Tag: Yonhap News Agency

Nuclear attack on north korean

Any Nuclear Attack Will Be The End Of The North Korean Regime: South Korea

By LokMarg

South Korea has warned North Korea that any nuclear attack from the latter’s side would mean an “end” of the Kim Jong Un-led regime, Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.

Seoul’s warning has come after Pyongyang had said the deployment of a US nuclear-capable submarine and other strategic assets here could meet the conditions for its use of nuclear arms.
Seoul’s defence ministry renewed the warning after Pyongyang’s Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam issued a sharp-tongued statement the previous day, criticizing the arrival of the USS Kentucky, an 18,750-ton Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), in South Korea and the inaugural meeting of the South Korea-US Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) this week, Yonhap news agency reported.

“In the event of any North Korean nuclear attack against the South Korea-US alliance, it will face an immediate, overwhelming and decisive response from the alliance, and (we) strongly warn again that through this, (the attack) will result in the end of the North Korean regime,” Yonhap news agency quoted the Seoul ministry as saying.

The USS Kentucky arrived in the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday. Its arrival coincided with the first NCG session aimed at strengthening the credibility of the extended deterrence commitment by the US to use the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

The ministry defended the NCG gathering and the SSBN’s deployment as a “rightful” defensive measure against North Korea’s “continued nuclear and missile threats”, dismissing the North’s claim that they posed a nuclear threat to the recalcitrant country, Yonhap news agency.

It also said Pyongyang’s nuclear program and missile provocations are “clear” violations of UN Security Council resolutions and “illicit activities,” noting the country is the “only” one that repeats threats of a nuclear attack against the South Korea-US alliance.

“North Korea will never gain any concessions from the South Korea-US alliance through its nuclear development and threats, and (we) urge it to recognize its isolation and destitution will only deepen, and to come out swiftly to the path of denuclearization,” the ministry stated.

The first US SSBN’s visit to the South since 1981 came after the US pledged to enhance the “regular visibility” of its high-profile military assets, including the strategic submarine, in the Washington Declaration that Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden issued during their summit in April, Yonhap news agency reported.

Tensions have heightened as Pyongyang has continued its ‘sabre-rattling’, such as its launches of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 12 and two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday. (ANI)

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National Mourning Over Seoul Stampede

South Korean’s Yoon Declares National Mourning Over Seoul Stampede

By LokMarg

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday announced a period of national mourning and ordered the lowering of flags over a deadly Seoul stampede during Halloween celebrations that killed at least 151 people, including 19 foreigners, media reports said.

At least 151 people were killed and 82 others were injured in a deadly stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Saturday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported citing authorities.
A day after the stampede, Yoon in a live address to the nation from the presidential office, said, “It’s truly horrific.” He said that this tragedy should never have happened.

“As president, who is responsible for the people’s lives and safety, my heart is heavy and I struggle to cope with my grief,” he said adding, “the government will designate the period from today until the accident is brought under control as a period of national mourning and will place top priority in administrative affairs in recovery and follow-up measures,” reported South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

He also ordered all government offices to lower their flags to half-mast, according to his office.

Expressing condolences over the deaths, Yoon wished the injured a speedy recovery. During his address, Yoon said the government will ensure support for the funeral preparations of the people who lost their lives in the deadly incident.

Speaking further, he said that the government is committed to fully mobilizing emergency medical services to treat patients, including by assigning public servants individually to those requiring assistance, the South Korean agency reported.

“The most important thing is to determine the cause of the accident and prevent similar accidents,” he said. “We will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and make fundamental improvements so that similar accidents do not happen again in the future.”

The country’s interior ministry and other relevant ministries will do an emergency review of all Halloween celebrations and other local festivals in a bid to ensure safety, he added.

Moreover, Yoon visited the site of the accident and later headed toward central Seoul to preside over a government response meeting.

During a briefing, Choi Seong-beom, the head of the fire department in Yongsan, said the nationalities of the foreigners who were killed in South Korea include those from Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Norway.

The agency also reported that the victims in their 20s accounted for the age group most affected by the horrific Seoul Halloween stampede. Moreover, the agency, citing the Seoul metropolitan government, said on Sunday it has received about 270 reports of missing persons related to the deadly stampede during Halloween parties in the Itaewon district.

The incident reportedly occurred when a large group of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity was visiting there, Al Jazeera reported citing the local media. Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene, and many rescue officials performing CPR on people lying in poor condition on the streets.

The packed Halloween festivities in South Korea’s capital of Seoul took place after Covid restrictions were removed, the local officials said. The festivities marked the participation of more than a lakh visitors and the number of casualties is only expected to rise.

Emergency officials received at least 81 calls from people with breathing difficulty, “South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

A large crowd pushed forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities, resulting in dozens needing first aid. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the dispatch of the emergency medical team to the area and said hospital beds should be prepared to minimize casualties, his office said.

Numerous people had trouble breathing when the chaotic stampede occurred as dozens were seen giving CPR to people lying lifeless on streets post-incident. South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol presided over an emergency response meeting Sunday over the deadly stampede, as per the officials.

“Shortly after the accident, Yoon came to the presidential office in Yongsan and presided over a response meeting related to the Seoul Itaewon Halloween accident,” the presidential office said.

“The top priority is transporting and rescuing the patients and providing prompt medical treatment for the affected people,” local media reported quoting Yoon as saying. Authorities are still looking into the exact cause of the accident as the investigation is underway.

Emergency forces were dispatched following the crowd surge which resulted in fatalities. Firefighters and police officers also reached the Itaewon neighborhood in Seoul to bring the situation under control. (ANI)

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