The office of President Moon Jae-in convened an emergency meeting of security-related ministers Friday to discuss the issue of North Korea's latest launch of unidentified projectiles.Chung Eui-yong, head of the national security office, presided over the session, which opened at 7:30 a.m., Cheong Wa Dae said. It's not a National Security Council session, however, Moon's office added.Early Friday morning, the North shot two projectiles, apparently short-range ones, from a northeastern region into

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had "no problem" with North Korea's missile tests, shortly after the regime conducted its third launch in a week."I think it's very much under control," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I have no problem. We'll see what happens, but these are short-range missiles. They are very standard."South Korea's military said North Korea on Friday (Seoul time) launched unidentified short-range projectiles off its east coast.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said Thursday that the United States is ready to resume denuclearization talks with North Korea, including another summit at the right time.Bolton made the remarks on Fox Business following a series of missile tests by North Korea in the past week. South Korea described the projectiles as short-range ballistic missiles, but the North said the second test on Wednesday involved a new rocket launch system.The launches came despite Washington's efforts to res

North Korea on Friday fired unidentified short-range projectiles off its east coast, South Korea‘s military said, its third launch in a week.The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired at 2:59 a.m. and 3:23 a.m. from Yonghung, South Hamgyong Province, into the East Sea.“We are monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,” the JCS said.Last week, North Korea test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east c

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday voiced hope that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will deploy his negotiation team, reiterating that the US is "ready to go."Pompeo made the remarks amid limited progress in the efforts to resume working-level nuclear talks as agreed by US President Donald Trump and Kim during their impromptu meeting at the Demilitarized Zone separating the Koreas on June 30."We stand ready to continue our diplomatic conversation with the North Koreans,

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris remained upbeat about relations between Washington and Pyongyang despite the recent missile tests by North Korea, saying in an interview with tbs eFM on Thursday that practical level talks should kick off soon. “We are aware of those reports of missile launch from North Korea yesterday. We’re continuing to monitor the situation,” said Harris on “This Morning,” hosted by Alex Jensen.  “I’ll just say that Secr

North Korean media reported Thursday that the projectiles fired the previous day were a newly developed type of guided rocket, casting doubt on Seoul’s analysis that the North had fired two short-range ballistic missiles.According to the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea successfully fired what it called a new type of large-caliber guided ordnance rocket, which will “play a main role in ground military operations.” “The test-fire scientifically confirmed that the ta

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said Wednesday that North Korea's missile launches this week do not represent a violation of leader Kim Jong-un's promise not to conduct long-range missile tests.Bolton, however, questioned the regime's seriousness about resuming denuclearization talks, as he spoke to Fox Business a day after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea for the second time in less than a week.The North claimed the tests involved a new large-calib

A body presumed to be a North Korean solder has been found in a South Korean river near an inter-Korean border city, authorities said Thursday.The military discovered the body Wednesday in the Imjin River in the border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which was presumed to have been dead for at least two weeks based upon its condition, according to local police and fire authorities. It was wearing military uniform-like pants and a belt bearing a big star on its buckle, and the fingerprints were

North Korea said Thursday it tested a new rocket system in launches conducted the previous day, raising questions about South Korea's assessment that the communist nation is believed to have fired short-range ballistic missiles.Leader Kim Jong-un "guided a test-fire of a newly developed large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system on July 31," the Korean Central News Agency said."The test-fire scientifically confirmed that the tactical data and technical characteristics of t

North Korea said Wednesday a military information-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan must be abolished since it contains Tokyo's ambition to reinvade the Korean Peninsula.The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's official mouthpiece, said that the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) should be scrapped immediately since it is a "war-inciting, peace-destroying agreement." The deal, signed by Seoul and Tokyo in 2016, is designed to facilitate

N. Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles: JCS

North Korea has indicated its willingness to resume talks with the US “very soon” at an undisclosed meeting between high-ranking officials at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) last week, foreign news outlets reported Wednesday.  Citing unnamed senior officials from the Donald Trump administration, the Associated Press and Reuters reported that the two sides met at the inter-Korean border sometime last week without specifying the date. According to the reports, a high-ranking official

A newly constructed North Korean submarine seems to be capable of carrying three submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), South Korea's defense ministry was quoted as saying on Wednesday.The defense ministry determined that the North's submarine is ready to be deployed soon, Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, the chief of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters after the ministry's closed-door briefing.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a new submarine, which the deployment of whic

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Wednesday North Korea's latest missile firings are not helpful to efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "North Korea's actions do not help (easing) military tensions, nor do they help keep the momentum for denuclearization talks when (the talks) are in the process of being resumed," she told reporters at the Incheon airport on her way to Thailand for a regional forum. "We make it clear that it must be stopped."  North Kore