https://www.scmp.com/rss/522616/feed The latest news and top stories on No Kwang-chol. A four-star general, he was reappointed Defence Minister of North Korea in October 2024, a role he previously held from 2018 to 2019. Known for his extensive military career and leadership in various capacities including First Vice Minister of National Defense and Chairman of the Second Economy Commission, he is considered a competent manager involved in military modernisation. His responsibilities include overseeing North Korea's armed forces.... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s attempt at engagement with the North by unilaterally reviving some inter-Korean agreements despite Pyongyang’s persistent hostility is a long-term reconciliation strategy, according to analysts. Lee on Monday ordered government ministries to prepare for a phased implementation of the suspended agreements, beginning with those that Seoul could act on independently. His latest call for trust building came as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322248/south-korea-revives-inter-korean-pacts-despite-norths-hostility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322248/south-korea-revives-inter-korean-pacts-despite-norths-hostility?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats from nuclear-armed North Korea, which has warned the drills would deepen regional tensions and vowed to respond to “any provocation” against its territory. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield – the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, after another set in March – will involve 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, in computer-simulated... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322181/south-korea-us-kick-ulchi-freedom-shield-drills-21000-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322181/south-korea-us-kick-ulchi-freedom-shield-drills-21000-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 04:00:26 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea has issued a notably restrained response to next week’s annual US–South Korean military exercises, signalling an effort by both sides to cool tensions on the Korean peninsula. A week before the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills are set to begin, Pyongyang’s defence minister No Kwang-chol on Monday denounced the exercises as “provocative” and warned of “negative consequences”. Yet analysts say his statement was stripped of the fiery invective that has long characterised the North’s reaction... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321435/whats-behind-north-koreas-unusual-reaction-us-south-korea-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321435/whats-behind-north-koreas-unusual-reaction-us-south-korea-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000