China conducts military drill near Yellow Sea

July 28, 2010

China has held a large-scale military drill near the Yellow Sea to the west of the Korean Peninsula.

The drill is seen as a move to check the United States and South Korea, which are conducting a joint military exercise on the opposite side of the peninsula.

China Central Television reported on Tuesday that the Nanjing Military Region's strategic missile unit held a live ammunition drill using long-range rockets on Sunday.

It said the drill was held near the Yellow Sea.

CCTV said it was the first such drill held by China.

It described the drill as a comprehensive one, involving unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and radars.

On the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, a US-South Korean naval drill began on Sunday in the Sea of Japan, following the North Korea's alleged sinking of the South warship. North Korea has denounced the move.

China has expressed concern about the possibility of another US-South Korean military drill in the Yellow Sea in its vicinity, saying such a move would heighten tension.

2010/07/28 09:10(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)

Obama calls for international action after 'reckless' nuclear test

World77theories
May 25, 2009

Obama calls for international action after 'reckless' nuclear test by North Korea

Category: News & Politics
Tags: Obama calls for international action after 'reckless' nuclear test by North Korea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7kFH0ZCRlQ

Monday 25 May 2009
By FRANCE 24 (with wires) (text) / Nicolas GERMAIN (video)

US President Barack Obama said the international community must act after North Korea's "reckless" nuclear and missile tests on Monday.

"The United States and the international community must take action in response," he said ahead of a Memorial Day ceremony to honor war dead. "North Korea's nuclear ballistic-missile programs pose a gave threat to the peace and security of the world, and I strongly condemn their reckless actions."

North Korea on Monday confirmed reports that it had “successfully” performed a second nuclear test

in Kilju, in the north of the country, defying pressure from the international community to end its nuclear programme.

The South Korean press agency Yonhap was the first to announce the test, after an earthquake, presumed to be resulting form the test, was detected at 2:54 am (GMT+2), 375 kilometres northeast of Pyongyang, with a tremor felt at Kilju.

Kilju is believed to be the same site used for North Korea’s first atomic bomb test back in October 2006. The first test was not deemed a complete success.

Yonhap news agency also reported that the North had test-fired a short-range missile with a range of 130 kilometres on Monday from its launch site at Musudan-ri near Kilju, and two additional short-range missiles just a few hours later. The South Korean military later confirmed all three tests.

Pyongyang threatened to continue tests if North America continues with its “intimidation” policy, according to officials at Pyongyang’s embassy in Moscow.

Tensions with Pyongyang have been high since April 5, when it launched a rocket that it said was to put a communications satellite into orbit. But Western powers condemned the test, calling it a disguised long-range missile and tightened sanctions.

In response, Pyongyang withdrew from the six-party talks (with Russia, South Korea, China, Japan and the United States) on its nuclear programme, saying that all agreements made under this framework were null and void.

"Grave concern"

Pyongyang’s latest test prompted harsh international condemnation. Russia said it would convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council later on Monday, at Japan’s request, to discuss appropriate measures.

South Korea slammed the test as an "intolerable provocation" and ordered its 680,000-strong military on heightened alert.

US President Barack Obama called the tests a matter of “grave concern” while the European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said “irresponsible acts by North Korea warrant a firm response by the international community”.

The French government “urged the strongest sanctions”.

Robert Parsons, FRANCE 24’s international affairs editor, says a new approach must be taken to resolve the situation.

“We have been there many many times in the past," said Parsons. "Everything has been tried since then - sanctions, threats, of course the Korean War more than 50 years ago, though it’s not going to come to that today because North Korea has a massive army of one million.

“So other approaches have to be tried, and so far they are just not working. It appears that North Korea is impervious to reasoning or threats and sanctions, and has the rest of the international community dancing a merry dance.”

Pyongynag’s virulent defence policy could, according to FRANCE 24’s Nathalie Tourret in Tokyo, also be seen as a move by ailing Kim Jong-iI to reinforce the security of his country as he prepares his succession.

http://www.france24.com/en/20090525-obama-international-action-north-korea-nuclear-test

GW holds joint drill with Japan

Thursday, Nov 20, 2008

The U.S. Navy on Monday opened to the media U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington, which participated in a joint drill off Okinawa with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force for the first time since its deployment to Japan in September.The joint drill, conducted in the waters several hundred kilometers south of Okinawa, started on Thursday last week and will continue until Wednesday.A few dozen vessels, including Aegis-equipped destroyers from the MSDF and the U.S. Navy, the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Ohio and 67 U.S. jet fighters, are participating in the drill, a U.S. Navy official said.In a morning exercise, a replenishment vessel supplied fresh vegetables, fruit and other food via a wire to the George Washington as it ran parallel with the aircraft carrier at a distance of approximately 60 meters.

In the afternoon, a launching and landing exercise of fighter jets, which were loaded with training ammunition including missiles, was implemented with only several tens of seconds apart between each launching and landing on the aircraft carrier.The MSDF and the U.S. Navy are expected to conduct missile defense drills involving Aegis-equipped destroyers during the weeklong exercise.The George Washington left its home port of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 1 and participated in a ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of South Korea’s Navy in Busan, South Korea.Then it visited Guam at the end of October after conducting a drill in the waters off Guam.