Articles by Kim Arin
Kim Arin
arin@heraldcorp.com-
Election watchdog busts political deepfakes ahead of April general election
The South Korean constitutional agency overseeing election administration said Monday it formed a task force aimed at fighting artificial intelligence-generated deceitful content related to the general election in April. The National Election Commission said in a release that it busted a total of 129 deepfakes that were deemed to violate the laws on elections of public officials between Jan. 29 and Feb. 16. The “politically motivated” deepfakes were caught by the watchdog through a s
Politics Feb. 19, 2024
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Democratic Party recruits ex-official suspected in 2019 forced return of North Koreans
South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea recruited a former National Intelligence Service official who was suspected of alleged wrongdoing in the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in 2019, when former President Moon Jae-in was in office. Kim Joon-hwan was Moon’s deputy director at the NIS at the time the Democratic Party administration decided to return the two North Korean fishers forcibly. Several at the NIS, including then-director Suh Hoon, and the Moon
Politics Feb. 19, 2024
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Japan-North Korea talks must help denuclearize peninsula, Seoul says
The South Korean government said Friday it is closely communicating with Japan and the US over North Korea extending an invitation to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida a day earlier. An official in Seoul said that any exchanges between Tokyo and Pyongyang “must unfold in a way that aids efforts for denuclearizing North Korea.” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister Yo-jong said late Thursday that North Korea is open to “a new future” with Japan, if Kishida is
Politics Feb. 16, 2024
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North Korea hacked Yoon official’s emails last year
North Korea appears to be behind the hacking of a presidential official’s email account in November last year, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes. In a release responding to a news report on Wednesday, the presidential office said Wednesday that a private email account belonging to an administrative official was targeted in a cyber attack ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to France and the UK in November. Citing the NIS, the release said the cyber
North Korea Feb. 14, 2024
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North Korea conducts fifth cruise missile launch of year
North Korea on Wednesday conducted a launch of cruise missiles for the fifth time since the start of the year. “Our military detected several unidentified cruise missiles off the northeast coast of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 9 a.m. the details of which are being closely analyzed by the intelligence agencies of South Korea and the US,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The JCS said the South Korean military was “working closely with the US side amid heig
Defense Feb. 14, 2024
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Kim Jong-un’s rhetorical aggression to intensify throughout year: experts
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely continue his verbal aggression, on top of weapons tests and military exercises through the remainder of the year, experts in Seoul believe. In the latest threats made on the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army on Thursday, Kim said he was willing to obliterate the country’s enemies -- namely South Korea and the US -- stressing the North’s “combat readiness.” “If hostile forces attempt to touch the dignit
North Korea Feb. 12, 2024
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Defense minister back from Middle East with $3.2b deal
Shin Won-sik, South Korea’s Minister of National Defense, wrapped up his three-country Middle East trip with large defense industry deals. Shin struck a deal to export some $3.2 billion worth of ballistic missile interceptor system known as Cheongung II in a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. The deal -- first floated about a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Saudi Arabia in October last year -- was finalized at the meeting of the defens
Defense Feb. 7, 2024
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South Korea to set up command for defense against North Korean nuclear threats
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense is mulling a plan to establish a new command for countering North Korean nuclear threats in Seoul. The plan would involve expanding the existing Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters for responding to nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats to South Korea, according to the Defense Ministry on Tuesday. The JCS headquarters was set up in January last year. The Defense Ministry said the new command would oversee South Korea’s “three-
Defense Feb. 6, 2024
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After suspected KF-21 leak, lawmakers blame weak laws on military secrets
Indonesian employees at the Korea Aerospace Industries are under investigation on suspicion of attempting to leak secrets about South Korean fighter aircraft. The incident sparked calls for laws on leaks of confidential military information to be strengthened, the bills for which are currently stuck at the National Assembly. The KAI, the developer for the KF-21 fighters, caught the employees trying to take removable drives containing secret data last month. They have since been reported to the D
Politics Feb. 5, 2024
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South Korea, Saudi Arabia agree to boost cooperation in defense industries
South Korea's public agency for defense acquisition and its Saudi counterpart agreed to expand cooperation between the two countries' defense industries Sunday. According to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on developing partnerships between the defense industries of South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Under the MOU, South Korea and Saudi Arabia will form a working group for jointly developing and manufacturing
Politics Feb. 5, 2024
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Victims fume at Lee Jae-myung for ‘flattering’ North Korean regime
South Korean opposition Democratic Party of Korea chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung is facing criticism from the families of victims of North Korean abuses and defectors over his remarks “flattering” the Kim Jong-un regime. Lee Rae-jin, whose brother was killed by North Korean soldiers at sea in September 2020, told The Korea Herald on Friday he was “utterly dismayed” at the leader of a South Korean major political party “fraternizing with the criminal regime.” In rema
Politics Feb. 2, 2024
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Indonesians investigated for suspected theft of South Korean fighter jet secrets
Some Indonesian employees at the Korea Aerospace Industries have been barred from leaving South Korea on suspicions they were trying to steal secrets about KF-21 fighter technology. KAI reported the employees to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration last month after becoming suspicious of an attempted leak. The administration, a public affiliate of the Ministry of National Defense, said that an investigation is underway to determine if the information the employees are suspected of stor
Defense Feb. 2, 2024
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Seoul’s defense chief to head to Middle East in first overseas trip
Shin Won-sik, the South Korean Minister of National Defense, on Thursday embarked on a trip to three Middle Eastern countries of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He will begin the trip with a meeting with his UAE counterpart, Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei on Friday. He will also visit the Akh unit, one of whose chief aims is to protect Korean nationals in the region in contingencies. He will then travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to attend the second World Defense Show in
Politics Feb. 1, 2024
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US F-16 fighter crashes near base in South Korea
An F-16 Fighting Falcon belonging to the 8th Fighter Wing at the US air base in Gunsan, a port city in western South Korea, crashed at around 8:41 a.m. Wednesday. The crash happened during a routine training and the pilot was recovered after ejecting safely, according to Kunsan Air Base. “We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the swift recovery of our pilot possible,” Col. Matthew C. Gaetke, 8th FW commander, said in a release.
Defense Jan. 31, 2024
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North Korea fires cruise missiles again after just 2 days
North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles on Tuesday into waters near its western coast, just two days after test-launching its new cruise missiles from a submarine. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired “several” cruise missiles into the sea at around 7 a.m., the details of which are being analyzed by South Korean and US intelligence authorities. “We are closely coordinating with the US and maintaining heightened vigilance and surveillance,”
Defense Jan. 30, 2024
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