China has had growing tensions with North Korea regarding its nuclear program and has in recent times tried to distance itself from the dysfunctional regime.
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“The Army’s assigned and rotational forces in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region today provide a deterrent and contingency response capability that strengthens defense relationships and builds increased capacity with our allies”, they said.
The South Korean assessment is just the latest piece of a story that began last month when North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un claimed his country had successfully created a miniature nuclear warhead small enough to mount on a missile.
This comes a day after South Korean officials said they believed that the North was now able to mount a nuclear warhead on a medium-range missile, and after China sharply curtailed trade with its dependent neighbor.
The group was comprised of 12 female employees and their male manager, working for a restaurant that North Korea operates at an unspecified location overseas.
North Korean defections are a bitter point of contention between the rival Koreas. “But we have not seen them demonstrate it”.
Pyongyang has made a series of nuclear tests and claimed earlier this year to have successfully miniaturized a nuclear weapon.
China has said that it is limiting its trade with North Korea after the rogue nation conducted a fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch in February.
The National Security Law has its origins in the founding of South Korea in 1948 as a bastion of anti-communism on the doorstep of the Soviet-backed North. Critics say the law raises questions about freedom of expression in the democratic country.
Britain has been a “strong supporter” of South Korea grappling with North Korea’s nuclear threats, the top British envoy in Seoul said Friday, underscoring that his country has a “very strong interest” in the stability of the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea’s nuclear aspirations have been an object of concern for many western nations for the past few decades.
Han’s revelation backs up previous reports that the there are suspicious activities happening at North Korea’s Yongbyon Radiochemical Laboratory, which might hint on the country perfecting the experimental light water reactor.
Meanwhile, North Korea is detaining two USA citizens and one Canadian.
Several North Korean mining companies have been accused of channeling funds directly to weapons programs.
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The North Korean regime seems to have revised school textbooks after Kim Jong-un became leader to ramp up the personality cult surrounding the ruling Kim family even further.
