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  • N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel long-range missile

    N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel long-range missile

    SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it has successfully test-launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile powered by solid propellants, a development that if confirmed could possibly provide the country with a harder-to-detect weapon targeting the continental United States.

    North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency issued the report a day after its neighbors detected the launch from an area near its capital of Pyongyang, which added to a spate of testing that so far involved more than 100 missiles fired into sea since the start of 2022.

    KCNA said the test was supervised on site by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who described the missile — named Hwasong-18 — as the most powerful weapon of his nuclear forces that would enhance counterattack abilities in the face of external threats created by the military activities of the United States and its regional allies.

    Kim pledged to further expand his nuclear arsenal so that his rivals “suffer from extreme anxiety and fear while facing an insurmountable threat, and be plunged into regrets and despair over their decisions.”

    North Korea has justified its weapons demonstrations as a response to the expanding military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which the North condemns as invasion rehearsals while using them as a pretext to push further its own weapons development.

    “Respected comrade Kim Jong Un said speeding up the development of evolving and more advanced and powerful weapons systems is our party and government’s consistent policy to respond to military threats and worsening security situation on the Korean Peninsula,” KCNA said.

    It cited Kim as saying that the Hwasong-18 would rapidly advance North Korea’s nuclear response posture and further support an aggressive military strategy that vows to maintain “nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation” against its rivals.

    “The Hwasong-18 weapons system to be run by the country’s strategic forces would play its mission and role to defend (North Korea), deter invasions and preserve the country’s safety as its most powerful method,” KCNA said.

    North Korea has tested various intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017 that demonstrated potential range to reach the U.S. mainland, but its previous missiles were powered by liquid-fuel engines that need to be fueled relatively shortly before launch, as they cannot remain fueled for prolonged periods.

    An ICBM with built-in solid propellants would be easier to move and hide and could be fired more quickly, reducing the opportunities for opponents to detect and counter the launch. But it wasn’t immediately clear from Friday’s report how close the North has come to acquiring a functional solid-fuel ICBM that would be capable of reaching and striking the U.S. mainland.

    South Korea’s Defense Ministry maintains that North Korea hasn’t acquired a reentry vehicle technology needed to protect warheads for ICBMs from the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry. Last month, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup also told lawmakers that North Korea hasn’t likely yet mastered the technology to place nuclear warheads on its most advanced short-range missiles targeting South Korea, though he acknowledged the country was making considerable progress on it.

    “This is a significant breakthrough for the North Koreans, but not an unexpected one,” Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.

    “The primary significance of solid-fuel ICBMs is in terms of what they’ll do for the survivability of North Korea’s overall ICBM force,” he said.

    “Because these missiles are fueled at the time of manufacture and are thus ready to use as needed, they will be much more rapidly useable in a crisis or conflict, depriving South Korea and the United States of valuable time that could be useful to preemptively hunt and destroy such missiles.”

    KCNA described the Hwasong-18 as a three-stage missile but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the third stage was activated during the test. During the test, the missile’s first stage was set to a mode that would support a standard ballistic trajectory but the second and third stages were programmed to fly on higher angles after separations to avoid the territories of neighbors, KCNA said.

    The agency said the test didn’t threaten the security of other countries as the first and second stages fell into waters off the country’s eastern coast but it provided no details about how the test affected the third stage.

    Solid-fuel ICBMs highlighted an extensive wish list Kim announced under a five-year arms development plan in 2021, which also included tactical nuclear weapons, hypersonic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines and spy satellites.

    The North has fired around 30 missiles this year alone over 12 different launch events as both the pace of its weapons development and the U.S.-South Korean military exercises increase in a cycle of tit-for-tat.

    The U.S. and South Korean militaries conducted their biggest field exercises in years last month and separately held joint naval and air force drills involving a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group and nuclear-capable U.S. bombers.

    North Korea claimed the drills simulated an all-out war against North Korea and communicated threats to occupy Pyongyang and decapitate its leadership. The United States and South Korea have described their exercises as defensive in nature and said that the expansion of those drills is necessary to cope with the North’s evolving threats.

    Experts say Kim’s nuclear push is aimed at eventually forcing the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength.

    Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against the North and the North’s steps to wind down its nuclear and missile program.

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  • China says Taiwan encirclement drills a ‘serious warning’

    China says Taiwan encirclement drills a ‘serious warning’

    BEIJING — Recent Chinese air and sea drills simulating an encirclement of Taiwan were intended as a “serious warning” to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters, a Chinese spokesperson said Wednesday.

    The three days of large-scale air and sea exercises named Joint Sword that ended Monday were a response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week during a transit visit to the U.S. China had warned of serious consequences if that meeting went ahead.

    “The People’s Liberation Army recently organized and conducted a series of countermeasures in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, which is a serious warning against the collusion and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a biweekly news conference.

    “It is a necessary action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said.

    China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary and regularly sends ships and warplanes into airspace and waters near the island.

    Such missions have grown more frequent in recent years, accompanied by increasingly bellicose language from the administration of Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. Any conflict between the sides could draw in the U.S., Taiwan’s closest ally, which is required by law to consider all threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.”

    China has kept up military pressure against Taiwan despite the formal conclusion of the drills. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it tracked 35 flights by People’s Liberation Army warplanes within the last 24 hours, and eight navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island.

    The vast majority of Taiwanese favor maintaining their current de-facto independent status, while Tsai has said there is no need for a formal declaration since the island democracy is already an independent nation.

    Despite that, China, which does not recognize Taiwan’s government institutions and has cut off contact with Tsai’s administration, routinely accuses her of plotting formal independence with outside backing — generally seen as referring to the U.S.

    “External forces are intensifying their endeavor of containing China with Taiwan as a tool,” Zhu said.

    Zhu also repeated China’s assertion that its military threats are “targeted at Taiwan’s independence separatist activities and interference from external forces, and by no means at our compatriots in Taiwan.”

    What that means in practical terms isn’t clear, although Beijing has long exploited political divisions within Taiwanese society, which boasts a robust democracy and strong civil liberties.

    “Taiwanese compatriots should clearly recognize the serious harm that the provocation of Taiwan independence forces poses to cross-strait relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, recognize the interests, distinguish right from wrong, and stand on the correct side of history,” Zhu said.

    The Chinese military issued a threat as it concluded the exercises, saying its troops “can fight at any time to resolutely smash any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ and foreign interference attempts.”

    In August, after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China conducted missile strikes on targets in the seas around Taiwan and sent warships and warplanes over the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It also fired missiles over the island that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone in a significant escalation.

    The most recent exercises focused more on air strength, with Taiwan reporting more than 200 flights by Chinese warplanes. On Monday alone, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry tracked 91 flights by Chinese warplanes.

    They also featured the use of China’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, Shandong, which launched dozens of J-15 Flying Shark fighter missions during the exercises, according to Japanese officials.

    That came as the USS Nimitz Carrier group is operating in the South China Sea south of Taiwan and as American and Filipino forces hold their largest combat exercises in decades in Philippine waters across the disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

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  • China says Taiwan encirclement drills a ‘serious warning’

    China says Taiwan encirclement drills a ‘serious warning’

    BEIJING — Recent Chinese air and sea drills simulating an encirclement of Taiwan were intended as a “serious warning” to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters, a Chinese spokesperson said Wednesday.

    The three days of large-scale air and sea exercises named Joint Sword that ended Monday were a response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week during a transit visit to the U.S. China had warned of serious consequences if that meeting went ahead.

    “The People’s Liberation Army recently organized and conducted a series of countermeasures in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, which is a serious warning against the collusion and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a biweekly news conference.

    “It is a necessary action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said.

    China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary and regularly sends ships and warplanes into airspace and waters near the island.

    Such missions have grown more frequent in recent years, accompanied by increasingly bellicose language from the administration of Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. Any conflict between the sides could draw in the U.S., Taiwan’s closest ally, which is required by law to consider all threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.”

    China has kept up military pressure against Taiwan despite the formal conclusion of the drills. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it tracked 35 flights by People’s Liberation Army warplanes within the last 24 hours, and eight navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island.

    The vast majority of Taiwanese favor maintaining their current de-facto independent status, while Tsai has said there is no need for a formal declaration since the island democracy is already an independent nation.

    Despite that, China, which does not recognize Taiwan’s government institutions and has cut off contact with Tsai’s administration, routinely accuses her of plotting formal independence with outside backing — generally seen as referring to the U.S.

    “External forces are intensifying their endeavor of containing China with Taiwan as a tool,” Zhu said.

    Zhu also repeated China’s assertion that its military threats are “targeted at Taiwan’s independence separatist activities and interference from external forces, and by no means at our compatriots in Taiwan.”

    What that means in practical terms isn’t clear, although Beijing has long exploited political divisions within Taiwanese society, which boasts a robust democracy and strong civil liberties.

    “Taiwanese compatriots should clearly recognize the serious harm that the provocation of Taiwan independence forces poses to cross-strait relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, recognize the interests, distinguish right from wrong, and stand on the correct side of history,” Zhu said.

    The Chinese military issued a threat as it concluded the exercises, saying its troops “can fight at any time to resolutely smash any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ and foreign interference attempts.”

    In August, after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China conducted missile strikes on targets in the seas around Taiwan and sent warships and warplanes over the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It also fired missiles over the island that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone in a significant escalation.

    The most recent exercises focused more on air strength, with Taiwan reporting more than 200 flights by Chinese warplanes. On Monday alone, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry tracked 91 flights by Chinese warplanes.

    They also featured the use of China’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, Shandong, which launched dozens of J-15 Flying Shark fighter missions during the exercises, according to Japanese officials.

    That came as the USS Nimitz Carrier group is operating in the South China Sea south of Taiwan and as American and Filipino forces hold their largest combat exercises in decades in Philippine waters across the disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

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  • US, Philippines hold largest war drills near disputed waters

    US, Philippines hold largest war drills near disputed waters

    MANILA, Philippines — American and Filipino forces on Tuesday launched their largest combat exercises in decades in the Philippines and its waters across the disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, where Washington has repeatedly warned China over its increasingly aggressive actions.

    The annual drills by the longtime treaty allies called Balikatan — Tagalog for “shoulder-to-shoulder” — will run up to April 28 and involve more than 17,600 military personnel. It will be the latest display of American firepower in Asia, as the Biden administration strengthens an arc of alliances to better counter China, including in a possible confrontation over Taiwan, an island democracy that Beijing claims as its own.

    That dovetails with efforts by the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, by boosting joint military exercises with the U.S. and allowing rotating batches of American forces to stay in additional Philippine military camps under a 2014 defense pact.

    “The relationships that we have, that we build into these exercises, will make us faster to respond to conflict, crisis, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Eric Austin said.

    About 12,200 U.S military personnel, 5,400 Filipino forces and 111 Australian counterparts are taking part in the exercises, the largest since Balikatan started three decades ago. The drills will showcase U.S. warships, fighter jets as well as Patriot missiles, HIMARS rocket launchers and anti-tank Javelins, according to U.S. and Philippine military officials.

    In a live-fire drill the allies will stage for the first time, U.S. and Filipino forces will sink a target ship in the Philippine territorial waters off the western province of Zambales on April 26, in a coordinated inland and coastal artillery bombardment and airstrike, Col. Michael Logico, a Philippine spokesman for Balikatan, told reporters.

    “We have to fire at a target that is closer to what we would expect in an actual threat, which is an intrusion coming from an adversary by sea,” Logico told reporters. “We are demonstrating that we are combat ready.”

    Asked if Marcos raised any concern that Beijing may be antagonized by the rocket-firing near the busy waterway that China considers its territory, Logico said that did not come up when he briefed the president about the event. Marcos wants to witness the live-fire drill, he said.

    In western Palawan province, which faces the South China Sea, the exercises will involve retaking an island captured by enemy forces, Logico said.

    Philippine military officials said the maneuvers were aimed at bolstering the country’s coastal defense and disaster-response capabilities and were not aimed at any country.

    Such field scenarios will “test the allies’ capabilities in combined arms live-fire, information and intelligence sharing, communications between maneuver units, logistics operations, amphibious operations,” the U.S. Embassy in Manila said.

    In a sign of deeping defense cooperation, the Philippine foreign and defense secretaries will meet their American counterparts in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the American military presence and proposed joint naval patrols, officials said.

    Washington and Beijing have been on a collision course over the long-seething territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines and four other governments, and Beijing’s goal of annexing Taiwan, by force if necessary.

    China last week warned against the intensifying U.S. military deployment to the region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular news briefing in Beijing that it “would only lead to more tensions and less peace and stability in the region.”

    The Balikatan exercises opened in the Philippines a day after China concluded three days of combat drills that simulated sealing off Taiwan, following Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week in California that infuriated Beijing.

    On Monday, the U.S. 7th Fleet deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Milius within 12 nautical miles off Mischief Reef, a Manila-claimed coral outcrop which China seized in the mid-1990s and turned into one of seven missile-protected island bases in the South China Sea’s hotly contested Spratlys archipelago. The U.S. military has been undertaking such freedom of navigation operations for years to challenge China’s expansive territorial claims.

    “As long as some countries continue to claim and assert limits on rights that exceed their authority under international law, the United States will continue to defend the rights and freedoms of the sea guaranteed to all,” the 7th Fleet said.

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    Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.

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    Find more AP coverage of the Asia-Pacific region at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific

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  • US, Philippines hold largest war drills near disputed waters

    US, Philippines hold largest war drills near disputed waters

    MANILA, Philippines — The United States and the Philippines on Tuesday launch their largest combat exercises in decades that will involve live-fire drills, including a boat-sinking rocket assault in waters across the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait that will likely inflame China.

    The annual drills by the longtime treaty allies called Balikatan — Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder — will run up to April 28 and involve more than 17,600 military personnel. It will be the latest display of American firepower in Asia, where Washington has repeatedly warned China over its increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed sea channel and against Taiwan.

    The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including in a possible confrontation over Taiwan.

    That dovetails with efforts by the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea by boosting joint military exercises with the U.S. and allowing rotating batches of American forces to stay in more Philippine military camps under a 2014 defense pact.

    About 12,200 U.S military personnel, 5,400 Filipino forces and 111 Australian counterparts are taking part in the exercises, the largest in Balikatan’s three-decade history. America’s warships, fighter jets as well as its Patriot missiles, HIMARS rocket launchers and anti-tank Javelins, would be showcased, according to U.S. and Philippine military officials.

    “We are not provoking anybody by simply exercising,” Col. Michael Logico, a Philippine spokesman for Balikatan, told reporters ahead of the start of the maneuvers.

    “This is actually a form of deterrence,” Logico said. “Deterrence is when we are discouraging other parties from invading us.”

    In a live-fire drill the allied forces would stage offshore for the first time, Logico said U.S. and Filipino forces would sink a 200-foot (61-meter) target vessel in Philippine territorial waters off the western province of Zambales this month in a coordinated airstrike and artillery bombardment.

    “We will hit it with all the weapons systems that we have, both ground, navy and air,” Logico said.

    That location facing the South China Sea and across the waters from the Taiwan Strait would likely alarm China, but Philippine military officials said the maneuver was aimed at bolstering the country’s coastal defense and was not aimed at any country.

    Such field scenarios would “test the allies’ capabilities in combined arms live-fire, information and intelligence sharing, communications between maneuver units, logistics operations, amphibious operations,” the U.S. Embassy in Manila said.

    Washington and Beijing have been on a collision course over the long-seething territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines and four other governments and Beijing’s goal of annexing Taiwan, by force if necessary.

    China last week warned against the intensifying U.S. military deployment to the region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular news briefing in Beijing that it “would only lead to more tensions and less peace and stability in the region.”

    The Balikatan exercises were opening in the Philippines a day after China concluded three days of combat drills that simulated sealing off Taiwan, following Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week in California that infuriated Beijing.

    On Monday, the U.S. 7th Fleet deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Milius within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef, a Manila-claimed coral outcrop which China seized in the mid-1990s and turned into one of seven missile-protected island bases in the South China Sea’s hotly contested Spratlys archipelago. The U.S. military has been undertaking such “freedom of navigation” operations for years to challenge China’s expansive territorial claims in the busy seaway.

    “As long as some countries continue to claim and assert limits on rights that exceed their authority under international law, the United States will continue to defend the rights and freedoms of the sea guaranteed to all,” the 7th Fleet said. “No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms.”

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    Find more AP coverage of the Asia-Pacific region at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific

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  • Russia says it test-fired anti-ship missiles in Sea of Japan

    Russia says it test-fired anti-ship missiles in Sea of Japan

    MOSCOW — Moscow test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, with two boats launching a simulated missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away.

    The ministry said the target was successfully hit by two Moskit cruise missiles.

    The Moskit, whose NATO reporting name is the SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that has conventional and nuclear warhead capacity. The Soviet-built cruise missile is capable of flying at a speed three times the speed of sound and has a range of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles).

    The ministry said the exercise, which included other warships and naval aircraft, took place in the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan but did not give more precise coordinates. The gulf borders the Russian Pacific Fleet headquarters at Fokino and is about 700 kilometers (430 miles) from Japan’s northern Hokkaido island.

    The Russian military has conducted regular drills across the country and Russian warships have continued maneuvers as the fighting in Ukraine has entered a second year — exercises that were intended to train the troops and showcase the country’s military capability.

    The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Japan reacted calmly to the missile exercise, which was conducted near Vladivostok, rather than directly into the waters between the two countries.

    Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a news conference later Tuesday that Tokyo will continue to monitor Russia’s military operations, as it has been stepping up activity in the region.

    Tokyo does not plan to lodge a protest to Russia over the missile exercise, said Tasuku Matsuki, Japanese Foreign Ministry official in charge of Russia, noting that its location — Peter the Great Bay — is considered Russian coast, though it is facing the water between the two countries.

    “On the whole, Japan is concerned about Russia’s increasing military activities around the Japanese coasts and watching them with great interest,” Matsuki said.

    He added that Russia has conducted missile drills in that area in the past and issued maritime advisories ahead of time.

    Russian nuclear-capable Tu-95 bombers flew over the Sea of Japan for several hours last week.

    In September, Japan protested multinational military exercises on the Russian-held Kuril Islands — some of which are claimed by Japan — and expressed concern about Russian and Chinese warships conducting shooting drills in the Sea of Japan.

    Russia also tested submarine-launched missiles in the Sea of Japan last year.

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    AP writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.

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  • S. Korea, US to go ahead with drills despite N. Korea threat

    S. Korea, US to go ahead with drills despite N. Korea threat

    SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean and U.S. militaries said Friday they’ll go ahead with large-scale annual military drills later this month despite North Korea’s threats to take “unprecedently” strong action against such training.

    It’s likely that North Korea will respond to the upcoming South Korean-U.S. exercises with provocative missile tests and belligerent rhetoric because it views them as an invasion rehearsal.

    In a joint press conference, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they will conduct the Freedom Shield exercise, a computer-simulated command post training, from March 13-23 to strengthen their defense and response capabilities.

    They said the training would focus on North Korean aggression, lessons learned from recent conflicts and the changing security environment.

    “The Korea-U.S. alliance will prepare for the FS (Freedom Shield) training while maintaining a firm readiness against potential provocations by the North Korean military,” said Col. Lee Sung Jun, a spokesperson at the South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    Lee said the allies would respond to possible North Korean provocations with “an overwhelming capability.”

    During the exercises, the allies will also conduct a number of large-scale joint field training, called Warrior Shield FTX, to improve their operation execution capabilities, said Col. Isaac L. Taylor, a spokesperson for the U.S. military. He said the field trainings will include a combined amphibious drill.

    “The Warrior Shield FTX stands for the ROK-U.S. alliance’s capability and resolution to ensure a combined defense posture to defend the ROK,” Taylor said, using South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

    South Korea and the United States have been expanding their military exercises in the face of evolving North Korean nuclear threats. Emboldened by its advancing nuclear arsenal, North Korea test-fired more than 70 missiles last year, the most ever for a single year, and several more this year. Many of the missiles tested were nuclear-capable weapons designed to strike the U.S. mainland and South Korea.

    North Korea has also threatened to use its nuclear weapons preemptively in potential conflicts with the United States and South Korea. The U.S. military has warned the North that the use of nuclear weapons “will result in the end of that regime.”

    In January, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. would also increase its deployment of advanced weapons such as fighter jets and bombers to the Korean Peninsula.

    Last month, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry warned the U.S. and South Korea would face “unprecedentedly persistent and strong counteractions” if they carry out their planned military drills this year that the North regards as “preparations for an aggression war.”

    Later, Senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official Kwon Jong Gun said that the only way to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula is for the United States to withdraw its plans to deploy strategic assets in South Korea and halt joint drills with its Asian ally. He said if the United States continues its “hostile and provocative practices” against North Korea, that can be regarded as a declaration of war against it.

    North Korea has previously issued similar rhetoric in times of animosities with the United States and South Korea.

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  • North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missiles

    North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missiles

    SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it test-fired long-range cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast a day earlier, adding to a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training.

    The U.S. and South Korean militaries didn’t immediately confirm the exercise, which North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said were intended to verify the reliability of the missiles and the rapid-response capabilities of the unit that operates those weapons.

    The launches would have taken place as the United States and South Korea held a simulated military exercise in Washington aimed at sharpening their response to North Korean nuclear threats.

    KCNA said the exercise involved four missiles, which flew for nearly three hours, drawing oval and figure-eight patterns above the sea, and showed that they can hit targets 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) away.

    North Korea first tested a long-range cruise missile system in September 2021 and has implied they are being developed to be armed with nuclear warheads.

    It also test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Saturday and a pair of short-range missiles Monday to demonstrate dual ability to conduct nuclear strikes on South Korea and the U.S. mainland.

    North Korea said Monday’s short-range launches were a response to the United States flying B-1B bombers to the region for joint training with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Sunday in a show of force following the North’s ICBM test.

    Prior to the ICBM launch, North Korea vowed an “unprecedentedly” strong response over a series of military drills planned by Seoul and Washington. North Korea for decades has described the annual U.S.-South Korea drills as rehearsals for a potential invasion, although the allies say their exercises are defensive in nature.

    North Korea is coming off a record year in weapons demonstrations with more than 70 ballistic missiles fired, including ICBMs with potential to reach the U.S. mainland. It also conducted what it described as simulated nuclear attacks against South Korean and U.S. targets in response to the allies’ joint military exercises.

    Leader Kim Jong Un doubled down on his nuclear push entering 2023, calling for an “exponential increase” in nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting “enemy” South Korea and the development of more advanced ICBMs.

    The U.S. Department of Defense and South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the U.S. and South Korean militaries conducted a simulation at the Pentagon on Wednesday that was focused on the possibility of the North Korean use of nuclear weapons. The allies also discussed various adoptions to demonstrate their “strong response capabilities and resolve to response appropriately” to any North Korean nuclear use.

    The Americans during the meeting highlighted the Biden administration’s 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, which states that any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is “unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime,” the U.S. Department of Defense said. It was referring to a legislatively mandated document that spells out U.S. nuclear policy and strategy for the next five to 10 years.

    The U.S. and South Korean delegations also visited U.S. nuclear submarine training facilities at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, where they were briefed on the mission of Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. U.S. officials at the base described such forces as key means of providing U.S. extended deterrence to allies, referring to a commitment to defend them with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear ones.

    In face of the North’s growing threats, South Korea has been seeking stronger reassurances from the United States that it would swiftly and decisively use its nuclear capabilities to defend its ally from a North Korean nuclear attack.

    “The United States will continue to work with (South Korea) to ensure an effective mix of capabilities, concepts, deployments, exercises, and tailored options to deter and, if necessary, respond to coercion and aggression by (North Korea),” the Department of Defense said in a statement.

    The U.S. and South Korean militaries have another joint computer-simulated exercise and field training scheduled in March, which South Korean officials say would involve the allies’ biggest live-fire training in years.

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  • Entrepreneur | How to Keep Calm, Focused and Present During Hard Times

    Entrepreneur | How to Keep Calm, Focused and Present During Hard Times

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    There is no lack of stressors in today’s world. Take your pick: bleak economic forecasts, climate change, conspiracy theories; these days, even stray Chinese weather balloons can cause nationwide panic. However, most negative nonsense in the news is often just noise. In particular, the gloomy part is often the attention-grabbing spin predicting the worst possible outcomes, causing unnecessary worry about the future. So how do we combat this noise, stay calm, focused and present for others? Our mindset, self-care and intentional relaxation can get us through just about anything.

    Related: 9 Ways High-Performing Entrepreneurs Handle Stress

    Mindset

    If we set up our mind to focus on the present, including being present for others, we take the focus off the past and the future. Our actions mold the future we can control in the present. If we worry about potential futures, ironically, we are spending precious energy on what we can’t control instead of what we can gain through action. Keeping focused on the present means mindfully preparing for each day and paying attention to the tasks and people we’re interacting with without getting distracted by past outcomes and possible future ones.

    A can-do mindset realized through constant planning, and consistent execution is critical. Building a daily plan encapsulating your key goals is more straightforward than you imagine. Such an approach will help you ignore the harmful noise and focus on the things that move you forward. You’ll need a perspective that anything that doesn’t go according to your plan is good too, and will serve as a learning experience and input for an altered or improved approach. Being grateful for everything that happens as a learning and growth experience is a way to avoid disappointment and becoming discouraged.

    Focusing on gratitude daily is fundamental to a feeling of well-being. Looking at adverse events that directly affect you as pathways to learning and growth – you will revise your plan — instead of life’s way of hurting you means you see everything as positive. Couldn’t avoid it? A lesson for the future. Having this perspective puts the focus back on the journey you’ve defined already; you control the goals and action plans and have simplified and componentized them into a daily checklist. This methodology will keep you on track despite unexpected circumstances that will naturally arise.

    Related: 20 Wise Insights on Gratitude to Spark a Positive Mindset

    Health

    A holistic approach to well-being includes regular exercise as a priority, eating and drinking the right things and getting enough sleep. We may tire of hearing about these fundamental things. However, people often underestimate their importance across all other areas of personal performance and health, including spiritual, mental and emotional health. For example, a good walk or workout in the morning will help your mind get clear and help you get ready for your daily routine. In addition, exercise sends positive chemicals to your brain, making you healthier and happier. However, regular exercise is not enough. You also need to watch what you eat.

    Without getting into specifics – because each person’s dietary needs are different — the healthier you can eat, the better you will think, function, sleep, work and interact with others because how you feel affects those things. General suggestions that apply to us all are avoiding sugar and alcohol, having too much salt, consuming processed foods, fast foods and anything that has a long list of ingredients. Also, going organic when possible and minimizing unnecessary pharmaceuticals will clear your mind and body of toxins. Lastly, getting detailed bloodwork and talking to a doctor or other professional can help you tweak your diet for optimized health.

    Without enough sleep, you won’t be able to focus, your body won’t recover, your mood and emotions can be affected, and your productivity to reach your goals and run your plans will be compromised. So, in addition to regular exercise and diet, getting enough sleep is the third major component of good health. They are all interconnected; exercising and eating clean will make sleeping easier, as your digestion will be easier and better, and being naturally tired will help you get deeper sleep to recharge for the next day.

    Related: 12 Ways to Smoothly Start Waking Up Earlier

    Relax

    Busy people tend not to have the time to get sucked into a lot of the negativity that goes on constantly in the world. Instead, they are focused on what they can control. However, it would be best if you took regular breaks for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Schedule your breaks and also take them ad-hoc when needed. The pandemic has freed many of us from the 9-5 fixed schedule, and thus knowing when and how to take a break and taking it is critical to keep performing at your best.

    Many people have also found it very healing to connect with nature, whether in the morning, at noon, during breaks or at night. Simply going outside, leaving your tech behind, breathing in the fresh air, and feeling the sunshine are often more than worth the time; you will naturally feel better and more connected with life. There is a lot of evidence that this sort of thing does make a difference, so if you are inside all day and all night, consider it a red flag and something you can change for your benefit.

    Lastly, don’t forget to have fun and laugh alone or with your family, friends and colleagues. Laughter and human connection with those we love, regularly and often, will improve our sense of well-being, help us focus better and be happier. Just a little time with someone you love can be priceless. So don’t forget to prioritize that as part of your day; with health and mindset, you can do it! Never give up trying; revise your plans and keep moving forward.

    Armand Peri

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  • North Korea confirms ICBM test, warns of more powerful steps

    North Korea confirms ICBM test, warns of more powerful steps

    SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Sunday its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test was meant to further bolster its “fatal” nuclear attack capacity against its rivals, as it threatened additional powerful steps in response to the planned military training between the United States and South Korea.

    Saturday’s ICBM test, the North’s first missile test since Jan. 1, signals its leader Kim Jong Un is using his rivals’ drills as a chance to expand his country’s nuclear capability to enhance its leverage in future dealings with the United States. An expert says North Korea may seek to hold regular operational exercises involving its ICBMs.

    North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said its launch of the existing Hwasong-15 ICBM was organized “suddenly” without prior notice at Kim’s direct order.

    KCNA said the launch was designed to verify the weapon’s reliability and the combat readiness of the country’s nuclear force. It said the missile was fired at a high angle and reached a maximum altitude of about 5,770 kilometers (3,585 miles), flying a distance of about 990 kilometers (615 miles) during a 67-minute flight before accurately hitting a pre-set area in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

    The steep-angle launch was apparently aimed at avoiding neighboring countries. The flight details reported by North Korea, which roughly matched the launch information previously assessed by its neighbors, show the weapon is theoretically capable of reaching the mainland U.S. if fired at a standard trajectory.

    The Hwasong-15 launch demonstrated the North’s “powerful physical nuclear deterrent” and its efforts to “turn its capacity of fatal nuclear counterattack on the hostile forces” into an extremely strong one that cannot be countered, KCNA said.

    Whether North Korea has a functioning nuclear-tipped ICBM is still a source of outside debate, as some experts say the North hasn’t mastered a technology to protect warheads from the severe conditions of atmospheric reentry. The North has claimed to have acquired such a technology.

    The Hwasong-15 is one of North Korea’s three existing ICBMs, all of which use liquid propellants that require pre-launch injections and cannot remain fueled for extended periods. The North is pushing to build a solid-fueled ICBM, which would be more mobile and harder-to-detect before its launch.

    “Kim Jong Un has likely determined that the technical reliability of the country’s liquid propellant ICBM force has been sufficiently tested and evaluated to now allow for regular operational exercises of this kind,” said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

    Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at Korea Aerospace University in South Korea, said that North Korea appeared to have launched an upgraded version of the Hwasong-15 ICBM. Chang said the information provided by North Korea showed the missile will likely have a longer potential range than the standard Hwasong-15.

    The North’s launch came a day after it vowed an “unprecedentedly” strong response over a series of military drills that Seoul and Washington plan in coming weeks.

    In a separate statement Sunday, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea and the United States of “openly showing their dangerous greed and attempt to gain the military upper hand and predominant position in the Korean Peninsula.”

    “I warn that we will watch every movement of the enemy and take corresponding and very powerful and overwhelming counteraction against its every move hostile to us,” she said.

    North Korea has steadfastly slammed regular South Korea-U.S. military trainings as an invasion rehearsal though the allies say their exercises are defensive in nature. Some analysts say North Korea often uses South Korea-U.S. drills as a pretext to modernize its weapons arsenals, which it believes is essential to win sanctions relief from the U.S.

    “By now, we know that any action taken by the U.S. and South Korea — however justified from the vantage point of defense and deterrence against (North Korea’s) reckless behavior — will be construed and protested as an act of hostility by North Korea,” said Soo Kim, a security analyst at the California-based RAND Corporation. “There will always be fodder for (Kim Jong Un’s) weapons provocations.”

    “With nuclear weapons in tow and having mastered the art of coercion and bullying, Kim does not need ‘self-defense.’ But pitting the U.S. and South Korea as the aggressors allows Kim to justify his weapons development,” Soo Kim said.

    U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the U.S. will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s presidential National Security Council said it will seek to strengthen its “overwhelming response capacity” against potential North Korean aggression based on the military alliance with the United States.

    The South Korean and U.S. militaries plan to hold a table-top exercise this week to hone a joint response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea. The allies are also to conduct another joint computer simulated exercise and field training in March.

    The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan, meeting on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany on Saturday, agreed to boost a trilateral cooperation involving the United States and exchanged in-depth views on the issue of Japan’s colonial-era mobilization of forced Korean laborers — a key sticking point in efforts to improve their ties, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.

    South Korea and Japan are both key U.S. allies but often spat over issues stemming from Tokyo’s 1910-45 colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula. But North Korea’s recent missile testing spree is pushing the two countries to explore how to reinforce their security cooperation.

    Last year, North Korea set an annual record with the launch of more than 70 missiles. North Korea has said many of those weapons tests were a warning over previous U.S.-South Korean military drills. It also passed a law that allows it to use nuclear weapons preemptively in a broad range of scenarios.

    Kim Jong Un entered 2023 with a call for an “exponential increase” of the country’s nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea and the development of more advanced ICBMs targeting the U.S.

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  • North Korea fires missile as US, S. Korea prepare for drills

    North Korea fires missile as US, S. Korea prepare for drills

    SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s military said North Korea on Saturday fired one suspected long-range missile from its capital toward the sea, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises.

    The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the ballistic missile was fired at around 5:22 p.m. from an area in Sunan, the site of Pyongyang’s international airport, where the North has conducted most of its intercontinental ballistic missile tests in recent years. The South Korean military didn’t immediately say where the weapon landed.

    North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Friday threatened with “unprecedently” strong action against its rivals, after South Korea announced a series of planned military exercises with the United States aimed at sharpening their response to the North’s growing threats.

    Toshiro Ino, Japan’s vice minister for defense, said the missile was expected have landed in waters within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Oshima island. Oshima lies off the western coast of the northernmost main island of Hokkaido.

    The office of South Korean President Yun Suk Yeol said his national security director, Kim Sung-han, was presiding over an emergency security meeting to discuss the launch. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul over the launch, which he described as “an act of violence that escalates provocation toward the international order.”

    The launch was North Korea’s first since Jan. 1, when it test-fired a short-range weapon. It followed a massive military parade in Pyongyang last week, where troops rolled out more than a dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles as leader Kim Jong Un watched in delight from a balcony.

    The unprecedented number of missiles underscored a continuation of expansion of his country’s military capabilities despite limited resources while negotiations with Washington remain stalemated.

    Those missiles included a new system experts say is possibly linked to the North’s stated desire to acquire a solid-fuel ICBM. North Korea’s existing ICBMs, including Hwasong-17s, use liquid propellants that require pre-launch injections and cannot remain fueled for prolonged periods. A solid-fuel alternative would take less time to prepare and is easier to move around on vehicles, providing less opportunity to be spotted.

    It wasn’t immediately clear whether Saturday’s launch involved a solid-fuel system.

    “North Korean missile firings are often tests of technologies under development, and it will be notable if Pyongyang claims progress with a long-range solid-fuel missile,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “The Kim regime may also tout this launch as a response to U.S. defense cooperation with South Korea and sanctions diplomacy at the United Nations.”

    North Korea is coming off a record year in weapons demonstrations with more than 70 ballistic missiles fired, including ICBMs with potential range to reach the U.S. mainland. The North also conducted a slew of launches it described as simulated nuclear attacks against South Korean and U.S. targets in response to the allies’ resumption of large-scale joint military exercise that had been downsized for years.

    North Korea’s missile tests have been punctuated by threats of preemptive nuclear attacks against South Korea or the United States over what it perceives as a broad range of scenarios that put its leadership under threat.

    Kim doubled down on his nuclear push entering 2023, calling for an “exponential increase” in the country’s nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting “enemy” South Korea and the development of more advanced ICBMs.

    The North Korean statement on Friday accused Washington and Seoul of planning more than 20 rounds of military drills this year, including large-scale field exercises, and described its rivals as “the arch-criminals deliberately disrupting regional peace and stability.”

    The statement came hours after South Korea’s Defense Ministry officials told lawmakers that Seoul and Washington will hold an annual computer-simulated combined training in mid-March. The 11-day training would reflect North Korea’s nuclear threats, as well as unspecified lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, according to Heo Tae-keun, South Korea’s deputy minister of national defense policy.

    Heo said the two countries will also conduct joint field exercises in mid-March that would be bigger than those held in the past few years.

    South Korea and the U.S. will also hold a one-day tabletop exercise next week at the Pentagon to sharpen a response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea.

    The exercise, scheduled for Wednesday, would set up possible scenarios where North Korea uses nuclear weapons, explore how to cope with them militarily and formulate crisis management plans, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said.

    North Korea has traditionally described U.S.-South Korea military exercises as rehearsals for a potential invasion, while the allies insist that their drills are defensive in nature.

    The United States and South Korea had downsized or canceled some of their major drills in recent years, first to support the former Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts with Pyongyang and then because of COVID-19. But North Korea’s growing nuclear threats have raised the urgency for South Korea and Japan to strengthen their defense postures in line with their alliances with the United States.

    South Korea has been seeking reassurances that United States will swiftly and decisively use its nuclear capabilities to protect its ally in face of a North Korean nuclear attack. In addition to expanding and evolving military exercises with South Korea, the United States has also expressed commitment to increase its deployment of strategic military assets like fighter jets and aircraft carriers to the Korean Peninsula in a show of strength.

    In December, Japan made a major break from its strictly self-defense-only post-World War II principle, adopting a new national security strategy that includes preemptive strikes and cruise missiles to counter growing threats from North Korea, China and Russia.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to the report.

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  • US holds drills in South China Sea amid tensions with China

    US holds drills in South China Sea amid tensions with China

    BEIJING — The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are holding joint exercises in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

    The 7th Fleet based in Japan said Sunday that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting “integrated expeditionary strike force operations” in the South China Sea.

    It said exercises involving ships, ground forces and aircraft took place Saturday but gave no details on when the began or whether they had ended.

    China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and strongly objects to military activity by other nations in the contested waterway through which $5 trillion in goods are shipped every year.

    The U.S. takes no official position on sovereignty in the South China Sea, but maintains that freedom of navigation and overflight must be preserved. Several times a year, it sends ships sailing past fortified Chinese outposts in the Spratly Islands, prompting furious protests from Beijing.

    The U.S. has also been strengthening its defense alliance with the Philippines, which has faced encroachment on islands and fisheries by the Chinese coast guard and nominally civilian but government-backed fleets.

    The U.S. military exercises were planned in advance. They come as already tense relations between Washington and Beijing have been exacerbated by a diplomatic row sparked by the balloon, which was shot down last weekend in U.S. airspace off the coast of South Carolina.

    The U.S. said the unmanned balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals, but Beijing insists it was a weather research airship that had accidently blown off course.

    The incident prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to abruptly cancel a high-stakes trip to Beijing last weekend aimed at easing tensions.

    After first issuing a highly rare expression of regret over the incident, China has toughened its rhetoric, calling the U.S. move an overreaction and a violation of international norms. China’s defense minister refused to take a phone call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the matter.

    The United States has since blacklisted six Chinese entities it said were linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs as part of its response to the incident. The House of Representatives also voted unanimously to condemn China for a “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty and efforts to “deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns.”.

    The balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for several years, the Pentagon said. The U.S. says Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.

    In its news release, the 7th Fleet said the joint operation had “established a powerful presence in the region, which supports peace and stability.”

    “As a ready response force, we underpin a broad spectrum of missions including landing Marines ashore, humanitarian disaster relief, and deterring potential adversaries through visible and present combat power,” the release said.

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  • Save Nearly $300 on This Celebrity Fitness App and Get Your Workers Moving

    Save Nearly $300 on This Celebrity Fitness App and Get Your Workers Moving

    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Jumping jacks may not be the team-building exercise you thought would boost productivity at your business, but it might do the trick. Many employers have found that exercising at work can increase productivity and alertness.

    If you want to add fitness to the agenda for your employees, then the Jillian Michaels Fitness App is the way to do it. Led by famous U.S. celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels, this lifetime subscription is just $179 for a limited time.

    Start the day with a few low-intensity workouts to get everyone feeling charged up. Just select the fitness level and workout equipment suitable for everyone participating and look through a curated list of exercise suggestions. There are more than 800 exercise videos, each shot in HD. You could even screen share and run a remote workout session with your off-site employees.

    Take a break from the stress of a high-performing workplace with guided audio-only meditation. Your employees may appreciate the chance to unwind after an intense quarter, which might even help with productivity.

    Get feedback from your employees about their favorite workouts and swap or ban exercises from your recommendations. You can customize your suggested workouts whenever you want. If you want to raise morale, play some music, as Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora are all integrated into the app.

    Your employees may even appreciate a chance to make strides toward their long-term fitness goals at work. This fitness app also sends users a daily meal plan, but you could use it as inspiration for a healthy office potluck.

    Just for the month of February, new members can get a lifetime subscription to the Jillian Michaels Fitness App on sale for $179 (reg. $449).

    Prices subject to change.

    Entrepreneur Store

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  • N. Korean leader orders military to improve war readiness

    N. Korean leader orders military to improve war readiness

    SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his military to expand its combat exercises and strengthen war preparedness as he looks to escalate an already provocative run in weapons demonstrations in the face of deepening tensions with its neighbors and Washington.

    Kim presided over a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission on Monday and encouraged the armed forces to perform “ever-victorious feats” and display “matchless military strength” to open a new phase in development, the country’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday.

    The commission’s members discussed a series of tasks aimed at inducing “great change” in the military, including “constantly expanding and intensifying the operation and combat drills” and “more strictly perfecting the preparedness for war,” the agency said.

    The meeting came amid signs that North Korea is preparing a massive military parade in the capital Pyongyang, to celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army that falls on Wednesday. Kim may use the event to showcase the latest hardware from his growing nuclear weapons and missile program that’s brewing concern for the United States and its allies in Asia.

    The comments from the meeting are the latest warning from Pyongyang that it’s preparing to intensify its military demonstrations following a record-breaking year in missile testing. The warnings are in part a response to the United States’ expanding military drills with South Korea, which the allies have said are aimed at countering the North’s evolving threat.

    Last week, North Korea threatened to counter U.S. military moves with the “most overwhelming nuclear force” as it condemned U.S. plans to expand its joint exercise with South Korea and deploy more advanced military assets like bombers and aircraft carriers to the region.

    North Korea fired more than 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, including potential nuclear-capable weapons designed to strike targets in South Korea or reach the U.S. mainland. It also conducted a slew of launches it described as simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean and U.S. targets in response to the expanded U.S. military drills with South Korea, which had been downsized during the Trump administration.

    During a major political conference in December, Kim called for an “exponential increase” of the country’s nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nukes targeting South Korea and the development of more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the American homeland.

    Experts say Kim’s weapons tests and threats are aimed at forcing Washington to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power, which Pyongyang sees as a way to negotiate economic and political concession from a position of strength.

    Diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang has been stalled since 2019, with the two sides remaining at odds over U.S.-led economic sanctions against the North and the North’s nuclear program.

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  • Get Jillian Michaels’ Award-Winning Fitness App for 55% Off

    Get Jillian Michaels’ Award-Winning Fitness App for 55% Off

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    No matter what you do for work, exercise is an important part of life. It helps you blow off steam and build focus. Of course, we’re all guilty of letting our health and wellness slide by the wayside from time to time. But this year, we’re saying Same You, New Wellness by offering significant discounts on products like Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App.


    StackCommerce

    This promotion only runs through 11:59 p.m. Pacific on 1/9/23, with no coupons necessary.

    Jillian Michaels, also a famous U.S. celebrity, is one of the world’s foremost fitness experts and life coaches. With this award-winning app, you’ve got her in your pocket, helping you along your wellness journey. The app has earned 4.5/5 stars and is a Best of Award Winner on the Google Play Store, plus 4.7/5 stars and a Best of Award and an App of the Day on the App Store. PCMag writes, “Jillian Michaels Fitness gives you a custom daily workout and meal plan to follow for slimming down and building muscle. It has options to suit different dietary restrictions. It’s an excellent app for those who want tough workouts.”

    The app gives you more than 800 workout exercises shot in HD video from basic to advanced, covering everything from HIIT to targeted routines. With access to her entire catalog, you can personalize the intensity of your workouts and even play your own music during an exercise. In addition, you’ll get an Advanced Meal Planner System to help you reach your goals.

    Take your health seriously this year! Through 1/9/23 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, you can get a lifetime subscription to Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App for 55% off $449 at just $199 for new members only.

    Prices subject to change.

    Entrepreneur Store

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  • Prosecutor: Arkansas police recruit’s death was accidental

    Prosecutor: Arkansas police recruit’s death was accidental

    JONESBORO, Ark. — An Arkansas police recruit died of natural causes while attending a law enforcement academy where there are “concerning issues with the culture of the training program,” according to a case file reviewed by a local prosecutor.

    The July death of Patrolman Vincent “Vinny” Parks was initially the subject of a criminal investigation by Arkansas State Police. Parks, 38, died on his first day of training at the Central Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock.

    An investigative file on his death revealed “concerning issues with the culture” of the training facility, including “hazing” and a “lack of helpful cooperation in the investigation,” according to letter written Thursday by Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley to Arkansas State Police Col. Bill Bryant.

    A subsequent medical examiner’s autopsy report ruled that Parks’ death was an accident caused by a “Sickle-cell trait-related” crisis related to physical exertion and heat distress, Jegley wrote. Heart disease and obesity might have also contributed to the accidental death.

    Jegley’s office determined the actions of the academy were not criminal. He declined to detail the issues he referenced with the culture of the training program.

    “We will not reiterate those concerns but would invite a careful inquiry into the practice, procedures, and other problems at (the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy) made obvious in the ASP report,” Jegley wrote.

    A text message, obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, from former Department of Public Safety Director Jami Cook to Alison Williams, Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s chief of staff, and three other law enforcement officials, shortly after Park fell ill said the trainee “fell out” after jogging to and from his car and engaging in four minutes of calisthenics.

    Central Arkansas was under a heat advisory from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. that Sunday, Dylan Cooper, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in North Little Rock, told the newspaper.

    Parks had joined the Jonesboro Police Department in June. Following his death, JPD removed four other recruits sent to Camp Robinson from the academy, KAIT-TV reported.

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  • FTC didn’t stop Facebook-Instagram. How about Meta-Within?

    FTC didn’t stop Facebook-Instagram. How about Meta-Within?

    SAN JOSE, California — Facebook parent Meta is sparring with government regulators in federal court over its pending acquisition of a virtual reality fitness company Within Unlimited

    CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify as a witness at the trial in San Jose, California.

    At issue is whether Meta’s acquisition of the small company that makes a VR fitness app called Supernatural will hurt competition in the emerging virtual reality market. If the deal is allowed to go through, the Federal Trade Commission argues, it would violate antitrust laws and dampen innovation, hurting consumers who may face higher prices and fewer options outside of Meta-controlled platforms.

    Meta, the FTC argued in court this week, scrapped its own plans to enter the nascent VR fitness market in the summer of 2021 when it decided to buy Within. Without the competitive threat of the tech giant’s entry into the market, the agency asserts, innovation stalls, hurting end users.

    “The threat is what keeps firms going,” testified economist Hal Singer, a witness for the FTC. “If I know there is a chance that someone could come in and steal my lunch,” he said, companies will innovate and constrain pricing.

    But Meta says it had no concrete plans to create a competing app beyond the initial discussion stage, where it concluded it had no ability to do so. Mark Rabkin, a vice president at Meta who leads its VR efforts, testified that while Meta could definitely build a VR fitness app, its chances of success would be “very low.”

    “Achieving what Supernatural has achieved is remarkable and it would be very difficult for us to replicate that,” Rabkin said during a Zoom hearing Friday.

    Meta, in fact, has a history of trying — and often failing — to copy rival platforms or their features, sometimes when it’s not able to purchase a company or product outright. Meta owns Instagram, which has a Stories feature, for instance, that is very similar to the Story feature on Snapchat. Meta also briefly redesigned Instagram this year to make it look more like rival TikTok, but scrapped the change after an outcry from users, including celebrities.

    The agency and Meta also disagree on how to define the market that Within’s popular app falls into. The FTC defines it narrowly as “VR dedicated fitness apps,” while Meta’s definition includes a wider swath of competitors, many of which don’t need VR goggles to work — such as Peloton, for instance.

    “Meta has talked about how they want to make virtual reality as ubiquitous as your cellphone,” said Lee Hepner, legal counsel, American Economic Liberties Project, an organization that advocates for government action against business consolidation. “It’s the next platform for widespread communication in Meta’s eyes.”

    If the FTC can preserve and boost competition at this stage, Hepner said, there are “different paths that this market could take instead of Meta controlling the whole path, the whole forward trajectory of this market in the next several years.”

    The FTC’s challenge to Meta’s acquisition reflects agency chair Lina Khan’s aggressive stance on Big Tech and antitrust.

    The case, expected to wrap up Tuesday, is being heard by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, who also oversaw the trial of disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and her partner Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. Both were sentenced to over a decade in prison for their roles in the company’s blood-testing hoax.

    The FTC also sued this month to block Microsoft’s planned $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, saying it could suppress competition for Microsoft’s Xbox game console and its growing games subscription business.

    In 2020 the agency sued Meta, then called Facebook, over its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp that could force a spinoff of Instagram and WhatsApp. Unraveling those deals, which were made 10 and nine years ago, respectively — and previously approved by the FTC — may be more difficult than blocking the Within purchase, which Meta and Within want to close by the end of this year.

    Under Zuckerberg’s, Meta moved aggressively into virtual reality in 2014 with its acquisition of headset maker Oculus VR. Since then, Meta’s VR headsets have become the cornerstone of its growth in the virtual reality space, the FTC noted in its suit. Fueled by the popularity of its top-selling Quest headsets, Meta’s Quest Store has become a leading U.S. app platform with more than 500 apps available to download, according to the agency.

    Meta bought seven of the most successful virtual-reality development studios, and now has one of the largest virtual-reality content catalogs in the world, the FTC says.

    “It may be true that Meta has become more effective at acquisitions than they are at product innovation,” Hepner said. “But just because they’re better at acquiring and innovating doesn’t mean that it’s legal to do that. The entire tech industry … for the past 20 years has gotten so effective at acquisitions, knowing that they won’t be challenged on it.”

    ———

    This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the FTC chair’s last name. It’s Khan, not Kahn.

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  • The biggest security risks of using fitness trackers and apps to monitor your health

    The biggest security risks of using fitness trackers and apps to monitor your health

    Fitness trackers, which help keep tabs on sleep quality, heart rate and other biological metrics, are a popular way to help Americans improve their health and well-being. 

    There are many types of trackers on the market, including those from well-known brands such as Apple, Fitbit, Garmin and Oura. While these devices are growing in popularity — and have legitimate uses — consumers don’t always understand the extent to which their information could be available to or intercepted by third parties. This is especially important because people can’t simply change their DNA sequencing or heart rhythms as they could a credit card or bank account number. 

    “Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, you can’t get it back,” said Steve Grobman, senior vice president and chief technology officer of computer security company McAfee.

    The holiday season is a popular time to purchase consumer health devices. Here’s what you should know about the security risks tied to fitness trackers and personal health data.

    Stick to a name brand, even though they are hacked

    Fitness devices can be expensive, even without taking inflation into account, but don’t be tempted to skimp on security to save a few dollars. While a less-known company may offer more bells and whistles at a better price, a well-established provider that is breached is more likely to care about its reputation and do things to help consumers, said Kevin Roundy, senior technical director at cybersecurity company Gen Digital.

    To be sure, data compromise issues, from criminal hacks to unintended sharing of sensitive user information, can — and have — hit well-known players, including Fitbit, which Google bought in 2021, and Strava. But even so, security professionals say it’s better to buy from a reputable manufacturer that knows how to design secure devices and has a reputation to upkeep. 

    “A smaller company might just go bankrupt,” Roundy said. 

    Fitness app data is not protected like health information

    There can be other concerns beyond having a person’s sensitive information exposed in a data breach. For example, fitness trackers generally connect to a user’s phone via Bluetooth, leaving personal data susceptible to hacking.  

    What’s more, the information that fitness trackers collect isn’t considered “health information” under the federal HIPAA standard or state laws like California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act. This means that personally revealing data can potentially be used in ways a consumer might never expect. For instance, the personal information could be shared with or sold to third parties such as data brokers or law enforcement, said Emory Roane, policy counsel at Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer privacy, advocacy and education organization. 

    Some fitness trackers may use consumers’ health and wellness data to derive revenue from ads, so if that’s a concern, you’ll want to make sure there’s a way to opt out. Review the provider’s terms of service to understand the its policies before you buy the fitness tracker, Roundy said.

    Default social, location settings may need to be changed

    A fitness tracker’s default settings may not offer the most stringent security controls. To boost protection, look at what settings can be adjusted, such as those related to social networking, location and other sharable information, said Dan Demeter, security researcher at cybersecurity provider Kaspersky Lab.

    Depending on the state, consumers can also opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information to third parties, and in some cases, these rights are being expanded, according to Roane.

    Certainly, device users should be careful about what they post publicly about their location and activities, or what they allow to become public by default. This data could be searchable online and used by bad actors. Even if they aren’t acting maliciously, third parties such as insurers and employers could get access to this type of public information.

    “Users expect their data to be their data and use it how they want it to be used,” Roane said, but that’s not necessarily the case. 

    “It’s not only about present data, but also about past data,” Demeter said. For instance, a bad actor could see all the times the person goes running — what days and hours — and where, and use it to their advantage. 

    There are also a number of digital scams where criminals can use information about your location to make an opportunity seem more plausible. They can claim things like, “I know you lost your wallet at so and so place, which lends credibility to the scammer’s story,” Grobman said. 

    Location data can prove problematic in other ways as well. Roane offers the example of a women seeking reproductive health care in a state where abortion is illegal. A fitness tracker with geolocation services enabled could collect information that could be subpoenaed by law enforcement or be purchased by data brokers and sold to law enforcement, he said.

    Use strong password, two-factor authentication, and never share credentials

    Be sure to secure your account by using a strong password that you don’t use with another account and enabling two-factor authentication for the associated app. And don’t share credentials. That’s never a good idea, but it can have especially devastating consequences in certain circumstances. For example, a domestic violence victim could be tracked by her abuser, assuming he had access to her account credentials, Roane said.

    Also be sure to keep the device and the app up-to-date with security fixes.

    While nothing is foolproof, the goal is to be as secure as possible. “If somebody tries to profit from our personal information, we just make their lives harder so it’s not that easy to hack us,” Demeter said.

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  • Jason Oppenheim Reveals His Secret to Staying Focused and Productive

    Jason Oppenheim Reveals His Secret to Staying Focused and Productive

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Being an entrepreneur is not an easy task at all. When you choose a path of fending for yourself in business, the only person who can be blamed for failures is yourself. The entrepreneurial lifestyle requires a large amount of patience, perseverance and most of all, focus. Sometimes this leaves little to no energy to prioritize the most important parts of life like our physical and mental wellbeing.


    Benjo Arwas

    Science shows that when we prioritize our physical wellbeing, it correlates with being able to focus better on our work while also increasing our mental capabilities and wellbeing. This is why it is so important to focus on staying fit no matter how busy work may get.

    One entrepreneur who reaps the benefits of staying physically healthy is Jason Oppenheim. Oppenheim juggles the responsibilities of owning real estate conglomerate The Oppenheim Group while being active in the recording and production of the highly-popular Netflix series, “Selling Sunset.” Despite his busy schedule of back-to-back meetings, calls and time on set, Oppenheim prioritizes his physical wellbeing above all.

    I got the opportunity to speak with Jason Oppenheim as he offered insight on how he stays focused on work during his busy schedule while being mindful of his physical health.

    Related: No Time to Exercise? 3 Reasons Short Workouts Are Better Than Longer Ones

    Exercise at least 30 minutes a day

    Making time to be active daily benefits your brain in so many different ways. Exercising regularly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of ADHD and improve concentration, motivation, memory and mood.

    Studies show that every time you move your body, a number of beneficial neurotransmitters, including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin and acetylcholine, get released into your brain. An organized review published in the journal, Translational Sports Medicine, found that it takes only two minutes of exercise to temporarily boost memory and overall brain functions.

    For Jason Oppenheim, 30 minutes in the gym, four to five times a week, is all he needs to stay focused and fit. “I do quick workouts, maybe 10 to 12 sets, and I’m out of the gym pretty quickly,” explained Oppenheim. Consistency is key to staying fit. “You have to keep your mind and body focused. Almost every time I get into a mood it’s generally because I’m not working out,” said Oppenheim. Being close in proximity has also been a game changer for Oppenheim, who walks 100 feet to a building next to his office to work out.

    Related: The Entrepreneur’s Diet for Success and Brain-Boosting Performance

    It’s about when you eat, not what you eat

    For Jason, his secret for staying lean isn’t attributed to his diet, but limiting how many times he eats: twice on a typical day. “I pretty much eat whatever I want. I don’t think anyone would call my eating habits impressive or healthy. I eat twice a day and that’s what keeps me lean,” explained Oppenheim.

    While Jason’s diet might not be what you’d expect a fit person’s diet to look like, his discipline of eating only twice a day allows him to fast incrementally, keeping a calorie deficit daily. In this case, it’s about when you eat, not what you eat. Jason eats lunch and dinner, holding out from a morning breakfast.

    Intermittent fasting is a popular method for burning fat. If you don’t eat for 10–16 hours, your body will go to its fat stores for energy, burning fat at a faster rate. And while this method works for Jason, it may not be everyone. Mayo Clinic says, “intermittent fasting is safe for many people, but it’s not for everyone. Skipping meals may not be the best way to manage your weight if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.”

    Being strict about when you are eating and allowing your body time to go through periods without eating may seem difficult at first, but doing so will help you stay lean.

    Related: Elon Musk Says He’s Lost 20 Pounds After Trying Intermittent Fasting and Now Feels Healthier

    Don’t overwhelm yourself

    Another important part of Jason Oppenheim’s consistency is staying away from overwhelming himself while making an effort to work out. “I go to the gym quickly. I don’t make it an overwhelming experience for myself. For me, I just want to check the box. I make the most of it,” Oppenheim pointed out.

    There is nothing wrong with keeping your workout brief. Doing so allows Oppenheim more time to get work done while still taking care of his body. “Leave the office and come back within 35 minutes,” Oppenheim explains.

    Final thoughts

    Concentrating on keeping both your mind and body healthy is vital to becoming successful as an entrepreneur. If you aren’t physically or mentally healthy, the stresses of life and business can begin to cave in.

    In Jason Oppenheim’s case, he doesn’t go over the top — he does just enough to see results. For example, while he isn’t at the gym for a super long period, he makes sure that he’s there enough to reap the benefits of staying active. You don’t need to spend hours at the gym, just an hour or so a day of being active can make all the difference. Oppenheim admitted his diet isn’t amazing, but his choice to fast and limit when he eats makes up for it all.

    There is only so much time in a day, and a busy schedule can make it challenging to prioritize our own wellbeing. Entrepreneurship calls for long hours, late nights, early mornings and an enormous amount of time and energy. But it’s the small, daily sacrifices to take care of your body that will go a long way in increasing productivity, and overall mood, all while sharpening focus. It’s scientifically proven.

    Christian Anderson (Trust'N)

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  • How to Start a Row House Franchise in 2022

    How to Start a Row House Franchise in 2022

    Row House is a network of premium boutique indoor rowing studios, delivering a low-impact, high-energy workout focused on generating team energy. Established in New York City in 2014, Row House was born from the idea that rowing is simply the most efficient, low-impact, high-energy, full-body workout for any fitness level.


    Row House

    The brand’s multiple workout routines are designed to unite, inspire and drive people to dig a little deeper. Though Row House only began franchising its rowing concept in 2017, there are already over 90 studios open across the globe and over 300 licensed locations. Row House is delivering on the increased consumer demand for sustainable, lower-impact workout options that reduce the risk of injury but still deliver an exciting, effective workout with a community-focused approach. With its widespread and devoted national following, Row House is leading the market, as evidenced by the astonishing amount of interest in establishing new units over the past three years.

    Now, you can become a Row House franchise owner and lead an indoor rowing facility in your community. Consumers are seeking more sustainable, lower-impact workout options that reduce the risk of injury but still deliver an effective workout. In an industry traditionally built on competition within a class, Row House is different. The brand isn’t changing the experience, they’re creating a new one — one that brings everyone together, rowing in the same rhythm, the same flow and with the same energy.

    Rowing is one of the best full-body workout options in fitness today.

    • Cardio health: Activating so many major muscle groups raises the heart rate and increases oxygen intake for an effective cardio workout.
    • Weight loss: Row House’s method of interval training boosts fat-burning progress by alternating the rowing intensity between high and low.
    • Strength: The required push and pull is fairly unique to other machines, and the setup means one of the benefits is strength training.
    • Low impact: Rowing is gentle on the joints but still gets the heart rate up, breaks a sweat and builds muscle without breaking the body down.
    • Increased endurance: Build endurance with short bursts on and off the rowing machine. Row House’s classes will help build cardiovascular performance.
    • Community: Row House is more than just a workout, it’s about people, connection, strength and community. This is a brand that doesn’t intimidate or alienate participants.

    Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now and take this quiz to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

    Backed by science and data, the benefits of rowing are unparalleled. Each workout produces maximum results by engaging over 86% of the body’s muscles (legs, core, arms, back), delivering the perfect balance of aerobic endurance and muscular strength all in one workout. Row House offers participants the opportunity to build strength, endurance and confidence with six different class types. Each class has a different focus and programming varies to help individuals progress throughout the week to avoid plateaus.

    Row House’s six different class types include the following.

    • Signature: Improve cardiovascular health, muscle tone, mobility and alignment with a popular blend of rowing and floor exercise.
    • Strength: Grab weights and feel the burn. Build strength through floor exercises to increase power on the rower.
    • Full row: This is cardio endurance at its finest. Keep the heart rate in the aerobic zone by rowing for the majority of the workout.
    • Restore: Work up a sweat in this active recovery workout that combines rowing, stretching and core work.
    • Intervals: Experience quick transitions between rowing and full-body floor exercises to maximize the anaerobic threshold.
    • Foundation: Participants can build the right foundation as they begin their Row House fitness journey with an emphasis on rowing stroke techniques.

    A rowing-based fitness program will burn calories, improve posture and strengthen the body from head to toe. Rowing has many benefits, and at Row House, there is a place for everyone, whether an accomplished athlete or a beginner.

    Row House has been named a Top New Franchise (2021 & 2022) and a Fastest Growing Franchise (2021) by Entrepreneur Magazine, as well as being listed in the prestigious Inc. 5000 rankings. Row House is also part of the Xponential Fitness family of brands, the curator of the best fitness and wellness brands across every vertical of boutique fitness. With more than 25 years of boutique fitness franchising experience within each brand, Xponential Fitness has the resources and network to ensure continued growth and support for its franchise partners.

    How much does a Row House franchise cost?

    To open a Row House franchise, here are the financial requirements, cash required and ongoing franchise fees associated with business ownership.

    Initial franchise fee: $60,000.

    Initial investment: $247,116 to $483,316.

    Net worth requirement: $500,000.

    Cash requirement: $100,000.

    Royalty fee: 7%.

    Ad royalty fee: 2%.

    Term of agreement: 10 years.

    Request Free Info

    Row House franchising doesn’t offer in-house financing for candidates but does maintain relationships with several third-party funding sources which offer financing to cover the franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and payroll. Please review Item 7 of the 2022 Row House FDD for explanatory notes and additional details.

    Why should I own a Row House franchise?

    Row House is leading the industry in providing members with a workout that preserves the longevity of the body and achieves fitness goals. There are numerous benefits to consider in becoming a Row House franchise owner, including the following proof points.

    • First mover advantage: With a proven concept in one of the most competitive markets, Row House has extensive market potential. Be the first to bring Row House’s unique workout to your local market.
    • Investment: Prospective franchisees can enjoy a low-cost entry, a recurring revenue model, truly exceptional EBITDA margins and the confidence in a team with decades of experience in fitness franchising.
    • Executive model: Row House’s franchise model provides a completely scalable business opportunity, allowing you to determine your level of success. Thanks to support from the brand, franchisees can leverage development costs and existing national vendor relationships to launch their studio successfully.
    • Extensive support: Row House believes extensive training drives franchisee success. From lease negotiation to build out, recruitment to finance, sales and marketing to sustainable business, new owners are supported every step of the way.

    Comprehensive training and extensive, ongoing support are both pivotal for success as a Row House franchise owner. In addition to over 20 hours of classroom training instruction and additional on-the-job instruction, here are examples of the specific support you can expect from Row House.

    • Real estate: The brand’s expert team will guide you through the entire process, from site selection to lease execution, locating the ideal site for your Row House studio.
    • Finance: Row House’s finance team can assist in loan processing through the SBA and preferred financiers.
    • Site build support: Row House will guide you through the entire build-out process — from corporate-approved layout and general construction to interior design, onsite security and technology.
    • Sales: Franchisees can expect comprehensive and ongoing sales training, monthly calls and expert guidance — from pre-sale through grand opening and on to sustainability. New owners are introduced to the sales process, retail range, app and POS system, making it possible to drive sales right from the start.
    • Marketing: The minute that the lease agreement is signed, the marketing for a location begins — with personalized support to set up social media, marketing materials and all means of generating website traffic and memberships.
    • Recruitment: Row House knows the expertise of the coach is pivotal for the member’s rowing experience. That’s why franchisees receive assistance hiring only the most qualified coaches, general managers and sales associates.
    • Comprehensive training: The brand believes that extensive support and comprehensive training are pivotal for the success of a Row House franchise owner. New franchisees will attend a three-day training course at the brand’s corporate headquarters in Southern California, an invitation to the annual franchise convention and ongoing weekly support. The new owner’s staff will also undergo extensive sales training to ensure the team achieves the studio’s goals.

    Request more information about franchise opportunity with Row House by filling out this form and begin the discovery process for your very own franchise operation.

    Request Free Info

    Related: How Mistakes Helped This Business Leader Build a Successful Company

    Entrepreneur Staff

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