Nuclear Programme

Is North Korea on the path to denuclearisation?

This past weekend, Kim Jong-un made the surprising announcement that he would suspend nuclear missile tests with immediate effect. He also declared that he will shut down the site where the previous nuclear tests were conducted. The announcement was made through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) national news agency, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

25 April 2018
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ASEAN Roundup: January 1 - January 7, 2018

What can we expect from 2018?The ASEAN Post began the year with an in-depth review of what to expect from the region throughout 2018. The review covered aspects including capital markets, energy, environment, real estate, general elections and the Belt Road Initiative (BRI).Last year, ASEAN was touted to admit its 11th member – Timor-Leste but failed to do so. The topic of ascension to ASEAN is easy enough to understand.

7 January 2018
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Does it matter, who has the “bigger” nuclear button?

North Korean authoritarian leader, Kim Jong-Un, in a New Year address, warned that he had a “nuclear button” on his desk. In response, United States (US) President Donald Trump tweeted that he has his own nuclear button on his table that is “bigger and more powerful.”Does it really matter?Yes and no. Yes, it does matter that North Korea has nuclear weapons and if it will deploy those weapons against its enemies like the US or Japan.

3 January 2018
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South Korea proposes high-level talks with North

South Korea Tuesday proposed high-level talks with Pyongyang on January 9, after the North's leader Kim Jong-Un called for better relations and said his country might attend the Winter Olympics in the South.Kim used his annual New Year address to warn he has a "nuclear button" on his table, but sweetened his remarks by expressing an interest in dialogue and taking part in the Pyeongchang Games next month.South Korea's unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon told a press confe

2 January 2018
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North Korea: Recent UN sanctions an ‘act of war’

North Korea has slammed recent sanctions over its missile tests as an “act of war” on Sunday, its first response to the latest diplomatic move to punish Pyongyang's ever-accelerating weapons drive. "We fully reject the latest UN sanctions...

25 December 2017
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Isolating the hermit kingdom

Pyongyang’s recent flurry of missile tests have sent shockwaves throughout the world. The recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test is said to be able to reach the continental United States.The response of the international community has been a mix of shock and disdain towards the hermit kingdom.

15 December 2017
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North Korea tells UN envoy it wants to prevent war

A senior UN official returning from Pyongyang said Tuesday that North Korean officials had told him it was important to prevent war but offered no concrete proposal for talks."They agreed that it was important to prevent war," Jeffrey Feltman, the UN's political affairs chief, told reporters after briefing the Security Council on his trip.Feltman met with North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-Kuk during his visit to Pyongyang over th

13 December 2017
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China to send envoy to North Korea

China will send a special envoy to North Korea this week, state media said Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump concluded an Asian tour to rally support against Pyongyang's nuclear threats.Friday's trip by President Xi Jinping's special envoy, Song Tao, is likely a diplomatic push by China to resolve the nuclear standoff, though the official Xinhua news agency merely said he will discuss last month's Chinese Communist Party congress.As Beijing prepared for the missio

15 November 2017
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N. Korea rules out negotiations as Trump heads to Asia

North Korea ruled out talks and threatened to increase its nuclear arsenal in a fresh warning to Donald Trump's administration Saturday as the US President set off on a tour of Asia.Trump departed for his first presidential trip to Asia Friday, with tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats looming large.

4 November 2017
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N.Korea: Nuclear war 'may break out any moment'

North Korea warned that a nuclear war “may break out any moment” as the US and South Korea began one of the largest joint naval drills off both the east and west coasts of the peninsula.Kim In Ryong, North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said on Monday that his nation had become a “full-fledged nuclear power which possesses the delivery means of various ranges” and warned that “the entire US mainland is within our firing range.” He also called North Korea “a responsible nucle

17 October 2017
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N. Korea readies missile launch ahead of US-S. Korea drill

North Korea is believed to be preparing to launch a ballistic missile ahead of an upcoming joint naval drill by the US and South Korea, a news report said Saturday, citing a government source.The US navy said Friday that a US aircraft carrier will lead the drill in the coming week, a fresh show of force against North Korea as tensions soar over the hermit state's weapons programme.The move will likely rile Pyongyang which has previously responded angrily to joint exercises.The Donga Ilbo

14 October 2017
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