By Byun Duk-kun WASHINGTON, March 14 (Yonhap) -- Any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea will be the end of the reclusive regime in Pyongyang, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said Tuesday, amid concerns of a nuclear test by the reclusive country. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder also reiterated that the U.S. remains committed to deterring aggression. "I think we have been very clear that were North Korea to employ a nuclear weapon, it would be the end of the North Korean regime," the department press secretary told a daily press briefing. The U.S. had warned of such a dire consequence of a nuclear attack by North Korea after Pyongyang enacted a new law that it said would allow preemptive use of its nuclear weapons in case of a contingency. "Any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime," the defense department had said in its National Defense Strategy, released in Octobe

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SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. B-1B strategic bomber returned to South Korea for joint exercises Sunday, just 16 days after its previous deployment, as Pyongyang fired yet another ballistic missile into the East Sea, according to the defense ministry. The drills took place in skies over the Korean Peninsula as part of the Freedom Shield exercise that has been under way since March 13, and also involved F-35A stealth fighter jets of South Korea and U.S. F-16 fighters, the ministry said. A B-1B bomber was previously deployed to the peninsula on March 3. The deployment, seen as a show of force against North Korea, came as the North fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea earlier Sunday, three days after Pyongyang test-fired a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The defense ministry said the joint air drills demonstrated the robust combined defense posture of the South Korean and U.S. air forces and commitment to extended deterrence, w

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SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's development of a high-thrust engine capable of carrying a rocket has provided a "sure guarantee" for the country to launch various satellites into orbit, according to state media Monday. Pak Kyong-su, vice director of the National Aerospace Development Administration, made the remarks amid speculation the North is likely to put a military spy satellite into orbit by April. In an interview by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of the North's accession to the international outer space treaty, Pak said the North has made "steady" progress in the work to develop "multi-functional and high-performance" satellites. "It succeeded in developing high-thrust engine for carrier rocket and thus provided a sure guarantee for launching various kinds of satellites into relevant orbits," Pak said in an English-language dispatch carried by the KCNA. He said the North has applied its space scienc

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(ATTN: UPDATES with SM's statement in last five paras; ADDS photo) By Kim Eun-jung SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS and the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment, said Friday it will take all necessary legal measures against a recent contract that SM struck with its alliance partner Kakao Entertainment in defiance of Hybe's takeover bid. The contract, which gives Kakao the exclusive right to circulate SM's albums and music as well as the preemptive right to purchase new shares in SM, was made known Thursday amid Hybe's ongoing bid to take over SM after becoming its largest shareholder. "After learning of what is in the business contract, we were both surprised and concerned," Hybe said in a statement. "A review is under way on legal problems contained in this contract. According to its result, we will take all necessary legal measures, both civil and criminal." Hybe claimed the deal means Kakao could keep increasing its share in SM by takin

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(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info; ADDS photo) By Yi Wonju SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean foreign ministry official on Friday warned that Pyongyang will regard what it claims to be "hostile practices" from the United States as a "declaration of war" against the reclusive country. Kwon Jong-gun, director-general for U.S. affairs at the ministry, also called on Washington to halt its deployment of strategic assets to Korea and combined drills with Seoul to prevent the "vicious cycle" of escalating military tension on the peninsula, in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The U.S. should bear in mind that if it persists in its hostile and provocative practices against the DPRK despite the latter's repeated protest and warning, it can be regarded as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the KCNA said in the English-language report. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. H

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SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine has arrived in South Korea for a scheduled visit, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said Saturday, in an apparent show of force and a warning to North Korea against provocations. The 6,000-ton Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Springfield docked at the naval base in the southern port city of Busan for a "scheduled port visit," it said in a social media post, without revealing the timing of the arrival. The USS Springfield, deployed to Guam, "routinely operates in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, conducting maritime security operations and supporting national security interests," the post read. The U.S. Pacific Fleet disclosed photos of the naval vessel hanging the national flags of the allies on the wall of the conning tower and crew members of the South Korean Navy welcoming the arrival. The rare disclosure of the submarine's deployment to the South appears intended at sending a stern warning to Nor

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SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has decided to take "important, practical" measures for the "offensive use" of war deterrents, state media said Sunday, with the United States and South Korea set to launch their joint military exercise this week. The decision was made at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), presided over by leader Kim Jong-un, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Washington and Seoul are scheduled to kick off the Freedom Shield (FS) exercise Monday for an 11-day run, along with a large-scale field maneuver, called the Warrior Shield. "The meeting discussed and adopted the important practical steps for making more effective, powerful and offensive use of the war deterrent of the country in coping with the present situation in which the war provocations of the U.S. and south Korea are reaching the red-line," the KCNA said in an English-language dispatch. It did not s

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SEOUL, March 7 (Yonhap) -- Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned Tuesday the North is ready to take "overwhelming" actions against military activities by the United States and South Korea, as its rivals are staging joint military drills involving American strategic assets. Kim also warned the North will regard any U.S. attempt to intercept a missile that it will fire as a "clear declaration of war" against the reclusive nation, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "As already clarified, we keep our eye on the restless military moves by the U.S. forces and the south Korean puppet military and are always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time according to our judgment," Kim said in an English-language statement carried by the state-run media. Seoul and Washington conducted combined air drills Monday, involving at least one U.S. nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber, in the wake of Friday's

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SEOUL, March 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will end the mask mandate for public transportation next week, the government announced Wednesday, lifting one of the last-remaining COVID-19 restrictions amid a stable virus situation. Vice Interior Minister Han Chang-seob said during a government COVID-19 response meeting that the lifting will go into effect Monday. The decision came as South Korea's daily virus tally continues its downward trend, reaching 11,401 cases Tuesday. Currently, wearing a mask is mandatory on public transportation, including buses, subways and taxis, as well as at hospitals, pharmacies and other high-risk facilities after the government lifted the indoor mask mandate on Jan. 30 except for those places. The mask mandate will remain in place for medical facilities, pharmacies and facilities vulnerable to infections. pbr@yna.co.kr

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SEOUL, March 15 (Yonhap) -- A grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, who ruthlessly crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1980, called his grandfather a "slaughterer," while accusing his family of allegedly using money from hidden assets. Since Monday, the grandson, named Chun Woo-won, has been posting undisclosed photos and fresh revelations about his family on social media that went viral in South Korea. "I believe my grandfather is a slaughterer. He is not a hero that protected the country but just a criminal," he said in a video uploaded on his Instagram account. The former president, who died at the age of 90 in 2021, seized power in a 1979 military coup and served as a president from 1980 to 1988. He has been widely criticized for the bloody crackdown on the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, which left hundreds of people dead. In a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Jae-yong, a son of the former strongman, confirmed that Woo-won is his son. Ja

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