. Military Space News .
NUKEWARS
CIA forms special unit focused on North Korea threat
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) May 10, 2017


Moon, Trump agree on close cooperation on N. Korea: Seoul
Seoul (AFP) May 10, 2017 - South Korea's new President Moon Jae-In and US President Donald Trump agreed Wednesday on "close cooperation" in dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, Seoul's presidential office said.

In their first phone call since Moon's inauguration, the two leaders "agreed on close cooperation in resolving security concerns on the Korean peninsula including North Korea's nuclear ambitions," the Blue House said in a statement.

Calling Pyongyang's atomic weapons programme a "a difficult problem that can be solved", Trump invited Moon to visit the United States "as early as possible", according to the statement.

Moon was sworn in Wednesday, just a day after a landslide election victory following the ouster of his predecessor Park Geun-Hye over a massive corruption scandal.

Moon backs engagement with the nuclear-armed North in the quest for peace -- in contrast to the threatening rhetoric from the Trump administration in recent weeks -- and has immediately declared his willingness to visit Pyongyang.

"If needed I will fly to Washington immediately," Moon said in an inauguration speech after taking the oath of office in front of lawmakers at Seoul's National Assembly building.

"I will also go to Beijing and Tokyo and even Pyongyang in the right circumstances."

But Trump recently appeared to offer the prospect of a diplomatic off-ramp last week, saying he would be "honored" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.

The US Central Intelligence Agency said Wednesday it had formed a special unit dedicated to assessing North Korea's nuclear weapons threat.

The CIA created its first single country-focused mission center, pulling together resources from a range of units to collect and analyze information on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile technology that could extend its military threat across the Pacific.

The move comes as North Korea appears poised to undertake its sixth nuclear test, a move that would exacerbate jitters across East Asia.

The US has not ruled out a military strike to prevent Pyongyang from advancing its nuclear capabilities.

"Just as the threats facing our nation are dynamic, so too must the CIA continue to evolve to address them," CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said.

In 2015, the CIA created 10 mission centers in a modernization effort to break down the "stove-piping" of its different operations.

The units bring together people from different sides of the agency -- analysis, operations, cyber and others -- who previously may have not cooperated closely into six regional and four subject-focused groupings.

"Creating the Korea Mission Center allows us to more purposefully integrate and direct CIA efforts against the serious threats to the United States and its allies emanating from North Korea," said CIA Director Mike Pompeo in a statement.

S. Korea new spy chief credited with inter-Korean summits
Seoul (AFP) May 10, 2017 - The new head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service is credited with having helped arrange two summits between the Koreas in the 2000s -- and was involved in a plan to build Pyongyang a nuclear reactor.

Suh Hoon worked at the spy agency for 28 years until leaving in 2008 -- when a conservative government was elected -- to move to academia.

Now he returns as head of the organisation under new President Moon Jae-In, who has declared his willingness to engage Pyongyang.

"It is too premature to talk about a next inter-Korean summit," Suh told journalists after Moon announced his appointment. "But we need it."

The first-ever summit between South and North Korea was held in 2000 and the second in 2007.

The 63-year-old spent two years in the North during the 1990s when an international consortium was building two lightwater civilian reactors in Sinpo under an agreement with the US for Pyongyang to freeze -- and ultimately dismantle -- its weapons programmes.

The deal collapsed in the face of mutual distrust.

Suh, who studied at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington and earned a doctorate on North Korean affairs at Dongguk University in Seoul, has been teaching at the prestigious Ehwa University in Seoul.

Moon tasking him with reforming the spy organisation "to prevent it from interfering with domestic politics and be reborn as a pure intelligence agency".

NUKEWARS
S. Korea's Moon sworn in, says willing to go to North
Seoul (AFP) May 10, 2017
South Korea's new president was sworn in on Wednesday, just a day after a landslide election victory, and immediately declared his willingness to visit Pyongyang amid high tensions with the nuclear-armed North. Left-leaning Moon Jae-In, a former human rights lawyer, backs engagement with North Korea in the quest for peace - in contrast to the threatening rhetoric from the Trump administrati ... read more

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

NUKEWARS
Russia's RS-28 Sarmat ICBM: Hypersonic Disaster for US Missile Defense Shield

China demands halt to US missile shield in S.Korea

THAAD missile defense system now operational in S. Korea

Seoul rejects Trump demand it pays for missile system

NUKEWARS
Purchase of S-400 From Russia 'Might Signal Turkey's Estrangement From NATO'

Tokyo subway halt for 10 minutes over NKorea scare

Sweden orders additional anti-ship missiles from Saab

SM-6 missile completes final round of tests

NUKEWARS
US Air Force Space Shuttle X-37B Finally Unmasked

Newest Secret US Spacecraft Returns to Earth After Over 700 Days in Space

US drone back on Earth after nearly two years in space

Airbus creates new commercial drone services start-up "Airbus Aerial"

NUKEWARS
Elbit Systems receives Brazilian contract for C4ISR

Genereal Dynamics stages successful test of military 4G network

Israel orders satellite-on-the-go for military vehicles

Information Assurance: The U.S. Military's Growing Need for What Commercial SATCOM Providers Offer

NUKEWARS
Germany to reactivate Leopard 2 tanks

Engility to continue support for DITRA

Cubic Global Defense to provide training support services for British army

Rheinmetall picks armaments services supplier Australian vehicle contract

NUKEWARS
Dutch court jails Charles Taylor arms-supplier for 19 years

Canada moves to join treaty curbing foreign arms sales

India inks weapons deal worth nearly $2 bn with Israel

U.S. lawmakers push for Pentagon reforms

NUKEWARS
U.S. military launches Operation Northern Edge

France's Macron seen as UN ally

China rebuffs UN criticism of lawyer's detention

Philippines, US launch scaled-down military exercises

NUKEWARS
Scientists set record resolution for drawing at the one-nanometer length scale

X-ray microscope optics resolve 50-nm features while eliminating chromatic aberrations

Self-assembled nanostructures can be selectively controlled

Nanotubes that build themselves









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.