North Korea prepares missile launch for inauguration day

North Korea is preparing to test new rockets, a report said Thursday, after its leader Kim Jong-Un said the country was in the final stages of developing inter-continental ballistic missiles. Pyongyang’s missile programme and its pursuit of nuclear arms have seen it repeatedly sanctioned by the UN Security Council.

China and Russia promise ‘countermeasures’ against a US-Korean missile defense system

China and Russia have expressed concern about a US plan to deploy an antimissile system in South Korea and vowed to take unspecified “countermeasures,” state media reported. The countermeasures “will be aimed at safeguarding interests of China and Russia and the strategic balance in the region,” China’s state news service Xinhua said on January 13. “China and Russia urged the United States and South Korea to address their security concerns and stop the deployment of [the antimissile system] on the Korean Peninsula,” Xinhua said.

U.S. blacklists North Korean officials over rights abuses

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the 3rd Meeting of Activists of the Korean People’s Army in the Movement for Winning the Title of O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang on August… The U.S. Treasury Department has added seven senior North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, to its sanctions list because of human rights abuses and censorship by the communist nation.

US, North Korea trade warnings over potential ICBM test

With Donald Trump getting ready to take office as president, North Korea is talking about launching a newly perfected intercontinental ballistic missile. Officials in Washington are saying that if Pyongyang launches anything that threatens the territory of the U.S. or its allies, it will be shot down.

Pentagon: The US can protect its allies from North Korean nukes

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides field guidance at the newly built National Space Development General Satellite Control and Command Centre in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang May 3, 2015. The US Defense Department, reacting to North Korea’s statement that it plans to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, said on Tuesday it was confident in its ability to protect U.S. allies and the U.S. homeland from threats from Pyongyang.

North Korea first ladiy Ri Sol Ju not as powerful as Kim Jong Un’s sister

North Korea ‘s first lady is known for her lavish lifestyle and her appearances alongside her husband Kim Jong Un . But according to Thae Yong Ho, the senior North Korean diplomat who fled Pyongyang’s embassy in London, Ri Sol Ju’s status as a “commoner” in North Korea’s classification system means she is not quite in a position to hold influence over Kim’s important decisions, South Korean news network MBN reported Tuesday.

Trump on North Korea ICBM: ‘It won’t happen!’

“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US,” Trump tweeted. “It won’t happen!” Kim Jong-Un announced on Sunday that North Korea is in “final stages” of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile .

State Department to North Korea: Refrain from provocations

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Anna Richey-Allen on Sunday warned North Korea against provocations, after the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, said his country was close to performing a test launch on an intercontinental ballistic missile . During a televised New Year’s Day speech, Kim said, “We are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile… Research and development of cutting edge arms equipment is actively progressing and ICBM rocket test launch preparation is in its last stage.”

AP Photos: People around the world ring in 2017

Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers. The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016.

N. Korea plans nuclear push in 2017, says defector

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is planning a “prime time” nuclear weapons push in 2017 to take advantage of leadership transitions in South Korea and the United States, a high-ranking defector said Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivers a speech to top delegates of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang In his first press conference since fleeing his post as North Korea’s deputy ambassador to Britain in August, Thae Yong-Ho said Kim had issued a directive at a rare ruling party congress in May to “complete” nuclear development by the end of next year.

North Korea Says US Should Expect ‘Imminent War’ Over Sanctions

North Korean military participate in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang on October 12, 2015. REUTERS/KCNA/File Photo Pyongyang is threatening “imminent war” in response to the latest batch of sanctions brought against it by the United Nations.

Old papers shed new light on South Korea deal with Lockheed Martin

Letters to former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il from South Korean President Park Geun -hye are shedding light on how Park navigated inter-Korea relations during her years as a lawmaker. The letters and draft documents, obtained by South Korean magazine Weekly Kyunghyang in March and October, are being considered again from a different perspective in the wake of the political scandal that has culminated in Park’s impeachment and the trial of her influential friend Choi Soon-sil.

Old papers shed new light on South Korea deal with Lockheed Martin

Letters to former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il from South Korean President Park Geun -hye are shedding light on how Park navigated inter-Korea relations during her years as a lawmaker. The letters and draft documents, obtained by South Korean magazine Weekly Kyunghyang in March and October, are being considered again from a different perspective in the wake of the political scandal that has culminated in Park’s impeachment and the trial of her influential friend Choi Soon-sil.