly overhaul and maintain U.S. Navy warships so they can stay in Asian waters ready for any potential conflict, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said on Friday.
"China watches what ships are coming in and out. It is not like this is a secret, they know what's happening. So therefore, they take an evaluation of your deterrence," Emanuel told reporters at the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo. Unchallenged in Asian waters for decades, the U.S. Navy faces a growing Chinese navy being built in shipyards that are outpacing U.S. warship production.
China has more than 370 ships and submarines, up from the 340 ships they had in 2023, according to an annual report released by the Pentagon in October, making it numerically the largest navy in the world. Using Japanese dry docks would ease pressure on U.S. yards that are wrestling with maintenance backlogs of up to 4,000 days and allow them to focus on shipbuilding that will allow the U.S. to expand its fleet, Emanuel said. Washington and Tokyo, he added, had established a council to work out a joint plan for the maintenance work. U.S. ally Japan hosts the biggest overseas concentration of U.S. military power, including the only forward-deployed carrier strike group, which operates from Yokosuka.
That group of warships is part of the Seventh Fleet, which commands up to 70 ships and submarines from its headquarters at the Japanese naval base. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which makes warships and submarines for Japan's Self Defense Forces, operates commercial dockyards in nearby Yokohama, which have done some maintenance work on U.S. Navy ships in the past. Reporting by John Geddie and Tim Kelly; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Christian Schmollinger. https://reuters.com/world/asia-pac
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1748552029533089977?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Geo-Politics & Defense News
@IndoPac_Info
#Philippines, #Canada sign agreement on defence cooperation
The Philippines and Canada signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation on Friday, a move which Manila's defence minister said could later lead to a troop pact between the two countries.
"I'm glad to hear that there is a strong intention on both sides to deepen and strengthen the relationships by forging new milestones in our defence relations to culminate, perhaps, with the Visiting Forces Agreement," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a statement.
Teodoro didn't say what form or shape a possible VFA with Canada will take, but an existing VFA that the Philippines has with the United States allows the rotation of thousands of American troops in and out of the Philippines for war drills and exercises.
The memorandum, the defence ministry said, would jumpstart cooperation between the defence and military establishments of both countries on military education, training exchanges, information sharing, peacekeeping operations and disaster response.
"The strongest assets we have are the mutual trust and confidence that we have in one another...and because we are dealing with each other in a straightforward, open, and on a rules-based manner, such trust is reinforced and will surpass political changes and the tests of time," Teodoro added.
Canada has supported the Philippines in the face of China's increased assertiveness in the South China Sea, backing a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that said China's South China Sea claims had no legal basis. China rejects that finding.
The signing of the memorandum followed the signing in October of an arrangement between the Philippines and Canada for the use of Ottawa's Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) system to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by vessels that have switched off their location transmitters to evade detection.
The DVD system will also enhance the Philippines' maritime domain awareness over its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, where it has had a series of maritime confrontations with China.
Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan.
@IndoPac_Info
#Philippines, #Canada sign agreement on defence cooperation
The Philippines and Canada signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation on Friday, a move which Manila's defence minister said could later lead to a troop pact between the two countries.
"I'm glad to hear that there is a strong intention on both sides to deepen and strengthen the relationships by forging new milestones in our defence relations to culminate, perhaps, with the Visiting Forces Agreement," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a statement.
Teodoro didn't say what form or shape a possible VFA with Canada will take, but an existing VFA that the Philippines has with the United States allows the rotation of thousands of American troops in and out of the Philippines for war drills and exercises.
The memorandum, the defence ministry said, would jumpstart cooperation between the defence and military establishments of both countries on military education, training exchanges, information sharing, peacekeeping operations and disaster response.
"The strongest assets we have are the mutual trust and confidence that we have in one another...and because we are dealing with each other in a straightforward, open, and on a rules-based manner, such trust is reinforced and will surpass political changes and the tests of time," Teodoro added.
Canada has supported the Philippines in the face of China's increased assertiveness in the South China Sea, backing a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that said China's South China Sea claims had no legal basis. China rejects that finding.
The signing of the memorandum followed the signing in October of an arrangement between the Philippines and Canada for the use of Ottawa's Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) system to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by vessels that have switched off their location transmitters to evade detection.
The DVD system will also enhance the Philippines' maritime domain awareness over its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, where it has had a series of maritime confrontations with China.
Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan.
jward
passin' thru
Chatham House
@ChathamHouse
In an alarming speech, Kim Jong Un announced that North Korea’s constitution would be rewritten, allowing South Korea to be ‘incorporated’ in the event of war
View: https://twitter.com/ChathamHouse/status/1749069376802754734?s=20
@ChathamHouse
In an alarming speech, Kim Jong Un announced that North Korea’s constitution would be rewritten, allowing South Korea to be ‘incorporated’ in the event of war
View: https://twitter.com/ChathamHouse/status/1749069376802754734?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Geo-Politics & Defense News
@IndoPac_Info
#Philippines, #Vietnam to sign pact to face sea row better The Philippines and Vietnam are expected to sign an agreement on maritime cooperation during the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Hanoi next week, a move that is seen to build a united front between countries locked in territorial disputes with Beijing over parts of the South China Sea.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation between the coast guards of the Philippines and Vietnam seeks “to strengthen understanding, mutual trust and confidence of cooperation… towards the promotion, preservation, and protection of their mutual interests in the Southeast Asian region,” according to a copy of the final draft of the MOU seen by the Inquirer. Such an agreement will allow both countries to better manage conflicts in the contested waters and conduct activities “in accordance with principles of international law, the national laws of each party, and international conventions to which both Vietnam and Philippines are parties.”
President Marcos will visit Vietnam next week, his first overseas trip of the year, as the two nations seek to strengthen their growing strategic partnership. “The Philippines and Vietnam share a common aspiration for a peaceful and stable region. Both countries have a history of cooperation on matters involving the South China Sea, and there is an opportunity to strengthen this strategic relationship to the next level,” retired Navy Adm. Rommel Jude Ong, a professor at the Ateneo School of Government, told the Inquirer. The Philippines has been widening its network of alliances with like-minded countries amid tensions with China, a move criticized by Beijing. The Philippines and Vietnam are also looking to strengthen cooperation in other fields such as agriculture, culture, education, environment, information sharing, and people-to-people exchanges. In agriculture, the Philippines is expected to sign a rice deal with Vietnam during the President’s visit.
According to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the deal “basically guarantees that they will be supplying us rice continuously even in calamity situations.” Element of stability During the farewell call of the outgoing Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung in August last year, Marcos underscored the need for the two countries to cooperate in the wake of the escalating aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea. Marcos said a maritime agreement with Hanoi would be a “very big step” for both countries and would “bring an element of stability to the problems we are now seeing in the South China Sea.” He said then that the solid ties of both countries would make it easier for them to face “common challenges” in dealing with “territorial disputes in the South China Sea.”
Such a bilateral agreement could also serve as the basis of a united front with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has been discussing with Beijing a code of conduct deemed crucial in easing tensions in the South China Sea. President Marcos had earlier expressed his frustration at the slow pace of progress in the talks between the regional bloc and China. Both the Philippines and Vietnam are among the claimants in the South China Sea, along with Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan. China, however, claims nearly the entire strategic waterway. A 2016 ruling by an arbitration tribunal in The Hague rejected China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing refuses to acknowledge the decision. Honor talks with action At the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing on Monday, National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said China should make good on its promise to improve bilateral relations with the Philippines and lessen the tensions in the West Philippine Sea. Malaya issued the reminder after videos circulating on social media showed China Coast Guard personnel harassing Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc off Zambales province recently.
The security official noted that the incident happened just as Beijing and Manila held a Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) discussion in Shanghai last week. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said that the two countries both committed to improve their maritime communication and hold “friendly consultation” in addressing their maritime dispute. “We were hoping that the West Philippine Sea will be peaceful this 2024. But we are alarmed over this latest incident… We condemn this latest provocative action on the part of the China Coast Guard against our fishermen,” Malaya said at the televised program. “Since they will soon celebrate the Chinese New Year, we ask China to honor the talks between the governments of the Philippines and China with actions on the ground,” he said. Besides, the NSC spokesperson said, both Manila and Beijing would not benefit from having strained diplomatic relations. “Moving forward, I hope the discussions [during the BCM] will be implemented,” Malaya said. https://globalnation.inquirer.net/225641/ph-viet
@IndoPac_Info
#Philippines, #Vietnam to sign pact to face sea row better The Philippines and Vietnam are expected to sign an agreement on maritime cooperation during the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Hanoi next week, a move that is seen to build a united front between countries locked in territorial disputes with Beijing over parts of the South China Sea.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation between the coast guards of the Philippines and Vietnam seeks “to strengthen understanding, mutual trust and confidence of cooperation… towards the promotion, preservation, and protection of their mutual interests in the Southeast Asian region,” according to a copy of the final draft of the MOU seen by the Inquirer. Such an agreement will allow both countries to better manage conflicts in the contested waters and conduct activities “in accordance with principles of international law, the national laws of each party, and international conventions to which both Vietnam and Philippines are parties.”
President Marcos will visit Vietnam next week, his first overseas trip of the year, as the two nations seek to strengthen their growing strategic partnership. “The Philippines and Vietnam share a common aspiration for a peaceful and stable region. Both countries have a history of cooperation on matters involving the South China Sea, and there is an opportunity to strengthen this strategic relationship to the next level,” retired Navy Adm. Rommel Jude Ong, a professor at the Ateneo School of Government, told the Inquirer. The Philippines has been widening its network of alliances with like-minded countries amid tensions with China, a move criticized by Beijing. The Philippines and Vietnam are also looking to strengthen cooperation in other fields such as agriculture, culture, education, environment, information sharing, and people-to-people exchanges. In agriculture, the Philippines is expected to sign a rice deal with Vietnam during the President’s visit.
According to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the deal “basically guarantees that they will be supplying us rice continuously even in calamity situations.” Element of stability During the farewell call of the outgoing Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung in August last year, Marcos underscored the need for the two countries to cooperate in the wake of the escalating aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea. Marcos said a maritime agreement with Hanoi would be a “very big step” for both countries and would “bring an element of stability to the problems we are now seeing in the South China Sea.” He said then that the solid ties of both countries would make it easier for them to face “common challenges” in dealing with “territorial disputes in the South China Sea.”
Such a bilateral agreement could also serve as the basis of a united front with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has been discussing with Beijing a code of conduct deemed crucial in easing tensions in the South China Sea. President Marcos had earlier expressed his frustration at the slow pace of progress in the talks between the regional bloc and China. Both the Philippines and Vietnam are among the claimants in the South China Sea, along with Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan. China, however, claims nearly the entire strategic waterway. A 2016 ruling by an arbitration tribunal in The Hague rejected China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing refuses to acknowledge the decision. Honor talks with action At the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing on Monday, National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said China should make good on its promise to improve bilateral relations with the Philippines and lessen the tensions in the West Philippine Sea. Malaya issued the reminder after videos circulating on social media showed China Coast Guard personnel harassing Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc off Zambales province recently.
The security official noted that the incident happened just as Beijing and Manila held a Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) discussion in Shanghai last week. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said that the two countries both committed to improve their maritime communication and hold “friendly consultation” in addressing their maritime dispute. “We were hoping that the West Philippine Sea will be peaceful this 2024. But we are alarmed over this latest incident… We condemn this latest provocative action on the part of the China Coast Guard against our fishermen,” Malaya said at the televised program. “Since they will soon celebrate the Chinese New Year, we ask China to honor the talks between the governments of the Philippines and China with actions on the ground,” he said. Besides, the NSC spokesperson said, both Manila and Beijing would not benefit from having strained diplomatic relations. “Moving forward, I hope the discussions [during the BCM] will be implemented,” Malaya said. https://globalnation.inquirer.net/225641/ph-viet
jward
passin' thru
japantimes.co.jp
Jesse Johnson
North Korea fired a volley of cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, in the latest example of fraying ties on the Korean Peninsula.
"Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea toward the Yellow Sea at around 7 a.m. today," South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, adding that details of the launches were “being closely analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.”
The missiles flew in a circular trajectory in waters west of the North Korean capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unidentified source.
www.japantimes.co.jp
North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles into Yellow Sea
Jesse Johnson
North Korea fired a volley of cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, in the latest example of fraying ties on the Korean Peninsula.
"Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea toward the Yellow Sea at around 7 a.m. today," South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, adding that details of the launches were “being closely analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.”
The missiles flew in a circular trajectory in waters west of the North Korean capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unidentified source.
North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles into Yellow Sea
Leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that his regime no longer recognizes the two Koreas de facto maritime border, staging days of artillery drills in the area earlier this month.
www.japantimes.co.jp
vector7
Dot Collector
China Joe strengthening the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) with more technological advancements...
Joe's EPA proposal would force military gear 'to be manufactured from foreign sourced materials,' one company says
Biden Admin Chemical Ban Would Make America's Military Reliant on China to Manufacture Bulletproof Glass, Helmets, and Fighter Jet Canopies …
View: https://twitter.com/realouMAGAgirl/status/1750134513852678349
Joe's EPA proposal would force military gear 'to be manufactured from foreign sourced materials,' one company says
Biden Admin Chemical Ban Would Make America's Military Reliant on China to Manufacture Bulletproof Glass, Helmets, and Fighter Jet Canopies …
View: https://twitter.com/realouMAGAgirl/status/1750134513852678349
jward
passin' thru
Global: Military-Info
@Global_Mil_Info
North Korea test fired a new strategic cruise missile called the "Pulhwasal-3-31."
Multiple were launched on Wednesday.
Strategic indicates it is nuclear capable.
Marküs
@marcusican
It’s been demonstrated to be extremely effective against the ocean.
5:09 PM · Jan 24, 2024
255
Views
@Global_Mil_Info
North Korea test fired a new strategic cruise missile called the "Pulhwasal-3-31."
Multiple were launched on Wednesday.
Strategic indicates it is nuclear capable.
Marküs
@marcusican
It’s been demonstrated to be extremely effective against the ocean.
5:09 PM · Jan 24, 2024
255
Views
I expect Kim to turn those out like zucchini. Compared to ballistic missiles they're cheap and easy to make. It will really get "interesting" when they start cranking out the small cheap ones....
jward
passin' thru
NK NEWS
@nknewsorg
ICYMI: South Korean defense minister Shin Won-sik instructed the country’s air force personnel to prepare to swiftly “eliminate enemy leadership” and to respond “resolutely” to any provocations.
View: https://twitter.com/nknewsorg/status/1750579614966002140?s=20
@nknewsorg
ICYMI: South Korean defense minister Shin Won-sik instructed the country’s air force personnel to prepare to swiftly “eliminate enemy leadership” and to respond “resolutely” to any provocations.
View: https://twitter.com/nknewsorg/status/1750579614966002140?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Instant News Alerts
@InstaNewsAlerts
#BREAKING: US officials say North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, could take some form of lethal military action against South Korea in the coming months after having shifted to a policy of open hostility though they do not see risk of imminent all-out war. (NYT)
2:16 PM · Jan 25, 2024
7,147
Views
@InstaNewsAlerts
#BREAKING: US officials say North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, could take some form of lethal military action against South Korea in the coming months after having shifted to a policy of open hostility though they do not see risk of imminent all-out war. (NYT)
2:16 PM · Jan 25, 2024
7,147
Views
jward
passin' thru
TieDye Intel reposted
NK NEWS
@nknewsorg
NEW: A new reactor at North Korea’s primary nuclear weapons development site has been in regular operation since last year and can likely produce enough plutonium to craft around a dozen nuclear weapons annually, a think tank assessed this week.
www.nknews.org
NK NEWS
@nknewsorg
NEW: A new reactor at North Korea’s primary nuclear weapons development site has been in regular operation since last year and can likely produce enough plutonium to craft around a dozen nuclear weapons annually, a think tank assessed this week.
North Korea regularly operating new nuclear reactor at Yongbyon: Report | NK News
A new reactor at North Korea’s primary nuclear weapons development site has been in regular operation since last year and can likely produce enough plutonium to craft around a dozen nuclear weapons annually, a think tank assessed in a report this week. The Institute for Science and...
www.nknews.org
jward
passin' thru
asiatimes.com
Kim’s war threat all about his domestic woes
Kim Jong Un has had a busy and bellicose start to 2024.
On January 14, the North Korean leader presided over the test of a “new solid-fuel hypersonic missile with intermediate range.” Two days later, during a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly meeting in Pyongyang, Kim declared South Korea “the North’s primary foe and invariable principal enemy.”
He also vowed to “purge unification language from the constitution” and called for the destruction of “inter-Korean symbols,” such as the Arch of Reunification monument, which has since been torn down in Pyongyang.
Then Kim went a step further: He spoke of war. Noting that while North Korea does not want conflict, the communist country nevertheless had no “intention of avoiding it.” Kim went on to disclose the North’s plans to “occupy, subjugate and reclaim” South Korea in the event of war.
Kim’s remarks served to escalate inter-Korean tensions in a way familiar to observers of relations on the peninsula, like myself. Kim has a tendency to issue threats directed at the South at regular intervals.
The difference, this time, was the backstory behind Kim’s threats. Understanding that shines a light on North Koreans’ awareness of deficiencies in their leadership – and on Kim’s desire to deflect from domestic problems.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a screen at the Seoul Railway Station on Aug. 24, 2023. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
A train wreck
On January 16, 2024, Radio Free Asia published a news story about a train accident in North Korea. According to the outlet, a Hamkyung Province-bound passenger train departing from Pyongyang overturned due to a power shortage while traveling up a steep slope on December 26, 2023.
North Korean passenger trains typically consist of nine to 11 carriages, with the first two carriages reserved for high-level government officials. In this accident, the last seven carriages – loaded with everyday Koreans – derailed, according to reports. It is believed that hundreds died as a result.
The details of the accident remain murky because news in North Korea is tightly controlled. Some South Korean reports suggest that it may have been a bus and not a train accident. But Kim was careful to point out the need to “improve safety of train rides, during his Jan. 16 address, lending further weight to the train accident account.
From crash to war threats
The reported accident comes at a time of increased awareness and discontent among North Koreans that their leadership is not doing much to improve conditions, address the scarcity of resources or enhance the safety of average citizens. This is particularly true for those who are not part of the ruling elite.
In various surveys conducted by human rights groups of North Koreans who have fled to South Korea, escapees mentioned both the dire living conditions of average North Koreans and the gap between their lives and those of high-level government officials.
The current crisis facing North Koreans may not be as acute as the period of severe famine during the 1990s, during which an estimated 600,000 to 1 million people died.
But power shortages and food insecurity continue to blight North Koreans. The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights highlighted in a 2023 report conditions in which “some people are starving” and others are dying “”due to a combination of malnutrition, diseases and lack of access to health care.”
In such circumstances, the train accident may serve as a catalyst or focal point for discontent.
As social change scholar Jack Goldstone has noted, societal unrest builds on “some form of increasingly widespread popular anger at injustice” and when people feel “they are losing their proper place in society for reasons that are not inevitable and not their fault.”
A master of deflection
Worryingly for Kim, disquiet over both the train crash report and food and energy shortages comes as North Korea enters what experts have noted is “a critical period of change” in the state.
Kim is faced with a younger generation more used to market economics – typified by the “jangmadang” black markets – and with greater access to external information. This clashes with the regime’s official ideology of economic self-reliance, or “juche,” and an isolationist approach that cuts off much of the outside world.
A missile is seen being fired into the air trailed by a plume of smoke.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Photo: Kim Jae-Hwan / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images / The Conversation
Kim is aware of this new frontier in governance. To confront it, he has readopted the “byungjin” policy he first rolled out in 2013 — a two-pillared approach based on building up both the military and the economy in a bid to reduce chances for domestic discontent.
To successfully carry out this policy, Kim has had to become a master of deflection. He is aware that the train incident comes amid discontent and protest over policies that have seen increased government surveillance and people’s homes raided over suspicion of anti-socialist tendencies.
As such, Kim appears to be deflecting domestic anger by signaling war and creating uncertainty for North Koreans’ future. This is similar to what scholars explain is a characteristic of new-style dictators who “manipulate beliefs” about the state of the world to make it look like outside threats are greater than domestic problems.
International playbook
The truth is, for Kim this deflection appears to be working. The war rhetoric has resulted in US, Japan and South Korea conducting combined naval exercises involving American aircraft carriers. Meanwhile, North Korea sent its foreign minister to Russia to cultivate bilateral relations that involve North Korean weaponry used in the war against Ukraine.
No one – North Korean news outlets, foreign journalists or world leaders – is mentioning the hundreds of people that likely died in the train accident, or those starving in the country.
Kim’s deflection also has an intended audience outside of North Korea itself: U.S. politicians and the South Korean public.
The Biden administration has adopted a more hawkish stance toward North Korea, moving closer to allies Japan and South Korea to ensure a coordinated approach to North Korea.
Meanwhile, Biden’s likely challenger in the upcoming presidential vote is Donald Trump – who as president met Kim during a 2018 Singapore summit and has since touted the idea of allowing North Korea to keep its nuclear weapons while offering financial incentives to stop making new bombs.
Trump has stressed how much he has gotten to know the North Korean leader and the “great relationship” he has formed with him. There is a scenario where Kim’s belligerent rhetoric could be seized by Trump as evidence that Biden’s approach is not working.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s legislative elections are also impacted by Kim’s deflection tactics. The declaration of South Korea as the “enemy,” and the launch of missiles are designed, in part, to influence the South Korean public’s perception about security on the peninsula.
Evans Revere, a former State Department official, explains that Kim’s remarks are “designed to exploit political divisions” in South Korea. In this kind of environment of war rhetoric, voters could be persuaded to support political parties that stress engagement and are less likely to support current President Yoon Suk Yeol’s party’s hardline approach to North Korean matters.
For Kim, a South Korean legislative body that is willing to tolerate his whims is more favorable than one critical of its regime, as is a friendlier man in the White House. Kim’s deflection certainly has more than one audience, but only one aim: to keep him in power.
Ñusta Carranza Ko is Assistant Professor of Global Affairs and Human Security, University of Baltimore
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
asiatimes.com
Kim’s war threat all about his domestic woes
Kim Jong Un has had a busy and bellicose start to 2024.
On January 14, the North Korean leader presided over the test of a “new solid-fuel hypersonic missile with intermediate range.” Two days later, during a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly meeting in Pyongyang, Kim declared South Korea “the North’s primary foe and invariable principal enemy.”
He also vowed to “purge unification language from the constitution” and called for the destruction of “inter-Korean symbols,” such as the Arch of Reunification monument, which has since been torn down in Pyongyang.
Then Kim went a step further: He spoke of war. Noting that while North Korea does not want conflict, the communist country nevertheless had no “intention of avoiding it.” Kim went on to disclose the North’s plans to “occupy, subjugate and reclaim” South Korea in the event of war.
Kim’s remarks served to escalate inter-Korean tensions in a way familiar to observers of relations on the peninsula, like myself. Kim has a tendency to issue threats directed at the South at regular intervals.
The difference, this time, was the backstory behind Kim’s threats. Understanding that shines a light on North Koreans’ awareness of deficiencies in their leadership – and on Kim’s desire to deflect from domestic problems.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a screen at the Seoul Railway Station on Aug. 24, 2023. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
A train wreck
On January 16, 2024, Radio Free Asia published a news story about a train accident in North Korea. According to the outlet, a Hamkyung Province-bound passenger train departing from Pyongyang overturned due to a power shortage while traveling up a steep slope on December 26, 2023.
North Korean passenger trains typically consist of nine to 11 carriages, with the first two carriages reserved for high-level government officials. In this accident, the last seven carriages – loaded with everyday Koreans – derailed, according to reports. It is believed that hundreds died as a result.
The details of the accident remain murky because news in North Korea is tightly controlled. Some South Korean reports suggest that it may have been a bus and not a train accident. But Kim was careful to point out the need to “improve safety of train rides, during his Jan. 16 address, lending further weight to the train accident account.
From crash to war threats
The reported accident comes at a time of increased awareness and discontent among North Koreans that their leadership is not doing much to improve conditions, address the scarcity of resources or enhance the safety of average citizens. This is particularly true for those who are not part of the ruling elite.
In various surveys conducted by human rights groups of North Koreans who have fled to South Korea, escapees mentioned both the dire living conditions of average North Koreans and the gap between their lives and those of high-level government officials.
The current crisis facing North Koreans may not be as acute as the period of severe famine during the 1990s, during which an estimated 600,000 to 1 million people died.
But power shortages and food insecurity continue to blight North Koreans. The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights highlighted in a 2023 report conditions in which “some people are starving” and others are dying “”due to a combination of malnutrition, diseases and lack of access to health care.”
In such circumstances, the train accident may serve as a catalyst or focal point for discontent.
As social change scholar Jack Goldstone has noted, societal unrest builds on “some form of increasingly widespread popular anger at injustice” and when people feel “they are losing their proper place in society for reasons that are not inevitable and not their fault.”
A master of deflection
Worryingly for Kim, disquiet over both the train crash report and food and energy shortages comes as North Korea enters what experts have noted is “a critical period of change” in the state.
Kim is faced with a younger generation more used to market economics – typified by the “jangmadang” black markets – and with greater access to external information. This clashes with the regime’s official ideology of economic self-reliance, or “juche,” and an isolationist approach that cuts off much of the outside world.
A missile is seen being fired into the air trailed by a plume of smoke.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Photo: Kim Jae-Hwan / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images / The Conversation
Kim is aware of this new frontier in governance. To confront it, he has readopted the “byungjin” policy he first rolled out in 2013 — a two-pillared approach based on building up both the military and the economy in a bid to reduce chances for domestic discontent.
To successfully carry out this policy, Kim has had to become a master of deflection. He is aware that the train incident comes amid discontent and protest over policies that have seen increased government surveillance and people’s homes raided over suspicion of anti-socialist tendencies.
As such, Kim appears to be deflecting domestic anger by signaling war and creating uncertainty for North Koreans’ future. This is similar to what scholars explain is a characteristic of new-style dictators who “manipulate beliefs” about the state of the world to make it look like outside threats are greater than domestic problems.
International playbook
The truth is, for Kim this deflection appears to be working. The war rhetoric has resulted in US, Japan and South Korea conducting combined naval exercises involving American aircraft carriers. Meanwhile, North Korea sent its foreign minister to Russia to cultivate bilateral relations that involve North Korean weaponry used in the war against Ukraine.
No one – North Korean news outlets, foreign journalists or world leaders – is mentioning the hundreds of people that likely died in the train accident, or those starving in the country.
Kim’s deflection also has an intended audience outside of North Korea itself: U.S. politicians and the South Korean public.
The Biden administration has adopted a more hawkish stance toward North Korea, moving closer to allies Japan and South Korea to ensure a coordinated approach to North Korea.
Meanwhile, Biden’s likely challenger in the upcoming presidential vote is Donald Trump – who as president met Kim during a 2018 Singapore summit and has since touted the idea of allowing North Korea to keep its nuclear weapons while offering financial incentives to stop making new bombs.
Trump has stressed how much he has gotten to know the North Korean leader and the “great relationship” he has formed with him. There is a scenario where Kim’s belligerent rhetoric could be seized by Trump as evidence that Biden’s approach is not working.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s legislative elections are also impacted by Kim’s deflection tactics. The declaration of South Korea as the “enemy,” and the launch of missiles are designed, in part, to influence the South Korean public’s perception about security on the peninsula.
Evans Revere, a former State Department official, explains that Kim’s remarks are “designed to exploit political divisions” in South Korea. In this kind of environment of war rhetoric, voters could be persuaded to support political parties that stress engagement and are less likely to support current President Yoon Suk Yeol’s party’s hardline approach to North Korean matters.
For Kim, a South Korean legislative body that is willing to tolerate his whims is more favorable than one critical of its regime, as is a friendlier man in the White House. Kim’s deflection certainly has more than one audience, but only one aim: to keep him in power.
Ñusta Carranza Ko is Assistant Professor of Global Affairs and Human Security, University of Baltimore
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Kim's war threat all about his domestic woes - Asia Times
Kim Jong Un has had a busy and bellicose start to 2024. On January 14, the North Korean leader presided over the test of a “new solid-fuel hypersonic
asiatimes.com
Heliobas Disciple
TB Fanatic
Experts Warn North Korea Is Using AI Nefarious Purposes
Researchers have found that North Korean scientists are using artificial intelligence for surveillance and wargaming purposes.
futurism.com
Experts Warn North Korea Is Using AI Nefarious Purposes
A new report has found the nation is using AI for "wargaming" purposes.
by Victor Tangermann
Yesterday
AI Wargames
Researchers say that North Korean scientists are using AI for surveillance and wargaming purposes.In a study, first reported on by Reuters, Hyuk Kim of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California argued that while sanctions have hampered the country's ability to secure hardware to run these AI systems, North Korea is still pursuing the tech.
"Given that AI/[machine learning] is a software-centric technology that can be transferred via intangible means... it is important to monitor such activities and, if necessary, implement measures to mitigate potential sanctions risks within the academic and private sectors," Kim noted.
Tech Transfer
Earlier this week, the Korea Times reported that South Korea's state intelligence agency found that North Korean hackers had attempted to use generative AI for cyberwarfare and other illicit activities.Per the newspaper, the agency identified 1.62 million daily hacking attempts in South Korea's public sector last year. North Korea reportedly accounted for 80 percent of the total hacks last year.
As far as AI is concerned, Kim noted that the country is looking for ways to get an upper hand on the battlefield by leveraging the tech.
"For instance, North Korea’s pursuit of a wargaming simulation program using (machine learning) reveals intentions to better comprehend operational environments against potential adversaries," the report reads. "Furthermore, North Korea’s ongoing collaborations with foreign scholars pose concerns for the sanctions regime."
In response, Kim argued that national authorities should "proactively engage with cloud computing service providers and academic/professional associations."
The threat of sensitive knowledge about AI leaking across borders is real. As The Register points out, North Korea has already sent IT operatives to infiltrate companies overseas while posing as remote workers.
In short, state actors can easily obtain new AI resources and know-how through technologies like cloud computing services, and that should have the international community ready to spring into action.
jward
passin' thru
Gordon G. Chang
@GordonGChang
#China is deploying warships at the outer boundary of its air defense identification zone in the #EastChinaSea: China Deploys Multiple Warships Around Self-Claimed ADIZ
. This does not look good.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate of the Chinese Navy, rear, is seen near the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Mikuma on Dec. 30.
21:00 JST, January 28, 2024
China is deploying multiple warships around the clock in waters near the borders of the air defense identification zone that it has unilaterally established, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
A photograph taken by a Yomiuri Shimbun journalist on Dec. 30 showed a Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate of the Chinese Navy in the zone.
Air defense identification zones, or ADIZs, are set up by individual countries outside their territorial airspace to prevent incursions. Countries decide whether there is a possibility of their airspace being entered, and whether their fighter aircraft should scramble. Just passing through Japan’s ADIZ does not result in the scrambling of Self-Defense Forces planes.
China is operating the zone on the premise that it is Chinese airspace. Aircraft that fly within its ADIZ are told to immediately leave.
China’s move shows that it is a pressing issue for the Japanese government to take action to deal with Beijing’s attempt to change the status quo by force. China’s ADIZ, established in November 2013, overlaps with Japan’s and includes the Senkaku Islands, over which China claims sovereignty.
Contrary to international custom, China unilaterally demands that aircraft flying in the zone follow Chinese authorities’ instructions. It also claims it will take “defensive emergency measures” if an aircraft fails to do so.
China is thought to be claiming jurisdiction that is not based in international law. The Japanese government is strongly opposed, calling China’s actions invalid, and the United States and South Korea have also expressed concern.
The Yomiuri journalist photographed the Chinese Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate and the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s newly commissioned frigate JS Mikuma facing each other in waters about 20 kilometers inside the border of what China insists is its ADIZ.
During the flight, the Yomiuri also confirmed a radio communication in which the Chinese Navy warship called on a separate aircraft flying within China’s ADIZ to leave the airspace.
China started deploying at least three navy warships around the clock in waters around its claimed ADIZ, according to Japanese government sources.
The three include an air defense missile destroyer, which is the Chinese version of an Aegis-equipped destroyer, and a frigate warship. Equipped with high-performance radar, air defense missile destroyers are highly capable of shooting down aircraft.
The Chinese military aircraft repeatedly scramble in response to SDF aircraft, according to the sources. The Chinese military is believed to be strengthening its monitoring of SDF and U.S. military aircraft and warships in the East China Sea.
To effectively establish ADIZs, it is essential to deploy radar that can detect early on the approach of other countries’ aircraft, and improve the efficiency of fighter units so they can immediately reach the spot.
China’s monitoring capabilities were initially believed to be low, and it was thought that its establishment of the ADIZ would have no substantial impact.
However, some observers are warning that China will have its warships, which are deployed around the clock, and fighters work together and increase its military activities.
“It’s intended to block the SDF and U.S. military aircraft [from entering the airspace] in the event of contingencies in the Taiwan Strait,” said an SDF source.
Japanese government sources believe that the Chinese warships’ 24-hour deployment in the area is linked with China’s claim of sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. In fact, when China Coast Guard vessels operating around the Senkakus intruded into Japanese territorial waters, the warships deployed in the area moved southward.
“When China established the ADIZ 10 years ago, it was meant more as a message to keep Japan and the U.S. in check,” said Yasuyuki Sugiura, a senior fellow of the Regional Studies Department’s China Division at the National Institute for Defense Studies.
“In recent years, however, the Chinese air force and navy are increasingly sharing their information. This must mean their capabilities have become more substantial,” he said.
China Deploys Multiple Warships Around Self-Claimed ADIZ
@GordonGChang
#China is deploying warships at the outer boundary of its air defense identification zone in the #EastChinaSea: China Deploys Multiple Warships Around Self-Claimed ADIZ
. This does not look good.
China Deploys Multiple Warships Around Self-Claimed ADIZ
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate of the Chinese Navy, rear, is seen near the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Mikuma on Dec. 30.
21:00 JST, January 28, 2024
China is deploying multiple warships around the clock in waters near the borders of the air defense identification zone that it has unilaterally established, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
A photograph taken by a Yomiuri Shimbun journalist on Dec. 30 showed a Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate of the Chinese Navy in the zone.
Air defense identification zones, or ADIZs, are set up by individual countries outside their territorial airspace to prevent incursions. Countries decide whether there is a possibility of their airspace being entered, and whether their fighter aircraft should scramble. Just passing through Japan’s ADIZ does not result in the scrambling of Self-Defense Forces planes.
China is operating the zone on the premise that it is Chinese airspace. Aircraft that fly within its ADIZ are told to immediately leave.
China’s move shows that it is a pressing issue for the Japanese government to take action to deal with Beijing’s attempt to change the status quo by force. China’s ADIZ, established in November 2013, overlaps with Japan’s and includes the Senkaku Islands, over which China claims sovereignty.
Contrary to international custom, China unilaterally demands that aircraft flying in the zone follow Chinese authorities’ instructions. It also claims it will take “defensive emergency measures” if an aircraft fails to do so.
China is thought to be claiming jurisdiction that is not based in international law. The Japanese government is strongly opposed, calling China’s actions invalid, and the United States and South Korea have also expressed concern.
The Yomiuri journalist photographed the Chinese Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate and the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s newly commissioned frigate JS Mikuma facing each other in waters about 20 kilometers inside the border of what China insists is its ADIZ.
During the flight, the Yomiuri also confirmed a radio communication in which the Chinese Navy warship called on a separate aircraft flying within China’s ADIZ to leave the airspace.
China started deploying at least three navy warships around the clock in waters around its claimed ADIZ, according to Japanese government sources.
The three include an air defense missile destroyer, which is the Chinese version of an Aegis-equipped destroyer, and a frigate warship. Equipped with high-performance radar, air defense missile destroyers are highly capable of shooting down aircraft.
The Chinese military aircraft repeatedly scramble in response to SDF aircraft, according to the sources. The Chinese military is believed to be strengthening its monitoring of SDF and U.S. military aircraft and warships in the East China Sea.
To effectively establish ADIZs, it is essential to deploy radar that can detect early on the approach of other countries’ aircraft, and improve the efficiency of fighter units so they can immediately reach the spot.
China’s monitoring capabilities were initially believed to be low, and it was thought that its establishment of the ADIZ would have no substantial impact.
However, some observers are warning that China will have its warships, which are deployed around the clock, and fighters work together and increase its military activities.
“It’s intended to block the SDF and U.S. military aircraft [from entering the airspace] in the event of contingencies in the Taiwan Strait,” said an SDF source.
Japanese government sources believe that the Chinese warships’ 24-hour deployment in the area is linked with China’s claim of sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. In fact, when China Coast Guard vessels operating around the Senkakus intruded into Japanese territorial waters, the warships deployed in the area moved southward.
“When China established the ADIZ 10 years ago, it was meant more as a message to keep Japan and the U.S. in check,” said Yasuyuki Sugiura, a senior fellow of the Regional Studies Department’s China Division at the National Institute for Defense Studies.
“In recent years, however, the Chinese air force and navy are increasingly sharing their information. This must mean their capabilities have become more substantial,” he said.
China Deploys Multiple Warships Around Self-Claimed ADIZ
jward
passin' thru
stripes.com
US, China officials to meet on curbing fentanyl supply
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a open forum on Fentanyl at the U.S. Department of State in Washington on July 17, 2023.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a open forum on Fentanyl at the U.S. Department of State in Washington on July 17, 2023. (U.S. Department of State)
United States and Chinese officials will meet in Beijing on Tuesday, convening a working group designed to crack down on the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs targeting U.S. users.
It is the first such high-level meeting of U.S. and Chinese officials since a breakthrough agreement between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November when the two leaders pledged to restart counternarcotics cooperation.
A delegation including officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Justice, Homeland Security, State and Treasury departments will meet to discuss methods to stamp out the shipment of Chinese chemicals used to make fentanyl — called precursors — to drug cartels abroad, including improvements in tracking and labeling.
The meeting marks a step forward in a process that began in November, when — in a show of good faith — Beijing opened lines of communication with the United States on counternarcotics trafficking following years of relative silence, and issued warnings to Chinese chemical makers.
It is a “really critical and pivotal moment for our direct committee implementation on this issue,” said a senior White House administration official on Sunday. “It is a platform for ongoing coordination to support concrete enforcement actions with the goal of countering the evolving threat of synthetic drugs,” the official said. Beijing banned the sale of fentanyl in 2019, effectively ending shipments of the drug directly to the United States from Chinese suppliers. However, Chinese companies are still among the largest manufacturers of fentanyl precursors. These chemicals are still sold to third-party markets, including Mexico, where they are used to manufacture synthetic drugs smuggled into the United States.
The role of Chinese precursors has been divisive between officials in Beijing and Washington. Some U.S. lawmakers have blamed Beijing for the roughly 100,000 annual U.S. deaths a year linked to fentanyl abuse. In return, officials in Beijing have laid the blame on the United States for failing to control the epidemic at home. “The U.S. itself is the root cause of its drug problems,” said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in response to U.S. government sanctions on Chinese precursor manufacturers in April 2023. “It is the importer’s duty to prevent such chemicals from falling into the hands of illicit drugmakers,” he said.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Despite that friction, the senior U.S. administration official on Sunday said the resumption of communication since November has already led to significant breakthroughs in disrupting the supply of fentanyl precursors to the United States. The official claimed a drop in seizures as proof of the dwindling supply.
“We have information that the PRC started taking action against Chinese synthetic drug and chemical precursor suppliers right around the time of the summit. And, in the following month, we saw companies shut down and saw international accounts blocked,” the official said, adding they believed it was the first such legal enforcement action by Beijing since 2017.
The official also said that Beijing in November submitted 145 drug-related incidents to the International Narcotics Control Board Database — a tool used to share information internationally about suspected trafficking activity — the first time since 2017 that the Chinese government had done so.
In November, Beijing also issued a public notice, warning domestic producers of more than 50 precursors that they face potential legal action in sending the chemicals abroad. They also warned of possible “entrapment” by foreign authorities and said exporters should exercise caution when shipping items to countries including the United States and Mexico.
The U.S. senior administration official compared the notice on precursors to a similar one issued in 2019, which was followed by a near-complete drop off in seizures of fentanyl shipped directly from China to the United States.
“Our expectation is that we’ll start to see the same happen in this precursor chemical industry as well,” the official said. Beijing is also in discussions with Mexico on the issue, the official added.
The resumption of cooperation on counternarcotics comes amid a relative warming in U.S.-China relations, following a period of intense friction marked by coronavirus-origin claims, near-clashes between ships and warplanes in the South China Sea and the spat over a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States early last year. In December, the two countries’ top military officials finally reopened key lines of communication.
US, China officials to meet on curbing fentanyl supply
United States and Chinese officials will meet in Beijing, convening a working group designed to crack down on the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs targeting U.S. users.
jward
passin' thru
N. Korea conducts another cruise missile launch: JCS
Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired several cruise missiles off the west coast Tuesday, the South Korean military said, just two days after it test-fired submarine-launched cruise missiles from the east coast.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the North's launch at around 7 a.m. from its west coast. It did not specify the number of missiles.
"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the United States to monitor additional signs of North Korea's provocations," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.
It marks the third cruise missile launch in a week.
On Sunday, North Korea test-fired a newly developed submarine-launched strategic cruise missile, named the "Pulhwasal-3-31," off its east coast, just days after the strategic cruise missile was tested for the first time on Wednesday last week.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 29, 2024, shows the North's firing of a submarine-launched cruise missile the previous day. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test-fire of the new Pulhwasal-3-31 strategic cruise missile and reviewed a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, state media reported. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
N. Korea conducts another cruise missile launch: JCS | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired several cruise missiles off the west coast Tu...
Global: Military-Info
@Global_Mil_Info
North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its west coast per South Korea's JCS.
7:42 PM · Jan 29, 2024
7,356
Views
Posted for fair use......
www.japantimes.co.jp
A test-firing of the submarine-launched cruise missile "Pulhwasal-3-31" at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Sunday. | KCNA / KNS / VIA AFP-JIJI
BY JACK KIM
REUTERS
SHARE
Jan 29, 2024
SEOUL –
North Korea tested its new strategic cruise missiles for the second time in a week on Sunday, calling them newly developed submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM), in a move that accelerates its navy's nuclear armament, state media reported on Monday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of the missiles, called "Pulhwasal-3-31," which were identical to the strategic cruise missiles the North said last week were under development.
State news agency KCNA and the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the missiles flew above the sea off the country's east coast for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds and hit an unspecified island target, indicating that their flight time exceeded two hours.
Kim called the test a success, KCNA said, "which is of strategic significance in carrying out the plan ... for modernizing the army which aims at building a powerful naval force."
South Korea's military said Sunday that the North fired multiple cruise missiles off its coast but did not provide details.
Last week, the North said it had tested a new strategic cruise missile, indicating that it was designed to carry a nuclear warhead, but at the time did not mention it was being developed for submarine launch.
State media photographs published Monday showed a missile launching into a cloudy sky from the water, trailed by a plume of smoke that obscured the type of platform it was being fired from.
North Korea's cruise missiles are not explicitly banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions. But analysts have said intermediate-range cruise missiles were no less of a threat than ballistic missiles and are a serious capability for North Korea.
In recent months, the North has tested an array of weapons that include ballistic missile systems under development and an underwater drone.
Kim separately inspected the construction of a nuclear submarine and discussed issues related to the manufacturing of other types of new warships, KCNA said without giving details.
North Korea last year launched what it called its first operational nuclear attack submarine, which analysts said appeared to be a modified from an existing submarine and likely designed to carry ballistic and cruise missiles.
There was skepticism over the real-world utility of such a vessel, especially compared to the more advanced land-based missile systems, because its diesel propulsion generates noise and is limited in range, according to weapons experts.
Kim said at the time the country would accelerate the program to build nuclear-powered submarines.
North Korea tested submarine-launched cruise missiles, state media says
Kim Jong Un supervised the test of the missiles, which were identical to the strategic cruise missiles the North said last week were under development.
www.japantimes.co.jp
North Korea tested submarine-launched cruise missiles, state media says
A test-firing of the submarine-launched cruise missile "Pulhwasal-3-31" at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Sunday. | KCNA / KNS / VIA AFP-JIJI
BY JACK KIM
REUTERS
SHARE
Jan 29, 2024
SEOUL –
North Korea tested its new strategic cruise missiles for the second time in a week on Sunday, calling them newly developed submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM), in a move that accelerates its navy's nuclear armament, state media reported on Monday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of the missiles, called "Pulhwasal-3-31," which were identical to the strategic cruise missiles the North said last week were under development.
State news agency KCNA and the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the missiles flew above the sea off the country's east coast for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds and hit an unspecified island target, indicating that their flight time exceeded two hours.
Kim called the test a success, KCNA said, "which is of strategic significance in carrying out the plan ... for modernizing the army which aims at building a powerful naval force."
South Korea's military said Sunday that the North fired multiple cruise missiles off its coast but did not provide details.
Last week, the North said it had tested a new strategic cruise missile, indicating that it was designed to carry a nuclear warhead, but at the time did not mention it was being developed for submarine launch.
State media photographs published Monday showed a missile launching into a cloudy sky from the water, trailed by a plume of smoke that obscured the type of platform it was being fired from.
North Korea's cruise missiles are not explicitly banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions. But analysts have said intermediate-range cruise missiles were no less of a threat than ballistic missiles and are a serious capability for North Korea.
In recent months, the North has tested an array of weapons that include ballistic missile systems under development and an underwater drone.
Kim separately inspected the construction of a nuclear submarine and discussed issues related to the manufacturing of other types of new warships, KCNA said without giving details.
North Korea last year launched what it called its first operational nuclear attack submarine, which analysts said appeared to be a modified from an existing submarine and likely designed to carry ballistic and cruise missiles.
There was skepticism over the real-world utility of such a vessel, especially compared to the more advanced land-based missile systems, because its diesel propulsion generates noise and is limited in range, according to weapons experts.
Kim said at the time the country would accelerate the program to build nuclear-powered submarines.
