Latest news with #EastSea
CNA
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Seoul repatriates six North Koreans rescued at sea
SEOUL: South Korea on Wednesday (Jul 9) repatriated six North Koreans who were rescued at sea earlier this year and requested to return home, Seoul's unification ministry said. Four North Koreans were discovered in May by South Korean authorities in the East Sea - known internationally as the Sea of Japan - on a small wooden boat, after they had drifted into waters south of the de facto maritime border. In early March, South Korea's military had also found another wooden boat carrying two North Koreans in the western Yellow Sea. "The South Korean government repatriated six North Korean residents today via the East Sea," the unification ministry said in a statement. "With the full consent of all North Korean individuals involved ... all six were repatriated together." The North Koreans are believed to have crossed the de facto border accidentally and had all expressed their wish to return to the North. But they had been stuck in the South as Pyongyang - which has declared Seoul an enemy state and cut communications - did not respond to Seoul's outreach on the issue. The two countries technically remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. A unification ministry official said Seoul and Pyongyang had communicated about the repatriation through the United Nations Command, which oversees the armistice. It was carried out "in line with" Seoul's "humanitarian stance", according to the ministry. "At the time of repatriation, a North Korean patrol boat appeared at the designated handover point," and the vessel carrying the North Koreans returned to the North "on its own", the ministry's statement said. At 8.56 am (7.56am, Singapore time), that boat crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border and the "repatriation was ultimately carried out smoothly and safely", the ministry said. "During the repatriation process, the free will of the North Korean residents to return was confirmed on multiple occasions," the ministry said. "They were safely protected in coordination with relevant authorities until the time of return." South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office last month, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang compared with his hawkish predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee has said he would seek talks with the North following a deep freeze under Yoon when relations plummeted to their worst level in years. The Lee administration has halted the loudspeaker broadcasts along the border - including K-pop tunes and international news - that Seoul had begun last year in response to a barrage of trash-filled balloons flown southward by Pyongyang. In turn, a day after, North Korea stopped transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had been a major nuisance for South Korean residents in the area.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Korea repatriates 6 North Korean fishermen
South Korea has repatriated six North Korean fishermen who were rescued earlier this year after drifting across the maritime border separating the two countries. Seoul's Ministry of Unification said the men had repeatedly expressed the desire to go back to North Korea, news agency Yonhap reported on Wednesday. "The South Korean government repatriated six North Korean residents today via the East Sea," the unification ministry said in a statement. "With the full consent of all North Korean individuals involved... all six were repatriated together." Four of the North Korean fishermen were rescued in May after their boat drifted into the South Korean side of the East Sea. The other two men were rescued from the Yellow Sea under similar circumstances in March. Yonhap reported that the men were all placed on board a wooden boat which carried them back to North Korean waters. Some have questioned whether the men really wanted to return to the North. The Korea Times cited activist Peter Jung of the Seoul-based NGO, Justice for North Korea, as saying that the fishermen's wishes should have been verified "under the presence of the UN Refugee Agency or other UN agencies in Seoul." "It is difficult to believe all six of them want to return to North Korea," Jung said. Tens of thousands have fled North Korea to the South since the peninsula was divided in the 1950s. A few days ago a North Korean civilian defected across the heavily mined land border into South Korea with the help of the South's military in a 20-hour operation. Crossings directly through the 248-kilometer (155-mile) long, 4-kilometer-wide Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) are considered extremely rare. The two countries are still officially at war since a conflict in the 1950s, as the conflict ended in an armistice, but not a peace treaty. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who took office last month, has adopted a less hawkish approach than his predecessorand has said he would seek dialogue with Pyongyang. Lee ordered the discontinuation of the loudspeakers to "promote peace on the Korean Peninsula." Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
Khaleej Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
'Serious' accident at North Korea warship launch: State media
A major accident occurred at the launch ceremony for a new North Korean naval destroyer, state media reported Thursday, with leader Kim Jong Un calling the mishap a "criminal act". At a ceremony to launch a new 5,000-ton vessel in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday "a serious accident occurred", the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. South Korea's military said North Korea also fired "multiple unidentified cruise missiles" on Thursday, which were detected near the North's South Hamgyong province after being "fired toward the East Sea", also known as the Sea of Japan. Blaming "inexperienced command and operational carelessness" for the destroyer's botched launch — which was observed by Kim — KCNA said there was a mishap which left "some sections of the warship's bottom crushed". It said the accident managed to "destroy the balance of the warship". Kim watched the entire incident and declared it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness", warning it "could not be tolerated". He said the "irresponsible errors" of officials responsible would be "dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee to be convened next month". South Korea's military said US and Seoul intelligence authorities assess that North Korea's "side-launch attempt" of the ship failed. "The side-launch method used in this case is no longer employed by South Korea's military," Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. The vessel is currently listing in the water, Lee said, and based on its size and scale, it is believed to be similarly equipped to the 5,000-ton destroyer-class warship Choe Hyon, which North Korea unveiled last month. Last month, Pyongyang's state media ran images of Kim attending a launching ceremony of Choe Hyon with his daughter Ju Ae, considered by many experts to be his likely successor. North Korea claimed the vessel was equipped with the "most powerful weapons", and that it would "enter into operation early next year". Some analysts said the ship could be equipped with short-range tactical missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads — although North Korea has not proven it has the ability to miniaturise its atomic arsenal. Russian connection? The South Korean military has said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian help — possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine. Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said the warship involved in Wednesday's accident may have also been constructed with Russian assistance. Chongjin, the North Korean city where the launch ceremony was held, is close to Russia's Vladivostok port, he noted. "It's also likely that the projected timeline for the vessel — including when assembly would be completed and the ship launched — was shared with the Russian side," he told AFP. "It appears the dock was hastily constructed, and multiple issues may have arisen during the shipbuilding process. "With today's announcement, Pyongyang seems to be signalling not only to its own people, but also to the Russian side." Strengthening the navy North Korea confirmed in April for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow in the Ukraine war. Moscow and Pyongyang recently announced that they had started building the first road bridge linking the two countries. North Korea also launched a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions. In March, Kim inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, asserting that "radically" boosting the navy was a key part of Pyongyang's defensive strategy. Kim called at the time for the modernisation of the country's surface and underwater naval forces, including the development of warships. Pyongyang has previously claimed to be developing underwater nuclear attack drones, which could unleash a "radioactive tsunami", but analysts have questioned whether it actually has such a weapon. Washington — Seoul's key security ally — has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets in the region to deter the North, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Serious' accident at North Korea warship launch: state media
A major accident occurred at the launch ceremony for a new North Korean naval destroyer, state media reported Thursday, with leader Kim Jong Un calling the mishap a "criminal act". At a ceremony to launch a new 5,000-ton vessel in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday "a serious accident occurred", the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. South Korea's military said North Korea also fired "multiple unidentified cruise missiles" on Thursday, which were detected near the North's South Hamgyong province after being "fired toward the East Sea", also known as the Sea of Japan. Blaming "inexperienced command and operational carelessness" for the destroyer's botched launch -- which was observed by Kim -- KCNA said there was a mishap which left "some sections of the warship's bottom crushed". It said the accident managed to "destroy the balance of the warship". Kim watched the entire incident and declared it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness", warning it "could not be tolerated". He said the "irresponsible errors" of officials responsible would be "dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee to be convened next month". South Korea's military said US and Seoul intelligence authorities assess that North Korea's "side-launch attempt" of the ship failed. "The side-launch method used in this case is no longer employed by South Korea's military," Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. The vessel is currently listing in the water, Lee said, and based on its size and scale, it is believed to be similarly equipped to the 5,000-ton destroyer-class warship Choe Hyon, which North Korea unveiled last month. Last month, Pyongyang's state media ran images of Kim attending a launching ceremony of Choe Hyon with his daughter Ju Ae, considered by many experts to be his likely successor. North Korea claimed the vessel was equipped with the "most powerful weapons", and that it would "enter into operation early next year". Some analysts said the ship could be equipped with short-range tactical missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads -- although North Korea has not proven it has the ability to miniaturise its atomic arsenal. - Russian connection? - The South Korean military has said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian help -- possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine. Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said the warship involved in Wednesday's accident may have also been constructed with Russian assistance. Chongjin, the North Korean city where the launch ceremony was held, is close to Russia's Vladivostok port, he noted. "It's also likely that the projected timeline for the vessel -- including when assembly would be completed and the ship launched -- was shared with the Russian side," he told AFP. "It appears the dock was hastily constructed, and multiple issues may have arisen during the shipbuilding process. "With today's announcement, Pyongyang seems to be signalling not only to its own people, but also to the Russian side." - Strengthening the navy - North Korea confirmed in April for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow in the Ukraine war. Moscow and Pyongyang recently announced that they had started building the first road bridge linking the two countries. North Korea also launched a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions. In March, Kim inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, asserting that "radically" boosting the navy was a key part of Pyongyang's defensive strategy. Kim called at the time for the modernisation of the country's surface and underwater naval forces, including the development of warships. Pyongyang has previously claimed to be developing underwater nuclear attack drones, which could unleash a "radioactive tsunami", but analysts have questioned whether it actually has such a weapon. Washington -- Seoul's key security ally -- has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets in the region to deter the North, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion. cdl/ceb/fox
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Serious' accident at North Korea warship launch: state media
A major accident occurred at the launch ceremony for a new North Korean naval destroyer, state media reported Thursday, with leader Kim Jong Un calling the mishap a "criminal act". At a ceremony to launch a new 5,000-ton vessel in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday "a serious accident occurred", the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. South Korea's military said North Korea also fired "multiple unidentified cruise missiles" on Thursday, which were detected near the North's South Hamgyong province after being "fired toward the East Sea", also known as the Sea of Japan. Blaming "inexperienced command and operational carelessness" for the destroyer's botched launch -- which was observed by Kim -- KCNA said there was a mishap which left "some sections of the warship's bottom crushed". It said the accident managed to "destroy the balance of the warship". Kim watched the entire incident and declared it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness", warning it "could not be tolerated". He said the "irresponsible errors" of officials responsible would be "dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee to be convened next month". South Korea's military said US and Seoul intelligence authorities assess that North Korea's "side-launch attempt" of the ship failed. "The side-launch method used in this case is no longer employed by South Korea's military," Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. The vessel is currently listing in the water, Lee said, and based on its size and scale, it is believed to be similarly equipped to the 5,000-ton destroyer-class warship Choe Hyon, which North Korea unveiled last month. Last month, Pyongyang's state media ran images of Kim attending a launching ceremony of Choe Hyon with his daughter Ju Ae, considered by many experts to be his likely successor. North Korea claimed the vessel was equipped with the "most powerful weapons", and that it would "enter into operation early next year". Some analysts said the ship could be equipped with short-range tactical missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads -- although North Korea has not proven it has the ability to miniaturise its atomic arsenal. - Russian connection? - The South Korean military has said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian help -- possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine. Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said the warship involved in Wednesday's accident may have also been constructed with Russian assistance. Chongjin, the North Korean city where the launch ceremony was held, is close to Russia's Vladivostok port, he noted. "It's also likely that the projected timeline for the vessel -- including when assembly would be completed and the ship launched -- was shared with the Russian side," he told AFP. "It appears the dock was hastily constructed, and multiple issues may have arisen during the shipbuilding process. "With today's announcement, Pyongyang seems to be signalling not only to its own people, but also to the Russian side." - Strengthening the navy - North Korea confirmed in April for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow in the Ukraine war. Moscow and Pyongyang recently announced that they had started building the first road bridge linking the two countries. North Korea also launched a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions. In March, Kim inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, asserting that "radically" boosting the navy was a key part of Pyongyang's defensive strategy. Kim called at the time for the modernisation of the country's surface and underwater naval forces, including the development of warships. Pyongyang has previously claimed to be developing underwater nuclear attack drones, which could unleash a "radioactive tsunami", but analysts have questioned whether it actually has such a weapon. Washington -- Seoul's key security ally -- has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets in the region to deter the North, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion. cdl/ceb/fox
