The Air Forces of South Korea, the United States and three other countries have kicked off an annual US-led humanitarian operation to deliver medicine and other basic necessities to remote Pacific islands ahead of the Christmas season, officials here said Monday. Hosted by the US Pacific Air Forces, the Operation Christmas Drop got under way on Sunday to send clothes and other necessities to residents of Micronesia. Australia, New Zealand and Japan are also participating in the mission set to ru

Performers with the Little Angels staged a show titled "The Flight of Angels" at Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul, Thursday. The show was directed to deliver a message for world peace as well as commemorate the troupe's 60th anniversary. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

South Korea’s Air Force said Thursday it had expanded its space operations unit to enhance interoperability between the South Korean and US space forces against air and missile threats from North Korea. The launch of the “Space Operations Squadron” aims to strengthen the South Korean Air Force’s “capabilities to conduct space operations in practice," it said. The squadron will surveil space objects and send alerts concerning space threats, it said in a statemen

South Korea's Air Force said Tuesday it will participate in a US-led multinational humanitarian operation in Guam, an effort to enhance its airlift and other operational capabilities. It sent a C-130 transport plane and around 30 service members to Operation Christmas Drop, an annual event that the US Pacific Air Forces is set to host at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam from Tuesday through Dec. 12. Launched in 1952, the operation is the US military's longest-running airlift mission des

President Yoon Suk-yeol said any new nuclear test by North Korea will be met with an international response "not seen in the past" and called on China to play a greater role to deter the North's provocations. Yoon made the remarks in an interview with Reuters, released Tuesday, amid growing concerns the North could conduct its seventh nuclear test after a series of recent missile launches. Should the North forge ahead with a test, Yoon vowed a response "not seen in the past&q

An Air Force brigadier general has been demoted by one rank to colonel for mishandling a sexual assault case that led to the suicide death of a female soldier, military sources said Saturday. Jeon Ik-soo, the chief legal affairs officer of the Air Force, became the first general officer to be reduced in rank in about 40 years. The defense ministry passed the rare disciplinary measure on Nov. 18 and President Yoon Suk-yeol approved it Tuesday, they said. Jeon was among several Air Force officers

President Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to actively support defense exports, touting the sector as a "future new growth engine” and “driving force for high-tech industries” during his visit to the nation’s leading arms firms on Thursday. South Korea, which has boosted its defense capabilities to curb threats from the North, has now become the No. 8 weapon seller, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Yoon set the goal of ranking fourth last m

South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup has asked for international support to help induce North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and return to dialogue during a regional defense forum in Cambodia, his ministry said Thursday. Lee made the appeal Wednesday at a key session of the ninth Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was attended by top defense officials of ASEAN member countries and others, including the United States,

South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup asked China Wednesday to play a "constructive" role in addressing North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and encouraging its return to dialogue during talks with his Chinese counterpart, Seoul's defense ministry said. Lee met bilaterally with Beijing's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on the margins of the three-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), which ends Thur

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un bristled Tuesday at this week's UN Security Council meeting on Pyongyang's recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch, accusing the council of applying "double standards." In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo-jong took issue with the council's open meeting held on Monday (New York time) to discuss the North's launch of a Hwasong-17 ICBM on Friday. "The UNSC has turned blind eyes to

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Australia held talks in Cambodia on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the arms industry and other security areas, Seoul's defense ministry said. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, met in Siem Reap on the sidelines of the three-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, which ends Thursday. They agreed to push to bolster people-to-people exchanges in the defense sector, i

At Seoul International School (SIS), we have the great privilege of having immensely talented students across diverse disciplines, from academics to sports, music, arts, forensics, community service, and more. Last year alone, five students scored perfect scores on Advance Placement tests. They are Jin Wook Shin ('23) in Physics I, Clare Hyunsuh Kim ('23), Abigail Kim ('22) and Rachel Lee ('22) in Drawing, and Hyunseo Yoo ('22) in 2D Design. To put this in perspective,

South Korea has conducted a successful missile interception test of its L-SAM system under development, a key element of the country's envisioned layered missile defense shield called the Korea Air and Missile Defense designed to counter advancing threats from North Korea, according to military officials here Tuesday. The L-SAM, or Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile, is aimed at shooting down ballistic missiles at the altitude of 50-60 kilometers, similar to the Terminal High Altitude Area D

North Korea foreign minister accused US of “gambling” over security on Korean Peninsula

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday agreed to continue coordination to cope with North Korean activities in the cyber realm, the foreign ministry said. Lee Tae-woo, the director-general for North Korean nuclear affairs, met his US counterpart, Jung Pak, along with around 60 diplomatic, security and intelligence officials from both countries, the ministry said. During the meeting, which marked the second of its kind since August, the two countries shared updates on the situation in whi