SEOUL – Early Friday, Japan successfully launched a South Korean satellite. The historical accomplishment puts the Japanese in the same arena as European and Russian entities in the lucrative commercial space launch business.
North Korea is giving no official indication it is preparing a third attempted nuclear test. But reports abroad say such an underground detonation could come at any time.
Friday's announcement by the United States and Japan that 9,000 U.S. Marines will be transferred from a base on the Japanese island of Okinawa is being hailed as a major diplomatic accomplishment. But there are also concerns the actual transfer will be fraught with numerous complications.
North Korea's army marked its 80th anniversary Wednesday with a vow to retaliate against what its chief of staff terms the traitors in the South.