N. Korea’s Hacking Groups

#Korea, Today and Tomorrow l 2023-09-20

ⓒ Getty Images Bank

North Korea is continuing with its military provocations. 

Starting with its missile launch at the break of 2023, North Korea has fired missiles on more than 20 occasions so far this year. But the country is posing an even graver threat. 

North Korea is frequently carrying out hacking operations in cyber space. It attempted to launch a malicious cyber attack targeting the South Korea-U.S. combined military exercise that was held last month. What kinds of groups are responsible for North Korea’s hacking attacks and why is the country resorting to cyber operations? 

Today, we’ll analyze North Korea’s hacking groups with Professor Jeong Eun Chan at the National Institute for Unification Education. 

The South Korean government announced unilateral sanctions on a North Korean hacking group called “Kimsuky” on June 2, two days after North Korea launched a projectile carrying its military reconnaissance satellite. 

Significantly, the measure marks the world’s first unilateral sanctions against the North Korean hacking group. What is “Kimsuky” and why did the Seoul government take such action? 

Kimsuky has been behind major cyber attacks in South Korea and Western countries including the U.S. for more than ten years. The hacking group would often impersonate famous people to steal information from South Korean public institutions as well as experts in the fields of cryptocurrency, diplomacy and security. 

North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau has specialists in cyber operation. Under the country’s intelligence agency, the 3rd bureau known as the Technical Reconnaissance Bureau and Lab 110 are assumed to direct North Korea’s hacking groups. Kimsuky is also known to belong to the Reconnaissance General Bureau. 

Since 2010, the Kimsuky group has launched hacking attacks on South Korean government agencies and relevant organizations, including the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Unification. 

“Kimsuky” was named by a Russian security firm, while it was tracking a cyber attack by hackers seemingly based in North Korea. The group is notorious for its hacking attack on Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in South Korea in 2014. Last year, it even impersonated a South Korean National Assembly member to send phishing emails. 

I was stunned by the sophisticated nature of the scheme. At first, I thought that my office had sent the emails, so I asked my aides to check the message. 

Kimsuky sent emails to foreign affairs and national security experts in the name of the office of Thae Yong-ho, a North Korean diplomat defector-turned-South Korean lawmaker. In doing so, the hacking group monitored online communications and provided the information to the North Korean government. 

Other than Kimsuky, there are many more North Korean hacking groups that steal intelligence through cyber attacks. 

It seems there are numerous hacking groups associated with North Korea. They include APT 38, Temp.Hermit, Hidden Cobra, Reaper, which is also known as APT 37, Group 123, Nickel Academy and Lazarus. Lazarus, in particular, is infamous for hacking financial institutions around the world. In 2016, the group stole 81 million US dollars from the central bank of Bangladesh. 

North Korea’s hacking groups belong to the country’s military or the communist party. 15 to 20 hacking teams are known to be working at the Technical Reconnaissance Bureau alone, which is tasked with computer hacking. 

The Lazarus Group, among others, made the international community very nervous. The group hacked into Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014, in response to the American film company’s movie about the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 

In 2016, Lazarus hacked 101 million dollars deposited at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York account belonging to Bangladesh’s central bank and stole 81 million dollars. These incidents show North Korea’s hacking capabilities have reached a significant level. The country continues to use intelligent and advanced hacking methods. 

North Korean hackers carry out hacking operations targeting specific individuals or institutions in a certain period of time. When their mission is over, they are deployed to different teams for new operations. They set up cyber operation bases, disguised as trade firms, in Chinese cities such as Shenyang, Guangzhou and Dalian as well as in Mongolia and Indonesia. 

Through indiscriminative hacking attempts, North Korean hacking group Kimsuky secured 326 servers in 26 countries to launder Internet Protocol or IP addresses. They use the laundered IP addresses to send out phishing emails disguised as lawmakers’ offices, government agencies or reporters. The emails have malicious programs attached or direct readers to a phishing website that is linked to the message. Once the readers click on the programs or the link, hacking starts. 

In terms of hacking ability, experts evaluate that North Korea ranks third in the world, following the U.S. and Russia. It is assumed that North Korean hacking groups have launched cyber attacks in at least 29 countries for the last 14 years. Apart from the high number of attacks, North Korea’s hacking schemes are widespread, regardless of areas, such as subways, aerospace, nuclear energy and bio-related industries. The purpose is to steal information and disrupt society. In 2021, Reuters reported that North Korean hackers secretly breached computer networks at a missile developing company in Russia, which is North Korea’s traditional ally. 

North Korea is a communist dictatorship that is isolated from the outside world. It is known as an impoverished state suffering from the lack of goods. However, the country’s hacking units relentlessly infiltrate computer systems all around the world. How is that possible? 

It is said that North Korea began to reinforce its cyber forces in the mid-1980s. It tried to foster them in order to overcome military and economic inferiority. The country founded Mirim College in 1986 as a place to train cyber operation specialists. In the 1990s, the North began to teach information technology to gifted children, improving the conditions for strengthening cyber forces. Hackers are trained from early on. Science prodigies are educated at Pyongyang Senior Middle School No.1 or Kumsong School. They are then nurtured as cyber warriors at Mirim College, Kim Il-sung University or Kim Chaek University of Technology. 

Since the years of former leader Kim Jong-il, North Korea has intensively fostered hackers, in the belief that hacking is the most effective means of attack, considering the initial cost of investment. 

Former leader Kim Jong-il instructed officials to provide IT education to gifted children at the national level. Talented students selected from elementary schools nationwide receive extensive computer education, including algorithm design and programming, at schools for science prodigies. Among them, excellent students are admitted to university to learn more advanced skills. North Korean students have actually proved their outstanding computer programmer skills at international competitions. 

North Korean students trained as cyber warriors often take part in international events. This year, North Korean university students took top four spots at a hacking contest hosted by HackerEarth, a company based in San Francisco in the U.S. At the competition, students from Kim Chaek University of Technology came in first, third and fourth, while a student from Kim Il-sung University took second place. The Kim Chaek University of Technology said on its website that its student won the contest with a perfect score of 800. Again, North Korean students swept the top four places in the hacking competition, where some 1,700 people participated. 

North Korean university students who are raised as cyber warriors receive overseas training in China or Russia. When the training is over, they are deployed to hacking units to participate in North Korea’s global cyber operations. So, why is the North nurturing hackers at the state level? 

In North Korea, hacking operations are led by the state. The purpose is to continue with espionage activities and to earn foreign currency. With the money it stole through hacking, the country enhances its cyber warfare capabilities, develops missiles and raises professional hackers. 

North Korea’s three-pillared military strategy consists of preemptive, surprise attack, quick decisive war, and mixed tactics. In mixed tactics, North Korea seeks to make attacks both in the frontline and in the rear. While regular forces attack the front, others are supposed to harass the enemy’s rear by digging underground tunnels. But now, North Korea is preparing for cyber warfare so it can disrupt the rear at the click of a button. With that purpose in mind, it uses hacking. 

North Korea operates hacking units to raise funds and gather intelligence for regime maintenance. It created a new phrase “cyber foreign currency income” in 2015, indicating that its hackers are engaging in all sorts of illegal activities as an important means of earning foreign currency. The issue of North Korea’s cryptocurrency thefts was mentioned by U.S. officials during a recent congressional hearing. 

 

Democratic politician Elizabeth Warren said that North Korean hackers have raised over three billion dollars from crypto heists over the past five years. About 50 percent of them are assumed to have been used to procure parts needed for nuclear and missile development. 

Amid the prolonged international sanctions and economic difficulties, North Korea is likely to boost its hacking capabilities even further. 

Under Kim Jong-un’s rule, North Korea has focused on developing its cyber war capabilities. On top of economic benefits from its hacking operations, the country is expanding its cyber attacks to governments, military organizations, defense industries and energy research institutes overseas in order to collect military and diplomatic information more extensively. That’s why the U.S., the EU and the U.N. continue to slap sanctions on North Korea’s hacking groups and malicious cyber actors. 

The South Korean government is preparing for training aimed at responding to cyber terrorism effectively. South Korea and the U.S. have discussed ways to deal with North Korea’s cyber attacks through bilateral cooperation. These efforts will lead to stronger, strategic cooperation between the allies in cyber security, and South Korea is expected to strengthen its cyber response capabilities

Kim Jong-un once stressed that cyber warfare, along with nuclear weapons and missiles, is an all-purpose sword that guarantees the North Korean People’s Armed Forces’ striking ability. As the leader’s remarks indicate, North Korea uses its cyber capabilities to steal confidential information as well as assets from other countries. 

The international community needs to seek closer cooperation and make greater efforts to prevent state-sponsored North Korean hackers from engaging in illicit cyber activities. 

HACKING INCREASED AFTER EDGAR SCHMIDT'S VISIT IN 2014

North Korea Is Becoming A Big Problem For China’s Geopolitical Ambitions

By The Jamestown Foundation - Feb 04, 2023, 2:00 PM CST

• Recent developments concerning North Korea pose both traditional and non-traditional security challenges to China.
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• Beijing has both the motivation and the ability to take a leading role in inspiring a change of course by North Korea. 
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• China should play a more positive role in the North Korean denuclearization process by acting as a mediator

The existential North Korean nuclear and missile threats negatively impact the Asia-Pacific security environment for the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia. In response, these countries have taken countermeasures to defend themselves against the growing danger from North Korea. As a result, North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities indirectly worsen China’s “security dilemma” by spurring the U.S. and its allies to devote greater resources to maintaining a strong security presence in Northeast Asia. This situation is illustrated by Beijing’s consistent criticism of Seoul for allowing the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system in South Korea since 2017. Although South Korea has sought to reassure China that the system is aimed at counteracting the threat from North Korea, Beijing has maintained that the presence of the U.S. THAAD in Korea “clearly undermines China’s strategic security interests” (PRC Ministry Foreign Affairs [FMPRC], August 10, 2022).

Although China has been accused of not putting enough effort into the denuclearization process, achieving success in eliminating nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula would serve China’s security interests in several ways, including by removing a powerful justification for the U.S. and China’s neighbors to devote resources to regional security. In part due to North Korea’s growing missile capabilities, South Korea, Japan and Australia have all recent strengthened their respective missile development programs. In 2021, the United States also lifted the restrictions it had imposed on South Korea limiting the range and payload of its ballistic missiles. According to previous South Korea president Moon Jae, this has removed “security shackles”—allowing South Korea to regain its missile autonomy (Korea Herald, May 22, 2021).

New Approaches in Japan, South Korea

In 2022, with new leadership under President Yoon Suk Yeol, Seoul has supported steps to expand and “normalize” THAAD operations in South Korea, making technical upgrades and allowing an additional eight acres of land to house the system (South China Morning Post, August 12, 2022). The PRC has criticized the move for contravening the “three noes,” which had become an operating principle for China-South Korea relations advanced by previous President Moon Jae-in: no further THAAD deployments; no joining U.S.-led missile defense networks; and no participation in a trilateral military alliance with the U.S. and Japan (Korea Herald, July 28, 2022). The Moon administration had previously used the Three Noes to reassure China, which helped stabilize relations in late 2017, following a diplomatic fracas triggered by China’s economic retaliation against South Korea following the initial deployment of the U.S. THAAD earlier that year to counter the threat from North Korea (China Brief, March 31, 2017).

Not only has South Korea changed its approach to security of late, but Japan has also moved to augment its military might. In November 2022, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, along with its junior coalition partner, Komeito, reached a consensus that Japan should seek to acquire counter-strike capabilities in order to address the rapidly worsening regional security environment (Kyodo News, December 2, 2022). While China’s military modernization has played a key role in this deteriorating regional security environment, so too have North Korea’s nuclear development and activities. In fact, a real possibility exists that Tokyo will even purchase Raytheon-made Tomahawk cruise missiles (The Defense Post, November 30, 2022). Australia, too, has sought to focus on developing its cruise missile capabilities (Australian Defense Magazine, September 29, 2022).

Would China Change Course?

Recent developments concerning North Korea pose both traditional and non-traditional security challenges to China. While North Korea’s recalcitrance leaves China with neighbors strengthening their militaries, the continuing North Korean nuclear crisis presents other challenges as well. The most pressing issue is that as North Korea’s economy struggles under the weight of international sanctions, imposed for its nuclear and ballistic missile development activities, a growing number of people will seek to flee north to China in search of a better life. Again, dealing with a nuclear North Korea that has aggressive and unpredictable tendencies is a concern for China as its largest trading partner and main economic supporter.

Amidst these concerns, China could seek to play a more active and central role in promoting denuclearization of the Korean peninsula (Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN, June 8, 2022). This is because, at this moment, only China and Russia are close enough to North Korea to have leverage with Pyongyang concerning the nuclear conundrum. The new leadership in South Korea is at loggerheads with Pyongyang, as opposed to the previous Moon government, which had a more cordial relationship with Kim Jong Un.

Hence, China has both the motivation and the ability to take a leading role in inspiring a change of course by North Korea. Also, China has an incentive to ensure that the sanctions on North Korea imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) are slowly lifted so that the North Korean economy does not implode further, which would have spillover effects on China (Xinhua, May 12, 2022).

China’s role in the North Korean nuclear crisis has become more prominent as Pyongyang has called off the self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles it had observed since late 2017 and has resumed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests (Yonhap News Agency, November 18, 2022). China’s role in the nuclear issue has also gained more prominence as doubts are cast on Beijing’s intentions to ensure a nuclear weapons-free North Korea that would result in a nuclear weapons-free zone (NWFZ) on the Korean peninsula. Some observers believe that North Korea will conduct a seventh nuclear weapons test this year, which would be its first since 2017 (CTBO, September 3, 2017).

For China, the first North Korean nuclear test in over half a decade could mean efforts by the U.S. to strengthen extended nuclear deterrence to protect its allies, Japan and South Korea (Huanqiu, November 22, 2022). In December 2022, Anthony Carullo, director of plans and policy at the U.S. Strategic Command, reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to South Korea regarding its extended deterrence that comprises both conventional and nuclear capabilities (VOV World, December 6, 2022).

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also reaffirmed this commitment stating that “[w]e are working within our alliances, with both the Republic of Korea and Japan, to develop an effective mix of tangible measures to this end and specific practical steps to take to strengthen the extended deterrence commitment” (The Korea Times, December 1, 2022). This implies a strengthened nuclear environment in China’s immediate neighborhood that Beijing would have to deal with.

These developments are not positive signs for Taiwan’s own security, especially as Taiwan faces territorial disputes both in East China and South China Seas. While Senkaku/Diaoyu Island disputes remains an issue in the East China Sea, Taiwan claims sovereignty over all the islands in the South China Sea. In recent years, Taiwan has strengthened its military capabilities, including cruise missiles as well as holding live artillery drills. Hence, any military developments in the region will have a domino effect on Taiwan (India Today, August 9, 2022).

Conclusion

All these developments add to not just military pressures but also diplomatic pressures on China. Hence, China should play a more positive role in the North Korean denuclearization process by acting as a mediator.

Some of the steps that could be adopted are:

1. Educate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the advantages of sanctions being removed.
2. Make the case to North Korea on the technological advantages of being a Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) member.
3. Persuade Pyongyang to return to its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and missile testing; also convince South Korea not to engage in any military drills to provoke tensions. This two-way process can instill confidence in both Korean counterparts.

These measures could be discussed and analyzed by China, which could sketch out the impact these measures would have on North Korea and the Korean peninsula over the long run. The intersection of strategic competition between China and the U.S. and its allies and North Korea’s growing nuclear capabilities underscores that Pyongyang’s pursuit of its nuclear ambitions has security implications that reverberate not just on the Korean peninsula, but globally as well.

By Jamestown.org

PROVOCATUERS
South Korea president Yoon asks US for greater role in managing nuclear weapons

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted Mr Yoon as saying the joint planning and exercises would be aimed at a more effective implementation of the US’ “extended deterrence”. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his government is in talks with the US on taking a more active role in managing nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, which would mark a significant shift in a decades-old policy among American allies to deter North Korea.

“While the nuclear weapons belong to the US, intel sharing, planning, and training should be done jointly,” Mr Yoon told South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper in an interview published on Monday.

“The US’s stance is quite positive,” he added, telling the newspaper that the policy should be conducted under the concept of “joint planning and joint exercise”. South Korea’s presidential office confirmed the remarks.


Mr Yoon said the strategy of “nuclear umbrella” or “extended deterrence” is no longer reassuring for the public now that North Korea has developed nuclear weapons and a range of missiles to deliver them.

Since taking power last May, Mr Yoon has sought to put South Korea on a path of overwhelming military strength against North Korea, which has launched scores of missiles in defiance of United Nations resolutions and is preparing for another nuclear test.

In September, South Korea and the US agreed to cooperate more closely in their first formal talks on extended deterrence in about four years.

Nuke Envoys of S. Korea, US, Japan Condemn N. Korea's Missile Launch

Written: 2023-01-02 


Photo : YONHAP NewsThe top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan talked on the phone for a second day on Sunday over the latest missile launch by North Korea.

According to Seoul's foreign ministry, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Kim Gunn spoke with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi after the North’s launch of a short-range ballistic missile early Sunday morning.

The three sides strongly condemned the North's latest provocation, saying that they deplore that North Korea opened the new year with an illegal act that violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The envoys also said that it is "unreasonable and a challenge to the international community" that the North announced it would spur efforts to strengthen its self-defensive capabilities in response to moves to isolate the country.

The nuclear envoys then warned that continued provocations by the North will be met with deeper isolation, stronger security cooperation among the three nations and a unified and stern response by the international community.

The top envoys added, however, that the three nations are keeping the door open for dialogue with Pyongyang.

The envoys held virtual talks on Saturday as well following the North's firing of three short-range ballistic missiles.

Yoon says South Korea, US discussing exercises using nuclear assets

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, Nov 28, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Daewoung Kim)

02 Jan 2023 

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States are discussing possible joint planning and exercises using US nuclear assets in the face of North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in a newspaper interview.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted Yoon as saying the joint planning and exercises would be aimed at a more effective implementation of the US "extended deterrence".

The term means the ability of the US military, particularly its nuclear forces, to deter attacks on US allies.

"The nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but planning, information sharing, exercises and training should be jointed conducted by South Korea and the United States," Yoon said, adding Washington is also "quite positive" about the idea.

Yoon's remarks come a day after North Korean state media reported that its leader Kim Jong Un called for the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles and a larger nuclear arsenal to counter US-led threats amid flaring tension between the rival Koreas.

Related:


Kim calls for 'exponential increase' of North Korea's nuclear arsenal


North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile: South Korea military

North Korea fires ballistic missiles capping record year of tests

The North's race to advance its nuclear and missile programmes has renewed debate over South Korea's own nuclear armaments, but Yoon said maintaining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons remained important.

At a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party last week, Kim said South Korea has now become the North's "undoubted enemy" and rolled out new military goals, hinting at another year of intensive weapons tests and tension.

Inter-Korean ties have long been testy but have been even more frayed since Yoon took office in May.

On Sunday, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its east coast, in a rare late-night, New Year's Day weapons test, following three ballistic missiles launched on Saturday, capping a year marked by a record number of missile tests.

Yoon's comments on the nuclear exercises are the latest demonstration of his tough stance on North Korea. He urged the military to prepare for a war with "overwhelming" capability following North Korean drones crossing into the South last week.

Analysts say the tensions could worsen.

"This year could be a year of crisis with military tension on the Korean peninsula going beyond what it was like in 2017," said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, referring to the days of the "fire and fury" under the Trump administration.

"North Korea's hardline stance ... and aggressive weapons development when met with South Korea-US joint exercises and proportional response could raise the tension in a flash, and we cannot rule out what's similar to a regional conflict when the two sides have a misunderstanding of the situation," Hong said.

Source: Reuters/rj

Kim Jong Un Vows North Korea Will 'Exponentially' Increase Nuclear Arsenal

North Korea fired about 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, the most in a single year.


Nick Visser
Jan 1, 2023, 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed Sunday to “exponentially” increase the number of nuclear weapons in his country and further advance his antagonistic intercontinental ballistic missile program.

Kim delivered the message after a meeting of his ruling party this weekend, declaring South Korea the country’s “undoubted enemy” and amping up his aggressive posture amid a slate of recent missile launches that will likely set the tone for the year. North Korea followed up those statements with a test of short-range ballistic missiles on New Year’s Day that Kim said could reach anywhere in South Korea.

The efforts are largely seen as an attempt by Kim to force the international community to negotiate with North Korea and offer legitimacy to his government. The country is still subject to harsh economic and diplomatic sanctions and has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol responded to the threat this weekend with a firm statement of his own, saying Seoul would punish any provocations to prevent a war on the peninsula. Yoon has taken a much harder line on the North than his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, calling the South’s northern neighbor a “principal enemy.”


A TV screen shows footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Yongsan Railway Station in Seoul. Kim stressed the need to "exponentially" increase the number of the country's nuclear arsenal and develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the new year, Pyongyang's state media reported on Jan. 1.
SOPA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

“Our military should certainly punish any enemy provocations with a firm determination not to avoid going to war,” Yoon said, per Yonhap News. “I call on you to bear in mind that our troops’ firm mental readiness posture and realistic training can only guarantee strong security.”

North Korea fired about 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, Yonhap reported, the most in a single year. Speculation has grown that the country could conduct a nuclear test in the coming months, what would be its first in years and a guaranteed uptick in international tensions.

“As we greet the New Year, we urge North Korea to come out onto a path for peace on the Korean Peninsula and common prosperity for Koreans rather than sticking to a wrong path,” the South Korean military said in a statement Monday.

The two sides agreed to “explore avenues to enhance alliance strategic readiness through improved information sharing, training, and exercises, as they relate to nuclear and non-nuclear threats, including better use of table-top exercises”, according to a US statement at the time.

Mr Yoon’s remarks come a day after North Korean state media reported that its leader Kim Jong Un called for developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles and pledged to increase his nuclear arsenal to counter US-led threats to stifle US and South Korean hostile acts following a nearly weeklong party meeting.

Mr Kim left almost no opening for a return to long-stalled disarmament talks, calling instead for an “exponential increase” of his nuclear arsenal.

Analysts say the tensions could worsen.

“This year could be a year of crisis with military tension on the Korean peninsula going beyond what it was like in 2017,” said Dr Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, referring to the days of the “fire and fury” under the Trump administration.

“North Korea’s hardline stance... and aggressive weapons development when met with South Korea-U.S. joint exercises and proportional response could raise the tension in a flash, and we cannot rule out what’s similar to a regional conflict when the two sides have a misunderstanding of the situation,” Dr Hong told Reuters.

On Sunday, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its east coast, in a rare late-night, New Year’s Day weapons test, following three ballistic missiles launched on Saturday, capping a year marked by a record number of missile tests.

Amid talk of South Korea’s own nuclear armaments, Mr Yoon said maintaining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons remained important.

Last week, Mr Kim’s regime sent five drones across the border into South Korea, temporarily disrupting flights at major airports.

With little threat of new sanctions and plans already afoot to further develop weapons including drones, submarines and missiles, Mr Kim has been honing his ability to deliver a credible nuclear strike against the US and its allies, such as South Korea and Japan.

The North Korea leader has raised tension to levels not seen in years by firing off more than 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, lowering his guardrails for the use of nuclear weapons and saying he sees no need to going back to the bargaining table for talks on winding back his nuclear arsenal in return for relief from sanctions that have largely cut the nation off from the world economy. 

BLOOMBERG

Kim Jong-un calls for mass-production of nuclear weapons and bigger arsenal amid alleged threats

JANUARY 01, 2023

North Korean leader leader Kim Jong-un attends the 12th Meeting of the Political Bureau of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released on Dec 31, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Reuters

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles and a larger nuclear arsenal to counter US-led threats, state media said on Sunday (Jan 1), amid flaring tension between the rival Koreas.

At a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, Kim highlighted the need to secure "overwhelming military power" to defend its sovereignty and security.

The meeting came amid cross-border tensions over last week's intrusion by North Korean drones into the South, and the North's series of missile launches, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol, during phone calls with military chiefs, called for "solid mental readiness and practical training" to ensure any North Korean provocations will be met with retaliation, according to a statement from his office.

Kim accused Washington and Seoul of trying to "isolate and stifle" Pyongyang with US nuclear strike assets constantly deployed in South Korea, calling it "unprecedented in human history."

He vowed to develop another ICBM system "whose main mission is quick nuclear counter-strike" under a plan to bolster the country's nuclear force, the official KCNA news agency said.

"The prevailing situation calls for making redoubled efforts to overwhelmingly beef up the military muscle... in response to the worrying military moves by the US and other hostile forces," it said.

South Korea has become "our undoubted enemy" being "hell-bent on imprudent and dangerous arms buildup" and hostile military moves, Kim said.

"It highlights the importance and necessity of a mass-producing of tactical nuclear weapons and calls for an exponential increase of the country's nuclear arsenal," Kim said, adding these would be a "main orientation" of the 2023 nuclear and defence strategy.

As part of the plan, the country will also launch its first military satellite "at the earliest date possible" by accelerating its drive to build a spy satellite, with preparations in the final stage, KCNA said.

'Super-large rocket launcher'

The report came hours after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its east coast, in a rare late-night, New Year's Day weapons test.

The isolated country also launched three ballistic missiles on Saturday, capping a year marked by a record number of missile tests.

Read Also

North Korea's Kim unveils new military goals at key party meeting: KCNA

KCNA said in a separate dispatch that it was testing a new 600 mm super-large multiple rocket launcher capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Kim lauded the munitions industry for delivering 30 units of the system, calling it a "core, offensive weapon" with all of South Korea within its range, and an ability to conduct a surprise and precision launch.

"We have declared our resolute will to respond with nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation," Kim told a delivery ceremony on Saturday, ordering more powerful weapons to "absolutely overwhelm the US imperialist aggressive forces and their puppet army."

Inter-Korean ties have long been testy but have grown even more tense since Yoon took office in May pledging a tougher line against Pyongyang.

The recent drone intrusion rekindled criticism over South Korea's air defences, and Yoon on Sunday again urged the military to stand ready to retaliate.

"Our military must resolutely retaliate against any provocation by the enemy with the determination to fight," Yoon told the military chiefs.

Read Also

Kim Jong-un says North Korea's goal is for world's strongest nuclear force

The latest missile flew about 400 kilometres (249 miles) after being fired around 2.50am local time (1.50am Singapore time) from the Ryongsong area of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The JCS strongly condemned the North's series of missile tests as "grave provocations" and urged an immediate halt.

Japan's coast guard said the missile reached an altitude of around 100 km and flew around 350 km. Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Tokyo had protested to North Korea over the launch via diplomatic channels in Beijing.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said the launch did not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory but highlighted the destabilising impact of North Korea's weapons programme.

North Korea fired an unprecedented number of missiles in 2022, pressing on with weapons development amid speculation it could test a nuclear weapon for a seventh time.

In November, the North also resumed testing ICBMs for the first time since 2017, successfully launching the massive new Hwasong-17, potentially able to strike anywhere in the United States.

Source: Reuters

WW IV.0

South Korea sends drones to Kim Jong Un’s airspace in unprecedented move

Jon Herskovitz and Shinhye Kang - Bloomberg News (TNS)

South Korea sent drones across the border into North Korea for the first time on Monday, an unprecedented tit-for-tat military move after Kim Jong Un’s regime dispatched five unmanned aerial vehicles into its air space.

The exchange of drones, which briefly stopped flights from taking off at major airports near Seoul, came as Kim opened a major political meeting to set security, economic and political policy for the coming year, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday. He has spent the past year improving his atomic arsenal, showing no interest in returning to nuclear disarmament talks that have been stalled for three years.

Kim’s regime sent five drones across the border on Monday, the first time he has done so in more than five years. The first one crossed the border at 10:25 a.m. and returned after flying for about three hours. Four more were detected Monday afternoon and later vanished from radar, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Yonhap News Agency said one may have come into the Seoul area to possibly take photos of the presidential office. South Korea’s military said it responded by scrambling fighter jets and military helicopters, with local media including Yonhap saying about 100 shots were fired at North Korean drones that broached its airspace near western coastal islands.

South Korea later deployed manned and unmanned reconnaissance assets to areas close to the border and into North Korea that conducted reconnaissance and photographed military facilities, the JCS said in a statement. The move is consistent with South Korea’s strategy over the past year to respond to North Korean provocations with similar maneuvers.

Kim has found space to ratchet up tensions as the U.S. and its allies focuses on Russia’s war in Ukraine. The moves increase the risks for the first major deadly clash in years, such as when North Korea bombarded the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong with artillery in 2010.

Kim has been modernizing his inventory of missiles over the past several years to make them easier to hide, quicker to deploy and more difficult to shoot down. This year, he has tested missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons to U.S. allies South Korea and Japan, as well as firing off intercontinental ballistic missiles with ranges to hit the American mainland. South Korea has said it's expecting Kim to test a nuclear bomb in the near future.

North Korea on Nov. 18 test-fired an ICBM with Kim’s daughter on hand for the launch, marking her first official appearance in state media. The move signaled that there’s another generation ready to take over the Cold War’s last continuous family dynasty and it will depend on nuclear weapons for its survival.

Kim has used year-end, multiday political events to make major speeches at their conclusion. In his opening comments, “he stressed the need to lay out more exciting and confident struggle policies based on valuable facts that achieved practical advance while persevering all difficulties,” KCNA said.

(With assistance from Sangmi Cha.)


©2022 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. 

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

North Korea Sends Drones Into South Korea in Brazen Incursion

 
December 26, 2022 
William Gallo

 A suspected North Korean drone is viewed at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, June 21, 2017. South Korea says Dec. 26, 2022, it fired warning shots after North Korean drones violated the South’s airspace. 

(Lee Jung-hoon/Yonhap via AP, File)

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —

North Korea sent several small drones into South Korean airspace Monday, Seoul officials said, prompting South Korea’s military to fly its own unmanned surveillance aircraft north of the sensitive border.

South Korea also scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters to respond to the North Korean incursion but failed to bring down any of the drones, according to South Korean military officials.

While one of the drones returned to North Korea, the status of four others is not known, said South Korean military officials who spoke to reporters on background late Monday.

It’s not clear if the North Korean drones were armed, though South Korean officials say they were small – with a wingspan of only about 2 meters.

North Korea has sent tiny, crudely built UAVs into South Korea for apparent surveillance missions at least four other times since 2014, though this is the first reported incursion in more than five years.

Monday’s incident appeared particularly brazen, as the North Korean drones were reported to have flown around populated areas of South Korea for much of the day.

The first North Korean UAV crossed the border near South Korea’s northeast island of Ganghwa at 10:25 am local time and was quickly followed by the others, according to South Korean military officials.

Four of the drones flew near Ganghwa, while the other flew as far as the northern part of the Seoul metropolitan area, which is approximately 50 kilometers away, officials added.

As of 8:00 pm local time, there was no indication that any of the drones had been captured. There were no reports of damage in South Korea.

According to South Korea’s transport ministry, aircraft departures were temporarily halted at South Korea’s main Incheon Airport and the smaller Gimpo Airport, both of which are close to the reported North Korean intrusions.

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The incident is likely to raise questions about South Korea’s ability to prevent North Korean drone incursions and whether the South Korean military acted quickly enough to stop the unmanned vehicles.

According to a South Korean military background briefing, South Korea fired about 100 shots but failed to bring down any of the North Korean drones.

One of the South Korean aircraft involved in the response – a KA-1 light attack aircraft – crashed east of Seoul, though officials have not explained why. Neither pilot in the plane was injured, officials said.

In response, South Korea’s military said it sent a drone into North Korea on a reconnaissance mission. The South Korean drone reached about as far into the North as the North Korean drones intruded into the South, before returning south of the border, officials added.

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In a statement, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned North Korea’s “clear act of provocation” and vowed the South would continue to respond “thoroughly and firmly” to North Korea.

This is the first known North Korean drone incursion into South Korea since 2017, when a suspected North Korean drone mounted with a camera took photos of a U.S. anti-missile battery before crashing on its way back to the North.

In 2014, a similar North Korean unmanned aerial vehicle took pictures of military installations and even the residence of South Korea’s president before crashing near the border.

South Korean officials say the drones identified Monday appeared to be similar to those used in the 2014 and 2017 incidents.

North Korea has not commented on the incursion, but in the past has denied sending spy drones into South Korea.

North Korea has steadily ramped up tensions this year, launching a record number of missiles and conducting artillery shelling in sensitive border areas.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who took office in May, has responded with corresponding shows of military might, often within a few hours of the North Korean provocations.