North Korea fired missiles into the sea off its east coast for the fourth time

August 6, 2019  09H:15  GMT/ZULU

by Coco Jiang and Biodun Iginla, BBC News and Reuters, Pyongyang. Coco Jiang is working undercover in Pyongyang.

Pyongyang - North Korea fired missiles into the sea off its east coast for the fourth time in less than two weeks.

People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing two unidentified projectiles, in Seoul, South Korea, August 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The North, criticizing the U.S.-South Korean drills and their use of high-tech weapons, has fired a series of missiles and rockets since its leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed at a June 30 meeting to revive stalled denuclearization talks.

Trump has played down the tests by saying they did not break any agreement he had with Kim but the talks have yet to resume. Analysts believe the tests are designed both to improve North Korean military capabilities and to pressure Washington to offer more concessions.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles were fired from near Kwail on North Korea’s west coast, about 125 km (80 miles) southwest of Pyongyang, in South Hwanghae province early on Tuesday. They were the fourth set of launches since July 25.

The missiles flew about 450 km (280 miles) and reached an altitude of 37 km (23 miles), the JCS said. U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies deemed they had similar flight characteristics to the short-range ballistic missiles launched by North Korea on July 25, it said.

Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at South Korea’s Kyungnam University, said the latest launch area was significant because the flight path of 450 km meant that all of South Korea was in range of such missiles.

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“It becomes difficult to detect the origin of the launch in advance because it is capable of launching a missile from most anywhere in North Korea, targeting all of South Korea,” he said.

South Korea’s defense ministry said on Tuesday the missile launch went against the spirit of easing tension on the Korean peninsula.

‘DO US HARM’

The launches on July 25 were the first since Trump and Kim met at the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas on June 30. What was agreed at that meeting is now under scrutiny.

North Korea has repeatedly complained that the United States and South Korea’s joint military drills violate a pledge made by Trump to Kim.

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement released through state news agency KCNA that the North remained committed to resolving issues through dialogue.

However, Pyongyang “will be compelled to seek a new road as we have already indicated” if South Korea and the United States continue with hostile military moves, he said.

The arrival of new, U.S.-made F-35A stealth fighters in South Korea, the visit of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine to a South Korean port, and U.S. tests of ballistic missiles are among the steps that have forced North Korea to continue its own weapons development, the spokesman said.

“The U.S. and South Korean authorities remain outwardly talkative about dialogue,” he said. “But when they sit back, they sharpen a sword to do us harm.”

South Korean media reported that U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises had started on Monday. A senior South Korean official said previously the drills would mainly involve computer simulations.

A JCS spokesman told a regular news briefing on Monday the allies were preparing for a joint exercise in the second half of the year but would not confirm the name of the drill or whether it had already started.

A United Nations report said on Monday Pyongyang has continued to enhance its nuclear and missile programs and used cyberattacks to take in $2 billion to fund the development.

The testing of short-range missiles by North Korea is banned by a 2006 United Nations Security Council resolution demanding that North Korea suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program.

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Short-range missiles pose no threat to U.S. territory but do put at risk U.S. allies Japan and South Korea and the tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed in both countries.

Japan’s defense ministry said it did not see any imminent threat to Japanese security from the latest projectile launch by North Korea.

Kim Jong-nam murder suspect freed after charges dropped

Date created : 11/03/2019 - 11:33  GMT/ZULU

Mohd Rasfan / AFP | Indonesian national Siti Aisyah (C) smiles while leaving the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 11, 2019.

by Wang Yang and Biodun Iginla, France24, Kuala Lumpur

An Indonesian woman accused of assassinating the North Korean leader's half-brother was freed Monday after Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge against her, in a shock decision a year and a half after she went on trial.

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Siti Aisyah smiled as she was ushered through a pack of journalists and into a car outside the court, where she had been on trial alongside a Vietnamese woman for the murder of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017.

"I feel happy. I did not know this will happen. I did not expect it," said Aisyah, who was wearing a red headscarf.

It was a surprise move as the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur, had been due only to hear Huong's testimony on Monday. Her lawyers said they were seeking an adjournment.

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The women, in their 20s, had always denied murder, saying they believed they were taking part in a prank and were tricked by North Korean agents into carrying out the Cold War-style hit using VX nerve agent.

Their lawyers had presented them as scapegoats, saying that authorities were unable to catch the real killers.

Four North Koreans -- formally accused of the murder alongside the women -- fled Malaysia shortly after the murder.

Surprise move

The trial, which began in October 2017, was due to resume Monday with the defence stage of proceedings after a break of several months.

But at the start of the hearing, prosecutor Muhammad Iskandar Ahmad requested that the murder charge against Aisyah be withdrawn and that she be given a discharge.

He gave no reason for the request.

"Siti Aisyah is freed," judge Azmin Ariffin told the court, as he approved a request. "She can leave now."

Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Rusdi Kirana told reporters outside court: "We are pleased with the court decision. We will try to fly Siti back to Indonesia today or as soon as possible."

Prosecutors had presented their case in the first stage of the trial. Witnesses described how the victim -- the estranged half-brother of Kim Jong Un and once seen as heir apparent to the North Korean leadership -- died in agony shortly after being attacked.

In August, a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence the suspects had engaged in a "well-planned conspiracy" with the four North Koreans to murder Kim, and ordered that the trial continue to the defence stage.

South Korea has accused the North of ordering the hit, which Pyongyang denies.

A murder conviction carries a mandatory penalty of death in Malaysia. The government has vowed to abolish capital punishment for all crimes, although parliament still needs to vote on changing the law.

ANALYSIS AND BREAKING: Trump-Kim nuclear summit in Hanoi cut short with ‘no agreement’

Date created : 28/02/2019 - 09:16GMT/ZULU

Saul Loeb / AFP | US President Donald Trump walks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un during a break in talks at the second in Hanoi on February 28, 2019.

by Coco Jiang and Biodun Iginla, France24 News Analysts, Hanoi

US Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not reach an agreement at the end of two days of meetings on Thursday but had "constructive" discussions on denuclearisation of the North and its economy, the White House said.

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"No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

The two men who once traded personal insults and threats of destruction were holding their second meeting in eight months wen the talks ended.

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Vague commitments

That summit resulted in cosy images but only a vague commitment from Kim to "work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". Diplomacy has since stalled amid disagreements on what that actually means.

For what it is almost certainly the first time, the North Korean leader answered an impromptu question from an American reporter, then several more from other reporters.

When asked by a member of the White House press pool about his outlook on the summit, Kim said "It's too early to say. I won't make predictions. But I instinctively feel that a good outcome will be produced."

Looking confident and speaking in his characteristically gravelly voice, Kim also said he would welcome the opening of a US liaison office in his capital, Pyongyang.

Of a liaison office – which is below that of an embassy – Kim told reporters in Hanoi: "I think it is something that is worth welcoming."

Trump echoed these sentiments, stating that it would be a “great thing”.

As they sat down for Thursday's formal discussions in Hanoi, Trump said he was in "no rush" to seal a deal and that "speed was not that important" to him as long as the North's pause in missile and nuclear testing continued.

"I can't speak necessarily for today, but I can say that this, a little bit longer-term, and over a period of time, I know we're going to have a fantastic success with respect to Chairman Kim and North Korea," said Trump.

Trump again touted the possibility of impoverished North Korea becoming an "economic powerhouse" if it gave up its nuclear arsenal -- an outcome analysts say is extremely unlikely.

Kim, for his part, when asked whether he was ready to denuclearise, said "If I'm not willing to do that I won't be here right now."

Kim is looking for relief from sanctions imposed on the North because of its weapons programmes, which saw tensions soar in 2017 before a wave of detente.

The Pyongyang strongman said there were "people who hold a sceptical view of our meeting" but pledged to seek "great, ultimately good results".

"I think watching us have a great time will be like watching a scene from a fantasy movie," he added.

Among the steps mooted is the opening of liaison offices, the first step on the road to normalising diplomatic relations.

When asked about that, Kim said: "I think it is something that is worth welcoming."

The North maintains total control over every aspect of Kim's domestic appearances, but he even answered a shouted question from a foreign reporter -- believed to be unprecedented -- saying he was "not pessimistic" about the outcome.

The state-run Rodong Sinmun newspapers plastered photographs of their first Hanoi handshake on Wednesday over its front page, one of them appearing to show Trump bowing slightly as he took Kim's hand.

Poolside stroll

The two men have again displayed outward signs of an unlikely diplomatic bromance in Hanoi, clasping hands and appearing to share jokes on Wednesday.

Looking relaxed but appearing to say little, they indulged in a poolside stroll Thursday around the gardens of the luxury Metropole Hotel, a Colonial-era building that has played hosts to stars ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Brad Pitt.

It echoed a garden walkabout in Singapore, where the two men bonded over Trump's hulking car, the "Beast", with the US president allowing the younger man a glimpse inside.

It was a far cry from the height of missile-testing tensions in 2017 when Trump slammed Kim as "rocket man" and the younger man branded the American president a "mentally deranged US dotard".

The summit was "pageantry for Trump and brings Kim more credibility on the world stage as a responsible, rational actor", the Stimson Center's David Kim told AFP.

"But I would define success in terms of outcomes. A decent outcome if we can get some concrete and verifiable commitments toward denuclearisation," he said, although the US would have to "trust but verify".

But scandal back home in Washington threatens to distract Trump with his former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen calling him a "racist" and a "conman" during a congressional hearing.

The president already showed he had the testimony at the back of his mind when he tweeted about it before his first meeting with Kim, saying Cohen -- who has been sentenced to three years in jail -- was "lying in order to reduce his prison time".

In Hanoi, in addition to relief from biting sanctions, Kim is also seeking security guarantees for him and his regime.

One carrot could be a declaration on the Korean War, which ended in 1953 with an armistice, not a formal peace treaty. Asked about that before Wednesday's dinner, Trump merely replied: "We'll see."

In return, Kim might pledge to destroy North Korea's decades-old Yongbyon nuclear complex, which has long been at the heart of Pyongyang's atomic development but remains shrouded in secrecy -- and North Korea has promised to mothball it twice before.

Trump had already tempered expectations in the run-up to the Hanoi summit, saying he was content if North Korea continued its pause in nuclear and missile testing.

In Vietnam, Trump has frequently pointed to the recent history of the host country -- once a war-torn foe of the United States, now enjoying an economic boom with growth of more than seven percent.

Ahead of the talks, he hailed Kim as a "friend" and said North Korea could enjoy an "AWESOME" future if it gave up its nuclear weapons.

ANALYSIS: Singapore to Hanoi: The bumpy diplomatic road since Trump and Kim first met

February 14, 2019  07H:12  GMT/ZULU

by Wang Yang and Biodun Iginla, BBC News and Reuters, Political News Analysts, SEOUL/WASHINGTON

SEOUL/WASHINGTON - It’s been the better part of a year since U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood face to face for the first time at their unprecedented summit in Singapore.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un react at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

As the two leaders prepare to meet in Vietnam for a second summit, there is a growing expectation that this time they need to make a more specific agreement.

North Korea still has its nuclear weapons, and Washington has only increased sanctions on Pyongyang so the stakes are high for both leaders who have promised to overcome decades of tension and conflict between the two countries.

Here is a breakdown of what Trump and Kim have agreed to, what has - and hasn’t - happened since they last shook hands, and what may be on the negotiating table.

THE SINGAPORE AGREEMENT

The Singapore summit in June represented the first time a sitting American president met with a North Korean leader, but the statement that came out of the meeting was light on specifics, opting instead for four general commitments:

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WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE SINGAPORE

Just ahead of the first summit, in May, North Korea destroyed some tunnels and buildings at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, observed by international journalists but not expert inspectors.

Immediately following his meeting with Kim, Trump made a surprise announcement that the United States would suspend military drills with South Korea, which have often been criticized by North Korea as rehearsal for war. Major exercises have been halted, while smaller ones continued.

North Korea moved quickly to repatriate 55 boxes containing what were believed to be the remains of American soldiers killed in the war.

In July, satellite images indicated North Korea had begun to dismantle some facilities at its Sohae Satellite Launching Station, but later reports by U.S. think tanks said no further dismantling had been observed.

And North and South Korea moved forward with their own reconciliation, holding three summits and taking steps to reduce military tensions along their shared border by closing some guard posts, removing landmines, and imposing a no-fly zone.

Other inter-Korea plans depend heavily on Washington’s willingness to support easing sanctions that block most economic engagement with North Korea.

The past year was a see-saw of occasional public meetings - and canceled visits - between American and North Korean officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang multiple times, first being condemned by North Korea over “gangster-like demands” for the North’s complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization, then later earning Kim Jong Un’s “satisfaction” with another meeting.

Trump, meanwhile, hosted senior North Korean officials at the White House and declared that he and Kim “fell in love” after exchanging letters.

In his New Year’s speech, Kim said he was still open to meeting Trump again, but warned of a potential “new path,” which could indicate an eventual return to weapons development, if he was not satisfied with the negotiations.

A flurry of talks in early January led to Trump announcing the second summit would happen in Vietnam at the end of February.

WHAT HASN’T HAPPENED

Throughout all these talks, as well as other behind-the-scenes negotiations, neither side announced major new steps toward denuclearization, easing sanctions, or establishing a new “peace regime” for the peninsula.

Statements carried by North Korean state media complained about Washington’s opposition to signing a peace declaration or easing sanctions until North Korea takes more steps toward denuclearization.

In the meantime, U.S. intelligence and defense officials say North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear and missile arsenals, despite a self-imposed moratorium on testing, and that the country is unlikely to ever surrender all of its nuclear weapons.

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After meeting with Kim in September, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the North is willing to “permanently dismantle” its Yongbyon main nuclear complex and allow international inspectors into some missile sites if the United States makes concessions of its own.

But neither the American concessions nor the inspections have been forthcoming so far.

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN VIETNAM

American and North Korean officials have been tight-lipped about what agreement might come from the second Trump-Kim summit, but analysts say Washington needs to be open to taking interim steps for any deal to be possible.

Stephen Biegun, the top U.S. envoy to North Korea, told South Korean lawmakers that most of the recent discussions with Pyongyang had revolved around summit logistics, and that more talks were needed to address the substantive issues.

But Biegun said a “dozen” agenda items were discussed, one of the lawmakers said, and North Korea has called for easing sanctions, restarting some inter-Korean economic projects, opening a U.S. liaison office in Pyongyang, and signing a declaration formally ending the technical state of war from the 1950-53 conflict.

Other moves could include easing the ban on Americans traveling to North Korea, or providing more bilateral aid.

To win some of those concessions from Washington, North Korea could follow through on shutting its Yongbyon nuclear complex, as well as abolish key missile facilities in the presence of foreign experts, South Korean officials have said.

North Korea’s state media said in December that Pyongyang’s commitment to the “denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” also includes “completely eliminating the U.S. nuclear threat to Korea,” but did not spell out specific steps Washington should take.

While some U.S. lawmakers and analysts have speculated Trump could agreed to reduce the American military presence in South Korea, officials in Seoul and Washington have said troop levels are not up for negotiation.