South Korea's military began loudspeaker broadcasts over the weekend to inform ordinary North Koreans of the murder of the communist state's leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, military officials said Wednesday. The move aims to underscore the brutality of the dictatorial ruler in Pyongyang, whom Seoul believes masterminded the assassination of Kim Jong-nam at an airport in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13.In this photo taken on Jan. 8, 2016, a soldier stands before a loudspeaker

South Korea's top naval officer on Tuesday called for watertight vigilance against any possible North Korean provocations following the assassination of its leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam.Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Um Hyun-seong visited troops on two border islands of Udo and Yeongpyeong in the West Sea. "The murder of Kim Jong-nam clearly shows the regime's brutality and recklessness. The current security situation on the Korean peninsula and the region is at risk," the flag

The US military will complete its deployment of more than 80 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to South Korea by the end of this month, the Eighth US Army said Tuesday, amid the need to prepare for possible instability in North Korea down the road.The US Army began fielding MRAPs -- heavily armored vehicles credited with saving many lives in Iraq and Afghanistan -- to "multiple locations" on the Korean Peninsula in December, Col. Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, U.S. Army Photo b

Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un instructed officials to kill his half brother, accusing the country of an unforgivable and inhumane criminal act. Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was allegedly assassinated by two women under directions from North Korean agents in Malaysia last week. He had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the reclusive North. (Yonhap)In a report submitted to the Nation

South Korea's military is staying on high alert to counter any provocations by North Korea following the murder of the estranged half brother of the North's leader Kim Jong-un a week ago, the defense ministry said Monday."The North Korean military is conducting its regular winter drills and there is no unusual movement in the North. But because there can be a provocation at any time, we are fully prepared against all contingencies," Roh Jae-cheon, a spokesman for Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff, s

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday called for the protection of high-profile North Korean defectors after the murder of the half brother of the communist state's leader Kim Jong-un earlier this week.Hwang made the call during a regular meeting of ministers over a series of pending issues, such as Pyongyang's potential provocations, the spread of foot-and-mouth disease and the country's rising jobless rate.This photo, taken on Feb. 9, 2017, shows Acting Pr

South Korea's military said Thursday that it takes the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother very seriously and is maintaining a high level of readiness to deal with all threats to national security.In a press briefing, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it hasn't detected any unusual movement in North Korea following the suspected murder of Kim's estranged half-brother Jong-nam in Malaysia on Monday.  Kim Jong-nam, the elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yo

Top diplomats of South Korea and the United States will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss their coordinated approach to North Korea and its nuclear weapons program.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is to have talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later in the day on the sidelines of the Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting that will be held until Friday in Bonn, Germany, according to the ministry.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (L) and Chinese Foreign Minister W

South Korea's top diplomat said Wednesday that he will work to raise the awareness of the gravity and urgency of North Korea's nuclear threats during international events to be held in Germany this week.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is to leave for Bonn where a foreign ministers' meeting of a group of 20 countries will kick off on Thursday for a two-day run. He will also attend the Munich Security Conference that follows later in the week.   Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)Yun is seeking t

An advanced US Navy ship that tracks and monitors ballistic missiles arrived in South Korea's southern port city of Busan on Wednesday, the Seoul military said. The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen pulled into port three days after North Korea test-fired a newly developed intermediate-range ballistic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine which is more powerful and harder to detect than a liquid-fueled rocket.This photo taken on Feb. 15, 2017, shows the The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25) anchored in

Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party said Wednesday the assassination of the North Korean leader's half brother should be a wake-up call about the regime's unpredictable nature. Yoo, a potential presidential candidate, said South Korea should be ready and resolved to deal with the dangerous enemy, calling for an expanded deployment of an advanced US missile shield in the country.Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Feb. 15, 2017. (

A senior South Korean lawmaker on Tuesday called for a revision to the missile defense system sought by the country by the mid-2020s as North Korean missiles will likely become harder to detect before launch. The upcoming "kill chain" strike system and the Korean Air and Missile Defense system are both designed to detect and destroy incoming missiles in the shortest possible time. In this captured image from North Korea's state-owned Korean Central News Agency, the Pukguksong-2 missile flies aft

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will hold a National Security Council meeting to discuss the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, his office said.The NSC Standing Committee session, which is to begin at 8:50 a.m., will bring together top security and diplomatic officials, including the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and unification, and the head of the National Intelligence Service. Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap

South Korean parties on Wednesday expressed concerns over the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, urging the government to keep vigilant on possible provocations by the North.Sources said Kim Jong-nam, the 45-year-old eldest son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was killed after being poisoned in Malaysia on Monday. This undated file photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Red

South Korea on Tuesday welcomed the United Nations Security Council's prompt and strong response to North Korea's weekend missile test, saying it renewed international vigilance against North Korean provocations."(South Korea) appreciates the prompt and concerted issuance of a strong condemnation of North Korea's provocation by all UNSC member countries including China and Russia," Cho June-hyuck, spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press briefing.  The ministry spokesman Cho