SKorea says North's long-range missiles at 'final stage' as warning shots fired at NK boat

SKorea says North's long-range missiles at 'final stage' as warning shots fired at NK boat
by AFP Staff Writers
New York (AFP) Sept 26, 2025

Pyongyang is at the "final stage" of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile which could hit the United States with nuclear weapons, South Korea's president said Thursday.

Seoul and its Western allies have failed to stop North Korea's weapons programme and Pyongyang says it will never give up its nuclear arsenal.

"Whether to gain leverage in talks with the United States or to secure its own regime, North Korea has kept developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of carrying nuclear bombs to the US," President Lee Jae Myung said during a visit to the New York Stock Exchange.

"It does not seem to have succeeded yet, but it is said to be at the final stage, with only the re-entry technology left and that too looks likely to be solved," he said.

Since taking office in June, Lee has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor and vowed to improve ties with North Korea.

Speaking in New York, he said that "the goal should be to freeze nuclear development, ICBM development and exports".

Halting further production and development of nuclear weapons would bring "major security gains", he said.

The South Korean president estimated his northern neighbour was producing enough material for "about 15 to 20 additional nuclear bombs each year".

"If left unchecked, the number of nuclear bombs would keep growing each year and its ICBMs would become more advanced," he said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ruled out denuclearisation and has strengthened military ties with Russia in recent years.

Kim said this week that he was open to talks with Washington, but only if he can keep his nuclear weapons, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea fires warning shots after boat from North enters waters
Seoul (AFP) Sept 26, 2025 - South Korea's military fired warning shots after a North Korean vessel entered its waters, prompting the ship to retreat, Seoul said Friday.

The North Korean merchant ship crossed the maritime boundary, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), northwest of Baengnyeong Island at around 5am (2000 GMT) on Friday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

"Our forces issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots, after which the vessel retreated beyond our waters," the JCS said in a statement.

The military added that they responded in "accordance" with procedures while "closely monitoring North Korea's movements".

North Korea does not formally recognise the NLL.

The incident comes two days after South Korea conducted live firing drills at the NLL.

The two Koreas technically remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang compared with his hawkish predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol.

Lee vowed Tuesday at the United Nations to work to end the "vicious cycle" of tensions with the North as he promised not to seek regime change.