SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. reconnaissance plane flew above the Korean Peninsula over the weekend, an aviation tracker said Sunday, in an apparent sign of beefed-up surveillance of North Korea following its recent test-firing of a multiple rocket launcher. The U.S. Air Force's U-2S plane was spotted flying at an altitude of around 15,240 meters over the Seoul metropolitan area, northern Gangwon Province and central Chungcheong Province on Saturday, according to Aircraft Spots. The plane, nicknamed the Dragon Lady, is known to have carried out a surveillance mission over areas surrounding the heavily fortified inter-Korean border with an aim to monitor North Korea's front-line military activities. Before the North's test-firing of what it calls a super-large multiple rocket launcher Thursday, the U.S. military operated several surveillance planes over the peninsula. The U.S.' monitoring efforts came as Pyongyang has been ratcheting up tensions through a coastal artil

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SEOUL/GUNSAN, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- A pilot from a United States Air force unit in the South Korean city of Gunsan sustained injuries while landing an F-16 fighter jet at the unit's air base Monday. The pilot from the 8th Fighter Wing suffered minor injuries while trying to get out of the fighter on the runway at around 3:30 p.m., according to military sources. The pilot was sent to a hospital, although the exact reason the pilot tried to exit the cockpit and the overall condition F-16 at the time of the landing remain unclear. No crash or explosion were reported at the base on South Korea's west coast, 270 kilometers south of Seoul. Following the incident, the head of the 8th Fighter Wing temporarily halted all military and civilian flight operations from Gunsan. Investigators are currently looking into the exact cause of the mishap. pbr@yna.co.kr

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(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more Trump remarks, details) By Lee Haye-ah WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump hinted Tuesday that the United States may use military force against North Korea if necessary, after Pyongyang warned that an end-of-year deadline for the two countries' denuclearization negotiations is drawing near. Trump revived the threat of military action as negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled over how to match the North's denuclearization steps with U.S. concessions. But the U.S. president also emphasized his close personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he hopes Kim will abide by his commitment to dismantle his country's nuclear weapons program. "Now we have the most powerful military we've ever had and we're by far the most powerful country in the world," Trump told reporters in London, where he is attending a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders. "And, hopefully, w

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(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from 4th para) SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Wednesday lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump for hinting at the use of force against the communist state, saying it too will take "prompt" measures if necessary. "One thing I would like to make clear is that the use of armed forces is not the privilege of the U.S. only," Pak Jong Chon, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, said in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency. "Anyone can guess with what action the DPRK will answer if the U.S. undertakes military actions against the DPRK," said the statement. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The statement came hours after Trump said Washington could use force if it must while attending the NATO summit in Britain. "Now we have the most powerful military we've ever had and we're by far the most powerful country in the world. And, hopefully, we

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SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A recent change in North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's fashion style is raising questions over whether it reflects his desire to craft a unique image of his own, eight years after he took the throne in a third-generation hereditary power succession. In a shift from his characteristic style reminiscent of those of his late grandfather and father, Kim was seen wearing a black leather trench coat while overseeing a test-firing of a super-large multiple rocket launcher Thursday. The relatively young leader was also spotted donning a long ivory trench coat and a blue shirt during his "field guidance" at a military installation on the border islet of Changrin days earlier. Such a change has spawned a flurry of speculation that now with consolidated power in the communist state, Kim might be seeking to cultivate his own image that sets himself apart from his predecessors. "Kim appears to be striving to build his own image and sphere as much as he can,

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SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. reconnaissance plane flew above the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Monday, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea amid concerns the communist nation could undertake additional military provocations after last week's short-range rocket firings. The plane, believed to be a RC-135W Ribet Joint, was spotted flying in the skies above South Korea's Yellow Sea and capital areas "on task over the Korean Peninsula," Aircraft Spots posted on Twitter. It did not specify the exact time of the operation. The operation is the latest in a series of the U.S. military's deployment of several surveillance planes, including U-2S, EP-3C, E-8C and RC-135V jets, over the peninsula in recent days, which came as Pyongyang has ratcheted up tensions through military movements. On Thursday, it test-fired a super-large multiple rocket launcher as the 13th round of major weapons tests so far this year. On Nov. 23, the North carried out coastal ar

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(ATTNL ADDS more info from 6th para) By Koh Byung-joon SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Tuesday that a year-end deadline is drawing near for the United States to come up with a new proposal in their nuclear negotiations, warning it is entirely up to Washington what "Christmas gift" it wants to get. North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Thae-song issued the warning, saying Pyongyang has tried hard "not to backtrack from the important steps it has taken," referring to a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests and other measures it has taken to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization. The warning apparently means that unless the U.S. comes up with a new negotiating proposal acceptable to Pyongyang, the communist regime could restart testing of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). U.S. President Donald Trump has touted the moratorium as a key achievement. "The DPRK has done its utmost with maximum perseverance not to b

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By Koh Byung-joon SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rode a horse to visit Mount Paekdu, considered the birthplace of his late father, for the second time in less than two months, calling for a fight against "imperialists" and "class enemies," state media reported on Wednesday. His trip to the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula came as North Korea and the United States are ramping up pressure on each other to make more concessions as the year-end deadline Pyongyang set for Washington to come up with new proposals in their denuclearization talks is drawing closer. The trip, the second of its kind since October, also suggests that Kim could soon make a major policy announcement as he has visited there ahead of big political or diplomatic decisions in the past. "Riding a steed across the vast area of Mt. Paektu together with the commanding officers who accompanied him, he recollected the bloody history of the guerrillas who recorded dignity on the firs

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(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with KCNA's English language report, minor edits) By Choi Soo-hyang SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean official said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remarks hinting at the use of military force against Pyongyang and belittling its leader Kim Jong-un will be a "very dangerous challenge" if they were not made in error. North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made the remarks in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, warning that Pyongyang could resume the tit-for-tat name-calling against the U.S. if similar expressions are used again. While attending a NATO summit in Britain on Tuesday, Trump said Washington could use force if it must, urging North Korea and its leader Kim to honor their agreement to denuclearize, referring to him as "Rocket Man." "It would be fortunate if the utterances of the use of military force and the title of figurative style made by President Tru

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By Song Sang-ho SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about the possibility of using force against North Korea appears intended to warn against possible provocations ahead of the year-end deadline the regime set for Washington to show flexibility in their deadlocked nuclear talks, analysts said Wednesday. Trump made the threat of military action on Tuesday, just hours after the North reiterated that the deadline is approaching and warned that it is entirely up to Washington what "Christmas gift" it wants to get. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has set the deadline for Washington to come up with an acceptable proposal to move forward the nuclear negotiations, warning that Pyongyang could otherwise take a "new way." "Now we have the most powerful military we've ever had and we're by far the most powerful country in the world," Trump told reporters during his trip to London to attend a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders. "And, ho

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