Most Popular
-
1
Yoon calls for dialogue, trust from medical community
-
2
NK leader guides firing drills involving super-large multiple rocket launchers
-
3
Dyson founder visits Seoul for global debut of new hair dryer
-
4
Leaders call for action against threats to democracy posed by AI
-
5
Asiana Airlines wins data transfer certification in China
-
6
Dispute heats up over dispatch of scandal-ridden envoy to Australia
-
7
Dodgers beat S. Korea in final exhibition before MLB opener in Seoul
-
8
Disgraced ex-K-pop star released after serving time for sex crimes
-
9
Trump unlikely to unravel IRA: experts
-
10
Yoon says medical licenses should not be used as tool against people
-
Ministry to invest W9 trillion to deter N.K. nuke, missiles
Ministry to invest W9 trillion to deter N.K. nuke, missilesBy Song Sang-ho The Defense Ministry plans to spend nearly 9 trillion won ($8.31 billion) from 2016-2020 to secure military capabilities to detect and destroy North Korea’s nuclear arms and ballistic missiles, amid escalating security threats from the regime. It also plans to deploy unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to division-level units and establish a command and control system, which will provide field units with more visual informat
April 20, 2015
-
Enlisted soldiers allowed to use smartphones
The military will allow enlisted soldiers to rent and use mobile phones at post exchanges or outside military installations as part of efforts to help them better communicate with family and friends, welfare officials said Monday.The Ministry of National Defense’s Welfare Agency said from Monday, soldiers who leave their bases for vacation can rent cellphones from PXs to use until they return to their units. All draftees were previously banned from using cellphones for security reasons.The agenc
April 20, 2015
-
N. Korea likely to launch missiles, drills: Seoul
North Korea will likely launch missiles and large-scale military drills for its military foundation day later this month, South Korea's defense ministry said Monday.The North is also capable of conducting a nuclear test with little preparation at its nuke test site at Punggye-ri in North Korea's northeast North Hamgyong province, the ministry added.Pyongyang conducted nuclear tests, in 2006, 2009 and 2013. The move comes as Seoul and Washington are to wrap up a months-long joint military exercis
April 20, 2015
-
S. Korea to raise defense spending by 2020
South Korea said Monday it will sharply raise the defense budget over the next five years to beef up its capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.The budget injection of 8.7 trillion won ($8.03 billion) is based on the assessment that Pyongyang is believed to have reached a "significant" point in efforts to master the technology to miniaturize nuclear warheads that fit atop missiles. It is part of the ministry's budget plan for the 2016-2020 fiscal period, which calls for
April 20, 2015
-
THAAD 'litmus test' for S. Korea-U.S. alliance: report
The potential deployment of a THAAD missile defense unit to South Korea has become a "litmus test" for how Seoul is aligned between Washington and Beijing, according to a U.S. congressional report.The Congressional Research Service made the point in a report published earlier this month and titled, "Ballistic Missile Defense in the Asia-Pacific Region: Cooperation and Opposition," noting China's outspoken opposition to a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) battery in the South."In one se
April 20, 2015
-
S. Korea warns against N. Korea's nuke pursuit
South Korea bashed North Korea on Friday for its renewed pledge to cling to its nuclear weapons program, saying it would deal sternly with the communist nation's provocative act.The response by Seoul's defense ministry came after Hyon Yong-chol, the chief of Pyongyang's People's Armed Forces, claimed during an international security conference in Moscow on Thursday that its possession of nuclear weapons "is the direct result of the hostile policy by the United States and ... aimed at eliminating
April 17, 2015
-
U.S. in discussions about potential THAAD deployment to S. Korea: Pacific commander
The United States is in discussions about a potential deployment of the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the U.S. Pacific commander said Thursday. Adm. Samuel Locklear made the remark during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, but did not elaborate on what those discussions are, including whether they are internal discussions in the U.S. military or whether they mean talks with South Korea. "Our ability in the region to pa
April 17, 2015
-
N. Korea threatens S. Korea over THAAD deployment
North Korea threatened South Korea Thursday over the possible deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system in the South, saying it would only trigger an arms race between the Koreas. A spokesman for the National Peace Committee of Korea, a propaganda organ, issued a statement condemning the move as an "unpardonable provocation" against North Korea and a "hideous sycophantic and traitorous act that may bring nuclear holocaust to the nation and reduce South Korea into the most dangerous nucle
April 17, 2015
-
Korea, U.S. to devise plan to negate N.K. launchers
South Korea and the U.S. on Wednesday agreed to establish an operational plan to destroy North Korea’s road-mobile launchers to better cope with the communist regime’s evolving nuclear and missile threats.To craft the plan, the allies launched the “Deterrence Strategy Committee,” a body that combines the two existing military consultation bodies ― Extended Deterrence Policy Committee and Counter Missile Capability Committee.These decisions were made during the two-day Korea-U.S. Integrated Defen
April 16, 2015
-
[News Focus] Questions raised over rotational U.S. forces
The increasing rotational presence of U.S. forces in South Korea is raising questions over whether their combat readiness would enhance deterrence against North Korea and whether their expeditionary nature would undermine their focus on peninsular defense. In recent years, the U.S. has deployed a series of rotational units to Korea, including an 800-strong cavalry battalion and a fleet of 12 F-16 fighters, claiming they were better-trained, more agile forces that would enhance military preparedn
April 16, 2015
-
Government, KAI finalize chopper development deal
South Korea’s defense acquisition agency has struck a deal with Korea Aerospace Industries, the country’s sole aircraft maker, to develop home-built military and civilian helicopters by 2022, officials said Wednesday.With the deal worth 1.64 trillion won ($1.49 billion), Seoul seeks to develop the “Light Armored Helicopter” to replace aging 500MD and AH-1S military choppers, based on the “Light Civil Helicopter” that will also be developed under the deal.For the development of the LAH and LCH, K
April 15, 2015
-
Seoul, Tokyo hold first security talks since 2009
Senior officials of South Korea and Japan held their first security policy talks since 2009 in Seoul on Tuesday, as part of efforts to move their relationship forward amid escalating historical and territorial feuds.The meeting involving two senior foreign affairs and defense officials from each side came as Seoul felt the need to continue cooperation with Tokyo in “mutually beneficial areas” despite the spats over history and Japan’s claim to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.The talks
April 14, 2015
-
‘Seoul has no plan to seek Japan military deal’
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it had no plans to seek a bilateral military logistical support deal with Tokyo, dismissing a news report that the defense ministers of the two countries would discuss the issue next month.“We have not been in any talks with Japan over the signing of the acquisition and cross-servicing agreement and have no plans whatsoever for any bilateral discussion of it,” said ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok during a press briefing.Japanese media reported Sunday tha
April 13, 2015
-
Sherman calls in both S. Korean, Japanese ambassadors
WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- U.S. Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman called in both the South Korean and the Japanese ambassadors to Washington for separate meetings on Friday in a possible sign that the U.S. is stepping up efforts to help improve relations between the two key Asian allies.Sherman met with South Korean Ambassador Ahn Ho-young on Friday morning and discussed various issues, including historical tensions and the North Korean nuclear standoff, for about an hour, a diplomatic source s
April 11, 2015
-
‘U.S. not in position to determine THAAD’
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday that Washington was not in a position to discuss the issue of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, a core element of the U.S. missile defense program, as it is still in production.His remarks came amid raging controversy here over the U.S.’ potential deployment of THAAD to the Korean Peninsula, which Beijing has repeatedly opposed on the grounds that it would undermine its security interests and raise military tension in the region.“We
April 10, 2015
-
S. Korea, U.S. kick off large-scale air defense drill
The South Korean and U.S. Air Forces launched a large-scale, regular aerial exercise on Friday to boost combined defense capabilities.The biannual Max Thunder joint maneuver, set to take place in South Korean airspace through April 24, will "involve around 100 aircraft and 1,400 service personnel from the allies to display and hone our best combined air defense capabilities," the Air Force headquarters said in a release.Some 50 South Korean aircraft will join the exercise, including the F-15K an
April 10, 2015
-
Park meets with U.S. defense chief
South Korea and Japan will hold their first high-level security talks in more than five years next week, the foreign ministry here said Friday, amid renewed tension over historical and territorial issues.The so-called 2+2 talks, involving two senior foreign affairs and defense officials from each side, will be held in Seoul on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. They will be led by Lee Sang-deok, director of Northeast Asian affairs at the foreign ministry, and his Japanese counterpart, Ju
April 10, 2015
-
Carter’s visit to cement security alliance
OSAN AIRBASE -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a three-day visit aimed at further cementing the bilateral alliance against North Korea’s persistent nuclear and missile threats. His visit came two days after Pyongyang test-fired two KN-06 surface-to-air missiles from Hwajin-ri, South Pyeongan Province, in an apparent show of force amid the prolonged deadlock in its relations with Seoul and Washington. Carter’s first visit to Korea as the Pentagon chief
April 9, 2015
-
Soldier gets 35-year jail term for murder of comrade
A military appellate court Thursday sentenced an Army sergeant to 35 years behind bars for beating his junior comrade to death. The sergeant, surnamed Lee, was convicted of killing the 23-year-old Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, by inflicting injuries at their frontline unit on the east coast in April last year. Yoon died after being hit in the chest by six of his colleagues, including Lee, while eating snacks at their barracks. The assault caused a piece of food to obstruct his air
April 9, 2015
-
U.S. warns of N. Korean nuke, missile capabilities
Senior U.S. officials have highlighted North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile capabilities this week in an apparent push for reinforcement of America’s missile defense program.Their remarks came amid raging controversy here over the U.S.’ potential deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, a core element of its multilayered missile defense program, to Korea.U.S. Northern Command head Adm. William Gortney said Tuesday that Pyongyang was thought to be capable of miniaturizi
April 8, 2015