By AFP  December 1, 2018 | 11:39 am GMT+7 Defections along the closely guarded inter-Korean border are rare. Photo by AFP/Ed Jones A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea across the eastern land border on Saturday, the South's military said. Defections across the closely guarded inter-Korean frontier are rare, and this one comes as the neighbours pursue a delicate reconciliation process. "A North Korean soldier was detected crossing the military demarcation line" by South Korean troops using surveillance equipment, the military Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. "The soldier is safely in our custody," it said. "Related agencies plan to investigate him regarding the details of how he came to the South." Even as talks on denuclearisation between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled, the two Koreas are pushing ahead with a reconciliation process, taking steps to ease tensions along their heavily fortified border. They have begun work to … [Read more...] about North Korean soldier defects across border: South’s military
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No Samsung phones, Nike uniforms for N.Koreans? Sanctions cloud Olympic perks
All of the almost 3,000 athletes competing at the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics are set to get perks including the latest $930 Samsung smartphones, top of the range new equipment to take home and sleek Nike uniforms. All except perhaps the 22 athletes from North Korea. Tough international sanctions including travel restrictions and a ban on the sale of luxury goods and sports gear have complicated South Korean Olympic organisers' efforts to provide their northern neighbors with the same benefits available to other Olympians. For months, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has sought North Korea's participation in the hopes it will ease tensions between the still officially warring nations and prevent the kind of violent incidents which have plagued previous major events hosted by the South. Officials have rolled out the red carpet and are keen to make sure the visits go off without a hitch. North Korean female ice hockey players and their South Korean teammates, who will compete … [Read more...] about No Samsung phones, Nike uniforms for N.Koreans? Sanctions cloud Olympic perks
South Korea’s Park calls for unity over THAAD deployment
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Thursday the move to deploy a THAAD missile defense system was "inevitable" because of a growing threat from North Korea and that division in the South over its deployment is what Pyongyang seeks. North Korea's launch of three ballistic missiles on Tuesday was the latest evidence that the anti-missile system is needed, Park said at a National Security Council meeting. This month's announcement by South Korea and the United States to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit with the U.S. military in a rural melon-farming county in the South triggered loud protests from residents worried about possible negative health and environmental impacts. "If we continue to be divisive and social confusion grows about a decision we had no choice but to make to protect the country and the lives of our people, it would be exactly where North Korea wants us to go," Park said, according to her office. North Korea said on Wednesday it had … [Read more...] about South Korea’s Park calls for unity over THAAD deployment
Shovels and old planes: As North Korea pursues the bomb, its military wanes
Like many in North Korea's army of 1.2 million, Eom Yeong-nam spent more time holding the wooden handle of a shovel than a Kalashnikov rifle during his years in the 501 Construction Brigade. "Except for basic military training two to three months a year, we worked on building apartments or concrete structures for nine to ten months," said Eom, who served 10 years in the army before defecting to the South in 2010, a year before Kim Jong Un assumed power in isolated North Korea. The young leader has since expanded the use of so-called "soldier-builders", fuelling a construction boom as many of North Korea's Soviet-era conventional weapons become outmoded. His military focus is increasingly on "asymmetric" capabilities such as nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and cyber warfare to deter North Korea's main enemies, the United States and South Korea. Tensions with both have been on the rise since the start of the year. North Korea, under tightened United Nations sanctions following its … [Read more...] about Shovels and old planes: As North Korea pursues the bomb, its military wanes
Pyongyang cuts all military contacts with Seoul
(VOVworld) – Pyongyang announced Thursday that it will cut off all military contacts including a communication channel at the truce village of Panmunjom with Seoul after the North asked all South Korean workers to leave the Kaesong Industrial Complex before 5 p.m. on Thursday. Pyongyang also sealed off all assets and equipment of South Korean companies at the complex and ordered a military takeover of the complex. The move took place one day after South Korea shut down the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the last major symbol of reconciliation between the two Koreas. South Korean troops have been put on alert, especially in the western border to respond to any provocative acts from the North. … [Read more...] about Pyongyang cuts all military contacts with Seoul