Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
Why is Kim taking 60-hour train trip?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is on his way to Hanoi, Vietnam, for his second summit with US President Donald Trump this week. While every movement of the isolated communist leader is a subject of attention, questions have been raised as to why Kim has chosen a 60-hour train ride, over a plane journey that would take just three or four hours.Kim started off on his long train trip Saturday afternoon, departing from Pyonngyang’s train station at around 4:30 p.m. If Kim were to take the train all
North Korea Feb. 25, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seoul, Tokyo at odds again over Japan’s participation in maritime exercises
Seoul and Tokyo are at odds over Japan’s participation in planned multinational maritime exercises in spring, raising tension between the two countries already strained by a recent military spat and historical issues. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and eight other partner countries, including Korea, plan to hold maritime exercises first in the coastal waters off Busan from April 29 to May 2, followed by waters off Singapore from May 9 to 13.After finalizing details during t
Defense Feb. 24, 2019
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Under sanctions, N. Korea’s cyber activities shifting toward financial gain: report
North Korea’s cyber operations against South Korea are increasingly carried out for financial gain, whereas its espionage attacks have become more subtle and sophisticated, a report said Wednesday.“The Evolution of North Korean Cyber Threats” by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies said the North’s illegal cyber activities had shifted toward theft in the past decade. (Yonhap)Describing the trends from 2009 to 2018, the report said Pyongyang had focused on Distributed Denial of Services attacks
North Korea Feb. 20, 2019
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North Korea ranks 2nd in cyberattack speed: report
North Korean hackers ranked second in cyberattack capabilities in terms of the speed in breaking into targeted networks, a report by a US cybersecurity firm said Wednesday.According to the Global Threat Report by CrowdStrike, North Korea was second in “breakout time” at 2 hours and 20 minutes, coming behind Russia, which recorded 18 minutes and 47 seconds. (123rf)Breakout time refers to the window of time from when the attacker first compromises the endpoint machine -- any device that has the ca
North Korea Feb. 20, 2019
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[Multicultural Korea] Military changing to embrace diversity
The number of foreign residents in Korea continues to grow and now accounts for some 3.6 percent of the country’s population. This story is part of a series that examines how Korea is grappling with the issue of multiculturalism, as well as the challenges facing new arrivals. -- Ed.In a country where the phrase “homogenous nation” was once chanted with pride not long ago, there was nothing strange about a provision within the military law that exempted men of mixed heritage from military service
Defense Feb. 19, 2019
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North Korea capable of tracking, targeting satellites: US report
North Korea possesses the capabilities to track and target satellites, posing a challenge to other militaries, the US Department of Defense said in a recent report.According to the report published Monday by the US Defense Intelligence Agency, “Challenges to Security in Space,” North Korea is among countries that pose a challenge to militaries using space-enabled services. (Yonhap)“Iran and North Korea maintain independent space launch capabilities, which can serve as avenues for testing ballis
North Korea Feb. 15, 2019
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[Herald Interview] Peace treaty for Korean Peninsula should be on agenda for Trump-Kim summit, peace activist says
PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Tensions are easing on the Korean Peninsula, a region where the wounds of war still remain. With the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un set to take place within a couple of weeks, hopes are high that their meeting will be a meaningful step toward peace on the peninsula.One of the most crucial tasks the two leaders should focus on at the upcoming summit is drawing up a peace treaty to bring a formal end to the 1950-
Foreign Affairs Feb. 14, 2019
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Vietnam orders hotels near Marriott Hotel Hanoi to cancel reservations for summit security: report
With the US-North Korea summit scheduled to take place Feb. 27-28 in Hanoi, the Vietnamese government has ordered hotels near JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi to cancel reservations that have already been made, a local daily here reported Wednesday.Hotels near the JW Marriott Hotel notified tour companies here that they would not be taking any reservations until after the forthcoming summit, per a Vietnamese government order, according to Maeil Business News. Flags of United States and North Korea in a
North Korea Feb. 13, 2019
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Korean defense companies selected to maintain F-35 stealth fighters
Korean companies have been selected for the maintenance of F-35 stealth fighters, the acquisition administration here said Tuesday. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Ellen Lord, US undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, has announced that a consortium of Korean defense companies, Team ROK, has been officially selected for the maintenance of F-35 stealth fighter parts.Team ROK consists of Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Corp./Machinery, and Hanwha Techwin --
Defense Feb. 12, 2019
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[Feature] Mobile phones in barracks: Soldiers no longer under total control
One of the most rigid and conservative groups in South Korea is slowly changing: the military. Upon announcing a comprehensive military reform plan last year, the Defense Ministry has been implementing unprecedented policies out of respect for the rights of rank-and-file soldiers. A recent policy the ministry is moving to implement is allowing its conscripted soldiers to use their mobile phones inside the barracks, albeit for a limited number of hours a day. While it is unimaginable for c
Defense Feb. 12, 2019
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Pyongyang holds public execution of chief of state guesthouse for embezzling $3 million: report
The chief manager of the North Korean guesthouse where South Korean President Moon Jae-in stayed with his wife during his visit to Pyongyang was executed in public for embezzling some $3 million, a local daily here reported Tuesday.The chief manager of the Paekhwawon State Guest House, whose name was not revealed, was executed in public in December after being convicted of multiple offenses, including embezzlement, according to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper. According to sources, his wrongdoings wer
North Korea Feb. 12, 2019
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6 in 10 S. Koreans positive on US-NK summit: poll
Over 60 percent of South Koreans expect a positive outcome of denuclearization in the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a poll showed Monday. In a Realmeter poll conducted Friday, 62.5 percent of 501 respondents answered they expected some results in resolving North Korea’s denuclearization issue in the upcoming summit. (Reuters)On the other hand, 35.1 percent of the respondents said the summit will only weaken US-South Korea ties without brin
North Korea Feb. 11, 2019
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South Korea, US ink provisional defense cost-sharing pact
South Korea and the United States signed a provisional agreement Sunday on the sharing of costs to maintain US troops here, with South Korea raising its share by 8.2 percent. Seoul’s negotiator, Chang Won-sam, and his US counterpart, Timothy Betts, met in Seoul to ink the contract. Under the new deal, South Korea will pay about 1.03 trillion won ($890 million) to cover the costs of stationing the 28,500 members of US Forces Korea here throughout 2019. The figure reflects the rate of increase of
Defense Feb. 10, 2019
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Seoul waits for Pyongyang’s response on Tamiflu aid: Unification Ministry
While Seoul’s plan to deliver Tamiflu to Pyongyang continues to be delayed for unclear reasons for now over a month, the Unification Ministry said Thursday it is awaiting response from North Korea.The Unification Ministry had announced in early January that it would send 200,000 doses of the antiviral drug to North Korea via a land route as humanitarian aid, initially setting the delivery date for Jan. 11. The plan was delayed, however, with speculations that international sanctions against the
North Korea Feb. 7, 2019
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War-torn families observe Lunar New Year’s holiday with grief and disappointment
The Lunar New Year’s holiday is here, and South Korea’s roads and expressways are clogged with traffic as hundreds of thousands crisscross the nation to gather with family. But for people with family on the other side of the border -- in North Korea -- the national holiday is just another reminder of that separation.Korea’s turbulent history has taken its toll on the people, and particularly on families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. At one time, government statistics show, 132,124 South K
Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2019
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