The US Strategic Command confirmed North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch, saying the projectile is believed to be either a medium- or intermediate-range missile. "US Strategic Command systems detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean missile launch at 4:55 p.m. CST. The launch of a medium- or intermediate-range ballistic missile occurred near the northwestern city of Kusong,...

A South Korean missionary has been arrested in the Chinese border city of Yanji, a foreign ministry official here said Saturday, adding the ministry is moving to provide legal and diplomatic support to the South Korean. The Korean man, identified only by his surname Kim, was detained Thursday in Yanji, Jilin Province, and was ordered to five days of detention on charges of violating immigration ...

US Defense Secretary James Mattis sees his ongoing visit to South Korea as a "listening trip" aimed at having a chance to learn what its allies think and say on key issues of mutual concerns, a diplomatic source said Friday. Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, arrived in South Korea on Thursday for a two-day stay. This is his first overseas trip since taking office, and he plans to leave for...

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that none other than North Korea needs to worry about the planned deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system in South Korea. Mattis, who arrived in Seoul on his first overseas trip since taking office, made the remark to reporters traveling together with him on the plane, stressing THAAD is a defensive system, according to a transcript provided by the ...

US National Security Advisor Mike Flynn on Sunday held a phone conversation with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, expressing hope over the development of the Seoul-Washington alliance. South Korea's presidential office said Flynn suggested that the two countries maintain close ties on key security issues. Kim also congratulated US President Donald Trump for his inauguration and said S...

South Korea's National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee said Friday it will send a bipartisan delegation to the inauguration ceremony for US President-elect Donald Trump slated for Jan. 20. The delegation headed by Rep. Sim Jae-kwon of the main opposition Democratic Party will visit the United States from Monday through Sunday. They will also meet with Sen. Bob Corker, chairma...

South Korea's defense chief pledged Friday to strengthen the already strong alliance with the United States to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula amid growing threats from North Korea. "The security situation on the Korean Peninsula is grave," Defense Minister Han Min-koo said in a meeting with defense experts, citing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's New Year's message. Kim sai...

US special operation forces are expected to participate in a South Korean-led operation to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the event of war, according to military sources Sunday. "The South Korean military will form a special brigade based on that of the US sometime later this year," said a high-ranking government official on the condition of anonymity, adding that US special agents ar...

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called on South Korea to remove a statue of a "comfort woman" which has reignited a diplomatic row over Tokyo's wartime sex slavery. Tensions spiked on Friday when Tokyo recalled its ambassador over the statue which was placed outside its consulate in Busan last month, symbolising women forced to work in Japanese military brothels mostly duri...