DefenceTalkNorth Korea is poised to conduct a nuclear test, Seoul and Washington said Thursday, with the United States warning it could come as President Joe Biden visits South Korea this week. Touted as proof of the US “pivot” to Asia, Biden’s first trip as president to the region looks set to be overshadowed by an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-ready-for-nuclear-test-with-biden-due-in-seoul-78799/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, Seoul said, a week after Kim Jong Un vowed to boost Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal and just days before the South inaugurates a new, hawkish president. Pyongyang has conducted 14 weapons tests since January, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full-range for the first time since 2017. Last […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-in-latest-show-of-force-78751/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea will rapidly accelerate development of its nuclear arsenal, leader Kim Jong Un said while overseeing a vast military parade showcasing his most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Tuesday. Despite biting sanctions, North Korea has doubled down on Kim’s military modernisation drive, test-firing a slew of banned weapons this year while ignoring […]https://www.defencetalk.com/at-military-parade-kim-vows-to-boost-north-koreas-nuclear-arsenal-78730/

DefenceTalkKim Jong Un supervised the test-firing of a new guided weapons system to improve North Korea’s “tactical nukes”, state media said Sunday, capping days of celebrations surrounding the birthday of the country’s founding leader. The launch was the latest in an unprecedented blitz of sanctions-busting weapons-tests this year, which included firing an intercontinental ballistic missile […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-tests-new-weapons-system-to-improve-tactical-nukes-78700/

DefenceTalkAfter firing its largest-ever missile, North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, officials and analysts say, reviving a longstanding debate south of the border: should Seoul have nukes too? Pyongyang has conducted a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-koreas-tests-stir-nuclear-debate-in-south-78685/

DefenceTalkPyongyang is ignoring US overtures for talks and could be planning its first nuclear weapon test in nearly five years for its April 15 holiday, the State Department’s top North Korea envoy said Wednesday. Sung Kim, the Special Representative for North Korea Policy, said Washington thinks Pyongyang could be planning a big show of its […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-nuclear-test-on-coming-anniversary-us-envoy-78638/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea will use its nuclear weapons to “eliminate” South Korea’s army in the event they launch a pre-emptive strike, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un said Tuesday. Kim Yo Jong’s warning, carried in state media, was her second angry retort in three days to comments made by South Korea’s defence chief Suh […]https://www.defencetalk.com/kims-sister-says-north-korea-nukes-could-eliminate-south-78592/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea faked a “successful” launch of its most powerful long-range missile to shore up domestic support for Kim Jong Un’s regime after the real test ended in failure, analysts say. State media trumpeted the “miraculous” launch of what it claimed was a new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile on March 24, publishing dramatic photos and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/why-did-north-korea-fake-a-monster-missile-test-78550/

DefenceTalkNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to build up “overwhelming” and unstoppable military power, state media reported Monday, days after he presided over the nation’s biggest missile launch. Kim’s comments follow Pyongyang successfully carrying out the launch in defiance of crippling international sanctions on Thursday, the first time the North has fired an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-koreas-kim-vows-overwhelming-military-power-state-media-78520/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the test-firing of the country’s “new type” of intercontinental ballistic missile to boost its nuclear deterrent against the US “imperialists”, state media reported Friday. The Thursday launch was the first time Pyongyang has fired Kim’s most powerful missiles at full range since 2017, and it appears to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-says-kim-ordered-test-of-new-type-of-icbm-78496/