Category Archive: War

Aug 18

North Korean MiG crashes in China

Categories:

China, Defection, North Korea, War

August 18, 2010

A North Korean MiG fighter jet crashed in China on Tuesday, roughly 150km north of the border. Though many details remain unclear, speculation is that the pilot was attempting to defect to Russia, was way off course, and ran out of fuel. The pilot died immediately. China is currently in communications with the DPRK about the incident. We are also unsure of whether the plane was a MiG 15, a Russian military relic used primarily for training, or the more combat-ready MiG 21 (though introduced in 1959 and retired by the Russians in ’90).

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/262

Aug 13

News round-up…

Categories:

Kim Jong-Il, North Korea, Offbeat, War

August 13, 2010

Breaking news has been quiet from the DPRK. However, Time Magazine has an interesting writeup on the sinking of the Cheonan and the speculation surrounding it. Read it here.

While fairly old news, a lot of agencies have finally picked this story up: North Korea has made an appeal to the Czech Republic to have its cold war era debts erased, however the Czech government has stated that it demands full repayment, however trade goods are an option. NK offered to repay some of the debt with ginseng, renowned as being some of the world’s finest. The Czechs, however, would prefer zinc.

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

In another story that’s half “awwww…” and half “oh dear…”, a 13 year old boy from Mississippi (and of Korean descent) has a letter for Kim Jong-Il, and is heading to Pyongyang soon for a week long vacation with his parents. The letter contains his hopes that a “peace forest” can be planted on the DMZ where children from either side can play. A naive and optimistic view, for sure, but you must admire the teen’s education on such topics and the cruel senselessness of the war that divides the nations.

Source: Yahoo! News

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/234

Aug 09

Breaking: North Korea firing artillery into west coast

Categories:

Military, North Korea, War

August 9, 2010

Details are sketchy at the moment, but it has been reported by the South’s Defense Ministry that North Korea has fired artillery shells into the sea. How much artillery, what they may have been firing at (if anything), and how close to disputed borders the firing occurred at has yet to be release.

Update: Yonhap News is reporting that 110 shells were fired, all on the North side of the Northern Limit Line of the Yellow Sea. It is still unclear whether they were firing at anything specific, or if this simply was a demonstration of force. The South’s Navy is on heightened alert.

Source: Associated Press via Google News / Yonhap News

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/222

Aug 09

More details on seized fishing vessel

Categories:

China, Military, North Korea, South Korea, War

August 9, 2010

A number of media outlets reported this weekend on the seizure of a North Korean fishing vessel. The North has been completely mum on the issue; appeals from Seoul for the safe return of the vessel and her crew have gone unanswered. The ship, the “Daeseung”, was crewed by 4 South Koreans and 3 Chinese civilians, so it will be interesting to see China’s reaction to this movie. The ship was believed to be in disputed waters, and the last communication with the boat was made at 4:45PM (Korea time), just a few hours after responding affirmatively to a SK Fisheries department asking “Are you now being towed by a North Korean patrol ship?”.

Source: DailyNK

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/221

Aug 08

Breaking: SK fishing boat seized by North

Categories:

Military, North Korea, South Korea, War

August 8, 2010

I have no details other than this, Associated Press has a tiny blurb about it and noone else seems to be carrying the story on this sleepy Sunday morning. Will post more when I see more. Full text: “Seoul says North Korea has seized South Korean fishing boat in waters off the eastern coast”.

This comes in the wake of a huge cabinet reshuffle in South Korea by president Lee Myung-Bak, and in the middle of South Korean naval exercises designed to intimidate and deter an ever-threatening North.

Source: @BreakingNews / Yonhap News (2)

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/214

Aug 06

South Korea’s second day of naval exercises

Categories:

North Korea, South Korea, War

August 6, 2010

4500 troops, an amphibious landing ship, a destroyer and dozens of fighter jets are performing drills in a simulated battle to prepare against a maritime invasion from the North. This is the 2nd day of the 5 day exercise.

Source: Yonhap News

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/208

Aug 04

North positions anti-aircraft missiles in response to South drills

Categories:

Military, North Korea, South Korea, War

August 4, 2010

SA-5As the South begins Thursday a 5 day naval exercise in the Yellow Sea, North Korea has responded by moving its SA-5 anti-air missiles towards the action. The North has previously threatened “strong physical retaliation” as a response to the drills, and the South has challenged back that any provocation will result in an immediate counter-attack. Is Korean War 2 about to break out on the peninsula?

Source: Chosun Ilbo / Google News

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/197

Aug 03

Sea of fire, nuclear destruction, retaliatory sacred war, etc, etc…

Categories:

Military, North Korea, Nuclear, Propaganda, South Korea, War

August 3, 2010

I don’t know if it’s even worth posting these, as the North threatens “all out war” on a seemingly daily basis since being directly accused for the sinking of the Cheonan this past March. The latest threats are in response to South Korean anti-submarine drills near the maritime border between the warring nations.

Source: Yonhap News

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/189

Aug 01

North Korean mines kill South Korean, wounds another

Categories:

Military, North Korea, South Korea, War

August 1, 2010

Hard to tell what to make of this story: North Korean mines in boxes have washed ashore in South Korea, reportedly due to heavy rains. A fisherman grabbed one of the boxes which exploded, killing him and wounding another. 30 of these mines have come ashore since Saturday. Korean War relics, or a new type of warfare in the wake of the Cheonan incident?

Source: MSNBC

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/161

Jul 30

North unable to deploy nuclear arsenal

Categories:

Military, North Korea, Nuclear, War

July 30, 2010

A report titled “World Nuclear Stockpile Report” by a magazine called “Bulletin of Atomic Scientists” claims that despite two tests performed in 2006 and 2009, and enough plutonium to construct 8-12 more bombs, the DPRK is unable to weaponize their nuclear arsenal. US Intelligence agencies believe the state possesses no missiles capable of delivering the ordinance.

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/147

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