Kim Jong Un’s 2018 New Year's Address
National Committee on North Korea
Comrades, As I look back upon last year, when I worked strenuously on the road of achieving national prosperity, gaining great strength and wisdom from the pure minds of the dauntless people who invariably trusted and followed the Party even in the face of manifold difficulties and trials, I feel my heart swelling with the pride in waging the revolution shoulder to shoulder with a great people. On behalf of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, I extend sincere thanks and New Year greetings to all the people and service personnel who won miraculous victories to be noteworthy in the national history of 5 000 years by sharing mind and purpose with the Party and supporting its determination on the road of arduous yet glorious struggle.
Introducing the DF-17: China's Newly Tested Ballistic Missile Armed With a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle
Ankit Panda | Diplomat
China carried out the first flight-tests of a new kind of ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) in November, The Diplomat has learned. According to a U.S. government source who described recent intelligence assessments on the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) on the condition of anonymity, China recently conducted two tests of a new missile known as the DF-17.
How the Korean War Put Presidents in Charge of Nuclear Weapons
Se Young Jang | Washington Post
Thanks to his off-the-cuff, bellicose reactions to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, President Trump has generated controversy over what authority a president has to unilaterally deploy nuclear weapons. A recent Senate hearing attracted significant public attention, but failed to resolve the controversy. This debate, however, is not new, but one that traces back to the start of the atomic age. Ironically, given that North Korea has spurred the current concern, an earlier conflict between the United States and North Korea helped shape the current structure of our nuclear command. In that case, control of America’s nuclear arsenal was determined by military and diplomatic needs, not by a clearly defined legal structure or debates about the ideal way to handle nuclear weapons. The same will hold true today.
India’s Advanced Air Defense Interceptor Destroys Incoming Ballistic Missile in Test
Franz-Stefan Gady | Diplomat
India has successfully test fired its indigenously designed and built Advanced Air Defense (AAD)/ Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor missile on Abdul Kalam Island, home to the Indian military’s principle missile test facility, the Integrated Test Range, off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal on December 28, according to local media reports.
Nuclear War With North Korea is Closer Than Ever, Says Former U.S. Military Chief
Telegraph
The United States is closer than ever before to war with North Korea, according to Mike Mullen, a retired admiral who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Barack Obama. In an interview broadcast by ABC’s This Week programme he said he did not see any diplomatic resolution to the stand-off with Pyongyang as it goes about developing its nuclear missile capability and Donald Trump’s continues with his provocative rhetoric.
Kim Jong Un’s Trap for South Korea
Scott Snyder | Atlantic
With about five weeks to go until the Winter Olympics in South Korea, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un suddenly appeared to reverse course. Having focused on nuclear and missile testing while rejecting conciliatory calls from the South to open dialogue, Kim in a New Year’s speech made his own offer for talks on how to create a peaceful environment for the Olympics and the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding. The South quickly accepted, proposing to hold talks next week.