North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted Sunday that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang — the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
In his annual New Year’s address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have «reached the final stage»
Kim did not explicitly say an ICBM test, which if successful would be a big step forward for the North, was imminent. But he has a birthday coming up on Jan. 8, and last year Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6.
Kim threatened in the address to boost his country’s military capabilities further unless the U. S. ends war games with rival South Korea. But he also said efforts must be made to defuse the possibility of another Korean war and stressed the importance of building the economy under a five-year plan announced in May.
«The political and military position of socialism should be further cemented as an invincible fortress,» Kim said, according to an outline of the speech carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. «We should resolutely smash the enemies’ despicable and vicious moves to dampen the pure and ardent desire of the people for the party and estrange the people from it. »
The address was shown on television mixing video with Kim speaking and stretches of audio only, as still photos were broadcast. It was less than 30 minutes long.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said in a statement that it «strongly condemns» Kim’s threat to proceed with a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and strengthen North Korea’s nuclear-strike capabilities. It said that the international community will not tolerate North Korean efforts to develop nuclear weapons, and that the North will only face tougher sanctions and pressure if it continues to go down that path.
Under Kim, who rose to power following his father’s death in 2011, North Korea has seen steady progress in its nuclear and missile programs, including two nuclear tests in 2016. It recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States.
U. N. resolutions call for an end to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. Kim appears uninterested in complying.
The year ahead could be a tumultuous one in north Asia, with Donald Trump set to become the new U. S. president on Jan. 20, and South Korea’s politics in disarray over a scandal that brought the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye .
Kim indicated there will be no change in the North’s nuclear policy unless Washington makes a big, conciliatory first move, which, even with the advent of Trump, would seem unlikely.
Trump has somewhat offhandedly suggested he would be willing to meet with Kim — but not in North Korea — and has at the same time indicated that he wants China to exert significantly more control over Pyongyang to get it to abandon its nuclear program.
Demands from Pyongyang for the U. S. to stop its joint military exercises with the South and enter into negotiations to sign a peace treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War have fallen on deaf ears in Washington for years amid an atmosphere of distrust and deepening hostility.
Kim is in his early 30s and is now in his fifth year as the North’s leader.
His New Year addresses, and a marathon speech at the May ruling party congress, are a contrast with his enigmatic father, Kim Jong Il, who rarely spoke in public. But he has yet to meet a foreign head of state or travel outside of North Korea since assuming power, and remains one the world’s most mysterious national leaders.

© Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/koreas-leader-hints-long-range-missile-test-launch-44496066
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Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye vehemently rejected accusations Sunday that she conspired with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from companies, accusing her opponents of framing her.
In a meeting with a selected group of reporters, Park denied that she gave her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions and also refuted allegations that her administration blacklisted thousands of artists for their political beliefs.
It was the first time Park spoke to the media since South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament voted on Dec. 9 to impeach her over the scandal, which has seen millions of people protest in Seoul in recent weeks.
Park told the reporters that she was «totally framed. »
«The matter is under investigation, so I can’t make detailed explanations that might put both sides in trouble, but what I can assure you is that I have never conspired with anyone or did anything to give favors to someone, not even by a bit,» said Park, according to the minutes of the meeting provided by her office.
The Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether Park should be permanently removed from office or be reinstated. On Friday, the court said Park cannot be forced to testify at her impeachment trial, which is about to enter its argument phase.
Park’s downfall came after state prosecutors in November accused her of colluding with her friend to bully companies into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations controlled by Choi and also allowing Choi to interfere with government decisions from the shadows.
They have now handed over the investigation to a special prosecution team that has been focusing on proving bribery suspicions between Park and the Samsung Group, which is suspected of sponsoring Choi in exchange for government favors.
A former health minister was arrested Saturday over suspicions that he forced the National Pension Service to support a merger between two Samsung affiliates last year.
The deal shaved the fund’s stake in one of the companies by an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars, but allowed Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong to promote a father-to-son succession of leadership and increase the group’s corporate wealth.
Investigators are trying to confirm whether Park instructed government officials to help the merger go through and then had them press Samsung to provide Choi money and favors.
Park on Sunday defended the government’s decision to back the deal, saying it was the «right policy decision» to help one of the country’s representative companies defend itself against Elliott Management Corp., a U. S. activist hedge found that unsuccessfully tried to stop the merger. Elliott opposed the merger because it saw the deal as unfairly benefiting members of Samsung’s founding family while hurting smaller shareholders.
«It was an important issue, and as president, I thought that it would be good for the National Pension Service to respond well to it,» Park said.
She also denied helping Choi extort from companies and said she never allowed her friend to interfere with government affairs.
«I have done my job and made judgments as president; how can you frame things to claim that an acquaintance did everything? » Park said, adding that she managed state affairs based on her «own philosophy and beliefs. »
Aside from deliberating on the corruption allegations, the court also plans to review accusations in the impeachment bill that Park was responsible for media restrictions and government inaction during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people, mostly South Korean schoolchildren.
Lawmakers have demanded that Park more thoroughly respond to accusations that she was out of contact for seven hours on the day of the ferry disaster, a sensitive issue because the high number of fatalities was blamed on the government’s botched rescue operation.
Park told the reporters Sunday that she had performed her duties and monitored the ferry accident, and denied lawmakers’ suspicions that she took time out to receive cosmetic treatment. In 2015, a Seoul court acquitted a Japanese reporter of defaming Park by reporting that she was spending time with a man during those seven hours.
While the special prosecution team is also looking into suspicions that Park’s administration blacklisted more than 9,000 artists deemed as unfriendly to the government and denied them government support, Park told the reporters that she knows nothing about it.

© Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/01/impeached-s-korean-leader-rejects-accusations-against-her.html
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WASHINGTON: The United States on Sunday (Jan 1) sharply condemned a North Korean plan to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile and warned Pyongyang against «provocative actions. «
The toughly worded US statement called on «all states» to show the North that any unlawful actions would have «consequences. «
It was issued by the Pentagon at a sensitive time — just weeks before President Barack Obama is due to hand power over to his successor, Donald Trump.
The statement came hours after Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, said his country was close to testing such a missile, which would be capable of reaching American shores.
«We are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile,» Kim said in a televised New Year’s speech, pointing to a string of nuclear and missile tests last year.
He said Pyongyang was now a «military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy. «
The Pentagon statement noted that «multiple UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibit North Korea’s launches using ballistic missile technology. «
It urged Pyongyang to «refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric that threaten international peace and stability. «
The statement reaffirmed Washington’s «ironclad commitment» to defend its allies, using «the full spectrum of US extended deterrence capabilities. «
Pyongyang has never successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and analysts are divided over how close it is to doing so.
But all agree it has made enormous strides in that direction since Kim took over as leader from his father Kim Jong-il, who died in December 2011.

© Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/us-condemns-pyongyang-missile-plan-warns-against-provocative/3407460.html
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South Korea’s impeached President Park Geun-hye on Sunday repeated denials of involvement in a snowballing corruption scandal and said rumours have been “getting out of hand”, Yonhap news agency reported. “Rumours, stories and broadcasts have been distorted and false information has been getting out of hand,” she was quoted as telling reporters at the presidential Blue House. Parliament voted on December 9 to impeach Park over the scandal. She is accused of colluding with close friend Choi Soon-sil to strong-arm big companies into handing over tens of millions of dollars to dubious foundations which Choi controlled. Park denied the accusations, saying she was “totally framed,” according to Yonhap. “The matter is under investigation, so I can’t make detailed explanations that might put both sides in trouble, but what I can assure you is that I have never conspired with anyone or did anything to give favours to someone, not even by a bit,” Yonhap quoted Park as saying. Choi is now on trial for coercion and abuse of power, largely related to the corporate funding of the two foundations which she allegedly plundered. The impeachment case is being considered by the constitutional court – which has up to six months to reach a ruling – but hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have joined weekly protests calling for Park’s immediate departure from office. If the impeachment is confirmed, a presidential election will have to be held within 60 days. Park also allegedly ordered aides to leak state documents to Choi, who has no official title or security clearance, and allowed her to meddle in state affairs including the appointment of top officials. Since the scandal came to light, Park had apologised several times for her conduct in tearful televised addresses. She admitted seeking advice from Choi on some presidential speeches and PR material at the beginning of her term in 2013. Media reports have depicted Choi as having a “Rasputin-like” influence over Park, saying she controlled everything from the president’s wardrobe to crucial decisions on state affairs – allegations denied by Park. “I have known Choi for decades. But that doesn’t mean that she has access to everything,” Yonhap quoted Park as saying, citing her “duties as president”. Park’s rare meeting with reporters was her first public appearance since she was suspended from executive duties. The country has a temporary leader, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. A former health ministry official was arrested on Saturday over suspicions that he forced the National Pension Service to support a merger between two Samsung affiliates last year. The deal shaved the fund’s stake in one of the companies by an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars, but allowed Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong to promote a father-to-son succession of leadership and increase the group’s corporate wealth. Investigators are trying to confirm whether Park instructed government officials to help the merger go through and then had them press Samsung to provide Choi money and favours. The constitutional court’s first hearing on the impeachment is scheduled for Tuesday.

© Source: http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2058535/totally-framed-south-korean-president-park-geun-hye-denies-any
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