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A North Korean warship damaged during its launch three weeks ago was set afloat on a second attempt as leader Kim Jong Un looked on, but analysts say the 5,000-ton destroyer may not yet be fully operational. On Thursday, North Korea held a formal launch ceremony for the repaired naval destroyer named ‘Kang Kon’ at the Rajin dockyard, 45 miles (72 kilometers) up the coast from Chongjin shipyard where the warship on May 21 fell sideways into the sea, leaving it partially submerged. “The warship was safely raised and floated…

SEOUL – South Korea’s military on Wednesday stopped its loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea that had blared K-pop and propaganda across the demilitarized zone for over a year. The move fulfills a campaign promise of the new South Korean president who favors engagement with Pyongyang. In his inaugural address last week, President Lee Jae-myung – who replaced ousted conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol – promised to improve inter-Korean relations and restart dialogue with Pyongyang, in sharp contrast to Yoon who adopted a more confrontational stance toward the North. Under Yoon,…

Satellite imagery shows a North Korea warship that tipped over during its launch last month is now undergoing repairs at drydock near the Russian and Chinese borders. An image from Maxar Technologies taken on Sunday shows the 5,000 ton naval destroyer at the dock in Raijin, which lies in a special economic zone in the northeastern tip of the country. The warship fell sideways into the sea during its launch at the Chongjin shipyard on May 21, leaving it partially submerged and stoking the anger of leader Kim Jong Un,…

Read about this topic in Korean. A North Korean warship that tipped over during its launch ceremony as the supreme leader looked on appears to have been righted, satellite imagery shows. The U.S.-based website 38 North, which specializes in North Korea, said that imagery taken on Monday showed the 5,000-ton naval destroyer now standing upright at a shipyard in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. The warship fell sideways into the sea during its launch at the shipyard on May 21, stoking the anger of leader Kim Jong Un, who…

South Korea has elected a new president – liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung – which represents a change in political direction for the country after the ouster of his conservative predecessor. Video: Will South Korea’s new president restart dialogue with North Korea?Tuesday’s national election follows months of turmoil after Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for briefly imposing martial law in a move that sent shockwaves through its democracy. Lee won by a comfortable margin over his main conservative rival, Kim Moon Soo, raising questions about relations with South Korea’s key…

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The final televised presidential debate ahead of South Korea’s June 3 election was dominated by fierce scrutiny over the leading candidate from the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung’s alleged involvement in illegal cash transfers to North Korea. The topic took center stage during the foreign policy and national security portion of the debate, when Lee underscored the importance of dialogue and peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang. Stressing that South Korea’s defense budget is double that of the North’s, he argued for diplomacy. However, his remarks provided an opening for…

SEOUL – The mood in the North Korean port city where a warship launch went badly wrong last week is grim, local residents say, as authorities make arrests and officials scramble to find ways to salvage the 5,000-ton vessel. North Korean state media has reported that several senior officials have been detained, including Hong Kil Ho, the manager of the Chongjin Shipyard, and Ri Hyong Son, a senior military industry official in the ruling Workers’ Party. The May 21 launch was meant to be a signature event for supreme leader…

A newly built North Korean destroyer that was damaged during a launch attempt this week may have suffered irreparable harm, analysts said, as the communist nation’s authorities moved to arrest those responsible. According to a Thursday report from the Beyond Parallel project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, the ship “may ultimately prove to be a complete loss.” North Korea’s latest naval destroyer has been significantly damaged prior to its launch. In a rare acknowledgment, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported yesterday an incident occurred…