The North Korean threat is real. Pyongyang has proven in recent years that the DPRK intends to not only expand but modernize both its nuclear weapons and the platforms that will carry them.

The post North Korea’s New Solid Fuel ICBM: A Game Changer? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea’s missile launches are in the headlines again, and a seventh nuclear test might be on the horizon. For most experts and pundits, Pyongyang, its nukes, and its million-strong military are but a threat to address. This threat justifies confronting North Korea at every corner and imposing harsh sanctions on it. Yet a policy […]

The post America Needs a New North Korea Strategy appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Despite Biden’s best efforts with South Korea, the summit declaration merely puts a band-aid on a festering wound in the bilateral alliance. 

The post Has Joe Biden Repaired U.S. Relations with South Korea? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

In recent days it has been reported in the Chosun Ilbo (one of South Korea’s most widely read daily newspapers) that if North Korea launches an ICBM into the “Pacific region,” the United States will “immediately” intercept it. This report was quickly responded to by Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, who warned of a “swift […]

The post If North Korea Launches a Full-Range ICBM Test Will Joe Biden Shoot It Down? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea’s Kim Yo-jong is at it again, making extreme threats. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Indo-Pacific commander, Adm. John Aquilino, reportedly said that the U.S. would “immediately” shoot down any intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fired over the U.S. territory of Guam or into the Pacific region.  On March 7, Kim Yo-jong is reported to […]

The post Why America Should Destroy North Korean ICBMs Fired Into the Pacific Ocean appeared first on 19FortyFive.

On Thursday morning, North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the Yellow Sea just days after Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement that any effort to shoot down one of North Korea’s test missiles would be an act of war. The missile was reportedly launched at around […]

The post Does North Korea Want to Start a Crisis? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

On March 6, Seoul announced a new plan for resolving the lingering dispute with Japan over compensation for South Koreans forced to labor for Japanese companies during the 1910-45 occupation. If successful, it would facilitate bilateral reconciliation and remove a major impediment to U.S. efforts to enhance trilateral security cooperation against common North Korean and […]

The post South Korea’s Bold Move to Mend Relations with Tokyo appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea warned on Tuesday morning that it would take “quick, overwhelming action” following the deployment of a U.S. Air Force nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress to the Korean Peninsula as part of joint exercises with South Korean warplanes. The bomber, which is capable of flying at high altitudes and subsonic speeds, has been the workhorse of […]

The post North Korea Not Happy With B-52s Flying Over South Korea appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Over the weekend of February 18th, North Korea conducted two more sets of important missile tests. On February 18th, North Korea launched what KCNA claimed was a Hwasong-15 (and early analysis tends to confirm that) on a lofted angle that if “leveled out” would have been sufficient to reach the continental United States.  The launch […]

The post North Korea Again Launches Two Different Nuclear-Capable Missiles: Significant? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea Just Tested Another ICBM: This Will Continue Indefinitely It is not surprising at all anymore that North Korea tests missiles. It launched another intercontinental ballistic missile in a test this weekend. And as usual, there is no obvious way for the rest of the world to stop them. Sanctions can make it harder […]

The post Get Ready: North Korea Testing ICBMs Is the New Normal appeared first on 19FortyFive.

The First Ladies of North Korea are again frequently turning up in global coverage of the reclusive state.  I found myself intrigued by the media response to Kim Yo Jong, DPRK Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, and now his daughter Ju Ae. Kim Yo Jong came to international prominence while I was still special […]

The post The First Ladies of North Korea: Their Roles and Meaning appeared first on 19FortyFive.

On February 8, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Army, North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang to call both external and internal attention to the strengths of the North’s military weapons. That parade climaxed with what appeared to be 11 Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and 5 large cannisters which some postulate […]

The post Why Is North Korea Showing Off Its ICBMs? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Growing North Korean ICBM Threat Will Exacerbate Allied Concerns. In a recent military parade, Pyongyang trotted out the largest number of multiple-warhead ICBMs it has ever displayed at one time and unveiled a new solid-fueled ICBM. North Korea’s steadily expanding long-range missile arsenal risks overwhelming the limited number of ground-based interceptors defending the American homeland. This, […]

The post North Korea’s Growing ICBM Threat: How America and South Korea Should Respond appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Approximately halfway into his first term, President Joe Biden has been given a wake-up call from Kim Jong Un that North Korea continues to remain a primary national security threat. Some policymakers, pundits, the press, and the public are concerned the administration has placed insufficient focus on in the first two years he has been […]

The post North Korea’s Political Warfare Strategy Has Failed: ROK – U.S. Alliance Needs a Superior Strategy appeared first on 19FortyFive.

South Korea’s President Mentions the Possible Nuclearization of His Country – South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol suggested in a press conference last week that South Korea might develop its own nuclear weapon. There has been a rolling debate in South Korea for about a year on its potential nuclearization. (Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel Here. […]

The post Will South Korea Build Nuclear Weapons? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

What Is North Korea Planning? As part of a significant speech Kim Jong-un gave on the last day of 2022, he made several key disclosures. Kim stated that his nation would develop a new ICBM and “exponentially” increase its nuclear capability. In the same speech, he also stated that North Korea’s nuclear weapons could now […]

The post North Korea Discloses “New” Nuclear Capabilities: Should We Be Worried? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Kim Jong Un’s 2022 was quite a year. North Korea set a new annual record for missile launches.  Short-range, medium range and intercontinental range devices were all included. These are often called “tests” in the news media, but perhaps “demonstration” is a more accurate term. No other similarly armed nation goes to the expense of […]

The post Will Deterrence Hold Against North Korea in 2023? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

At the end of 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made two dramatic announcements. He first claimed that because “South Korea has become ‘our undoubted enemy,’ it highlights the importance and necessity of a mass-producing of tactical nuclear weapons and calls for an exponential increase of the country’s nuclear arsenal.” Kim said that 30 KN-25 […]

The post What Can Deter North Korea? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

History might remember 2022 as the year of the drone. The small unmanned aerial systems aren’t new, of course, but their impact on the geopolitical stage is being felt like never before. Drones have let Ukraine target enemy airbases deep within Russia, and unmanned platforms have acted as a force multiplier for nations such as […]

The post North Korea: A Drone Powerhouse? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea’s weapons systems have developed in important ways since 2017. A spate of missile tests have involved submarine-launched ballistic missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. Of special interest to the United States and the international system, though, are tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles with ranges sufficient to reach all or most of America with a […]

The post North Korea: Is a “Full-Range” ICBM Test Coming Soon? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

The impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will reverberate across the international system for years and possibly for decades. (Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel Here. Check out More 19FortyFive Videos Here) While the Korean Peninsula sits on the opposite side of the continent, the prospects for war and peace are nevertheless affected by the continued […]

The post Russia’s Brutal War in Ukraine Casts a Shadow over Korea appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea couldn’t remain quiet in the shadow of the Ukraine invasion by their former patron. It demanded attention with a record-setting series of missile launches in 2022.  (Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel Here) It’s likely that these were more demonstrations than pure tests. Indeed our intelligence agencies are keen on knowing what foreign guests […]

The post North Korea’s Nuclear Missile Arsenal Is a Clear Threat to America appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, signaled that the regime may conduct a full-range ICBM flight to demonstrate unambiguously the survivability of its reentry vehicles carrying nuclear weapons. Such a launch would further inflame regional tensions and trigger strong allied responses. Pyongyang also harshly criticized Japan’s new national defense strategy, including Tokyo’s plans […]

The post Will North Korea Really Do a Full-Range ICBM Test? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea’s Friday announcement that it had successfully tested a “high-thrust, solid-fuel motor” was seriously bad news for the United States and its allies. Pyongyang’s ballistic missile program has long received considerable international attention (although regrettably little effective response), but last week’s test reached a potentially significant milestone. Solid-fuel missiles, unlike their liquid-fueled counterparts, are […]

The post Joe Biden’s ‘Strategic Patience’ on North Korea Is a Historic Mistake appeared first on 19FortyFive.

For more than three decades, the United States has sought to make the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) an international pariah. The primary goal of that strategy of isolation has been to force Pyongyang to abandon its ongoing nuclear weapons program, but an important secondary goal is to throttle the country’s ballistic missile program. […]

The post North Korea’s New ICBM Is A Nuclear Game Changer appeared first on 19FortyFive.

The international media has been drawn to the story of the possibility of a fourth-generation hereditary succession of the Kim family regime. This made headlines in global media outlets over the weekend of  November 18-21. This is the second announcement of the successor hypotheses, the first occurring in April 2020 when the North Korean leader […]

The post Legitimizing North Korean Hereditary Succession Harms the Korean People appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Why Arms Control and North Korea Don’t Mix: Over at Responsible Statecraft, a publication run by the Quincy Institute, I make the case that America’s approach toward North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is utter garbage and needs to end. The time for calling for complete nuclear rollback – or what we call denuclearization – is […]

The post Why Joe Biden Won’t Embrace Arms Control with North Korea appeared first on 19FortyFive.

What Would a South Korean Nuclear Weapons Program Look Like?: In the last year, a gathering debate has arisen in South Korea about whether it should build nuclear weapons to counter North Korea’s nuclear weapons. North Korea’s relentless missile testing program this year has pushed forward this debate. If the Pyongyang regime conducts another nuclear […]

The post Why South Korea Could Build a Small Nuclear Weapons Arsenal appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea, once again, tested an intercontinental ballistic missile this week. It is another among dozens of missile tests this year. This one notably can strike the continental United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to continue this year’s aggressive testing regimen. And a seventh nuclear test is widely expected this year […]

The post North Korea Keeps Testing ICBMs (And We Can’t Stop Them) appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Earlier this month after joint American and South Korean “Vigilant Storm” military exercises, North Korea test-launched up to 30 ballistic missiles in two days and an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile on November 3. To further provoke South Korea, the North conducted at least 180 flights with various warplanes. The South Koreans responded with 80 of its […]

The post The F-35 Is the Fighter North Korea Fears Most appeared first on 19FortyFive.

It is approximately 4,700 miles from the Korean peninsula to Ukraine. Yet, it now appears that both North and South Korea are playing a not-so-insignificant role in the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. It was reported in September that Russia had resorted to purchasing millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea to support […]

The post How Ukraine Could Win the ‘Artillery War’ Against Russia (Thanks to South Korea) appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea Does Indeed Have Underground Air Bases. And That’s Just the Beginning: It appears that North Korea has built a new, underground military base to house intercontinental ballistic missiles. The base would indicate North Korea’s expanding capabilities, its secretive nature, and the growing threat it poses.  Few nations threaten the status quo so intentionally as […]

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Editor’s Note: These remarks were provided to freedom-loving people who gathered on the National Mall on November 5, 2022, for the K-Peace Festival organized by the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council – Washington Chapter. Good afternoon.  I would like to thank the Washington Chapter of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council for organizing this important event and […]

The post Unification Must Be Korea’s Future appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Recently declassified U.S. intelligence indicates that North Korea is secretly supplying artillery shells and ammunition to Russia. U.S. officials believe that the quiet shipments of ammunition from North Korea confirm that Russia is still struggling to replace ammunition even for its conventional artillery systems. What’s more, the intelligence suggests that North Korea is purposely trying […]

The post North Korea Making Secret Ammo Shipments to Russia for Ukraine War appeared first on 19FortyFive.

What is North Korea Planning? On Monday, the United States and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills to date. More than 240 warplanes staged mock attacks 24 hours a day for the better part of this week. Dubbed “Vigilant Storm 23,” the training event, which runs through Friday, will include about […]

The post Nuclear Test? Why North Korea Could Start a New Crisis appeared first on 19FortyFive.

The Other North Korea Nuclear Threat: Chinese President Xi Jinping has stipulated a “three nos” policy for the Korean Peninsula: no war, no chaos, and no nuclear weapons. So far, he’s two for three. In fact, Beijing has largely been willing to overlook North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal based on the assumption it does not pose […]

The post Would North Korea Ever Turn Its Nuclear Missiles on China? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

On Wednesday, North Korea fired roughly 100 artillery shells into the sea. North Korea’s shell firing is understood to have been in response to South Korea’s own live-firing exercise, which occurred near the border between the two countries. South Korea detected the North Korean test. The test is the second in as many days; on […]

The post North Korea’s Artillery ‘Guns’ Can Kill Thousands of People Easily appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Rogue States Win if Russia uses Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine: Great anxiety has arisen because of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s oblique nuclear threats in the Ukraine war. There has been much talk of an escalating nuclear conflict with the West. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seems to think this possibility is substantial. Such a strike […]

The post Rogue States Like North Korea Win if Putin Uses Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Do not fear North Korea’s provocations. They are a standard expression of leader Kim Jong Un’s three-pronged strategy, which is built on political warfare, blackmail diplomacy, and advanced warfighting preparation.  The regime conducted seven missiles launches of various types over a two-week period ending on Oct. 11. Pyongyang is likely to continue such provocations, and […]

The post North Korea’s Provocations: Time for an Asymmetric Approach appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Last week’s North Korean Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) launch, part of a renewed pattern of violations of UN resolutions, was a major concern for Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States. It could be time to get creative in seeking to deter North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un from future provocative acts. Could K-Pop, the global […]

The post How to Stop North Korea’s Missile Tests: One Million USB Drives Loaded with K-Pop? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Last week, North Korea tested a ballistic missile by launching it over Japan. The last few weeks have seen a stepped-up testing rate from the North. Ostensibly these tests are to protest US-South Korea military exercises, including the visit of a US aircraft carrier to South Korea. Pyongyang has a history of testing to make a […]

The post North Korea Will Keep Testing Missiles (There Is Little We Can Do About It) appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch – its first over Japan since 2017 – is another escalation in provocations and reflects the regime’s continued defiance of UN requirements that it abandon its nuclear and missile programs. Rather than intimidating the United States and its allies, Pyongyang’s action will only buttress ongoing deterrence initiatives. The missile […]

The post North Korea’s Hwasong-12 Missile Test Over Japan Must Be Punished appeared first on 19FortyFive.

We’re into that part of North Korea Outrage response where we all agree that their actions were irresponsible, provocative, dangerous, and unacceptable. The problem is what to do about it. North Korea is protected in more ways than any other nation. They are useful to China and Russia as a buffer. They serve Russia and […]

The post What Do We Do About North Korea? Deterrence by Denial Is the Answer appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea has conducted a banned missile test in response to US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to South Korea. “Two short-range ballistic missiles were fired into the sea off the North’s east coast,” the BBC reported, “in the third such breach of UN sanctions this week.” The missile tests appear to have been a […]

The post Kamala Harris Visited the Korean DMZ: North Korea Fired Missiles in Protest appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea has done it again, which is no surprise. While the ROK/U.S. alliance and the international community has been waiting for a seventh nuclear test or a possible test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile in preparation for the visit by Vice President Harris’ visit or in response to the port call of the USS […]

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Washington Must Learn to Bargain with a Nuclear North Korea: Kim Jong-Un’s statement in early September that North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons should be the last nail in the coffin of Washington’s strategy toward that country. Since Pyongyang has officially declared that it is now a nuclear-weapons power, the United States […]

The post North Korea Is A Nuclear Weapons State. America Needs a New Strategy appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea Slams U. S. Over Weapons Transfer to Russia Claims – In a report from state media on Thursday, a North Korean defense official denied U. S. intelligence reports that the country had sent weapons to Russia. The statement instructed U. S. officials to cease making “reckless” remarks about the North Korean military and […]

The post Is North Korea Selling Russia Weapons to Fight in Ukraine? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

We spoke to a top former U.S. government official who has direct experience in dealing with Pyongyang at the highest levels from the White House to give us her assessment of North Korea's latest nuclear threat.

The post North Korea’s Nuclear Declaration ‘No Surprise’: Former White House Official Allison Hooker appeared first on 19FortyFive.

On September 8, one day before its national foundation day, North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly promulgated a new law “on the state policy of the nuclear forces.” This law updates a 2013 antecedent with far greater detail and, while it doesn’t upend the fundamentals of North Korea’s nuclear strategy, it does offer a critical expansion. […]

The post North Korea Showcases to the World Its Dangerous Nuclear Weapons Strategy appeared first on 19FortyFive.

While it might not drive the headlines or click traffic that it used to – without Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un threatening each other with nuclear war, the ‘appeal’ just isn’t there – North Korea is still a threat the United States must take very seriously. And while the Biden Administration doesn’t seem that interested […]

The post North Korea Says It Will Never Give Up Nuclear Weapons: What 11 Experts Told Us appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Ever since North Korea became the third country to recognize the independence of two Russia-backed separatist states within Ukraine, speculation has been rife about how the isolationist communist state may deepen its ties to Russia. Following catastrophic flooding, a worse-than-usual food shortage, and an economic crisis triggered by the country’s decision to close its borders […]

The post Russia Is Taking A Big Risk Purchasing Rockets and Artillery Shells From North Korea appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea’s Submarine Fleet: Just How Dangerous? After having published a recent article on the status of the submarine fleet of one of the United States’ strong East Asian allies – that being Taiwan’s – it would only be appropriate for 19FortyFive also to analyze the submarine fleet of one of America’s critical adversaries in the […]

The post North Korea’s Submarine Fleet: Underwater Coffins or Threat to the U.S. Navy? appeared first on 19FortyFive.

South Korea Rebuffs Chinese Attempts to Limit its Missile Defenses: To hear the Chinese tell it, Seoul has agreed to constrain its national security policies and opposes the operation of a U.S. missile defense system deployed in South Korea. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has flatly rejected that claim. Despite Chinese hints of coercive action, […]

The post South Korea Can’t Let China Push Them Around on Missile Defense appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon since late-2017. What are the chances that Pyongyang could decide to test by the end of this year? We asked several top experts to give us their take.

The post Will North Korea Test a Nuclear Weapon This Year? We Put The Question to 10 Experts appeared first on 19FortyFive.

This article is adapted from remarks presented by the author at International Forum on One Korea 2022 in Seoul, Korea on August 13, 2022. Good morning. I would like to thank all the organizers, sponsors, contributors, and participants in this great event and for the opportunity to be among such distinguished speakers and leaders. Dr. […]

The post We Must Bring About a Free and Unified Korea appeared first on 19FortyFive.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un announced that all COVID-19 lockdown measures would come to an end this week, declaring victory over the virus and announcing a return to normality. It follows a turbulent few years for the isolationist communist country, which has seen food shortages, worsened economic instability, and heightened tensions with neighboring South […]

The post North Korea Lifts All COVID-19 Measures appeared first on 19FortyFive.

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, toured East Asia last week. Much debate was stirred by her visit to Taiwan, of course. But Pelosi also stopped by other East Asian partners of the United States, including South Korea where she received a noticeably confused reception. She was not greeted by any […]

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North Korea has reportedly tested explosive devices and has recently begun digging new underground tunnels at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site. According to an excerpt of a confidential United Nations report, that could pave the way for “additional nuclear test development of nuclear weapons” at the facility. The report was submitted Wednesday to the Security […]

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In South Korea, the discussion of developing indigenous nuclear weapons is expanding. South Korean public opinion is moving on this issue, as is the national debate (here, here, here, here). What was once a fringe area of discussion is now increasingly debated. At the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul last week, there was more open […]

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Editor’s Note: This essay is adapted from the prepared remarks of the author for the “International Forum on Urging the Repatriation of Korean Prisoners of War and Human Rights Complaints” in Seoul, Korea on July 20, 2022 The sixty-ninth anniversary of the Korean War Armistice is July 27, 2022.  The war is known as the […]

The post The Forgotten South Korean Prisoners of War Who Sacrificed and Suffered for Seven Decades for Korean Freedom appeared first on 19FortyFive.