The US Air Force started positioning unmanned reconnaissance aircraft at an air base in Japan earlier this month as part of a rotational deployment, the armed service has said. The RQ-4 Global Hawks began arriving at Yokota Air Base in Japan from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam last Monday, the US Pacific Air Forces said in a release Thursday. The rotational deployment came at a time when North Korea has completed preparations to launch its first military spy satellite. Last week, the North'

The South Korean military will implement mandatory drug testing for all prospective and current enlistees and military officials, as part of efforts to combat the increasing drug-related crimes within and outside of the barracks. The Defense Ministry on Tuesday announced the new set of measures aimed at fostering a "drug-free, healthy barracks culture." The ministry recognizes the pressing need to formulate and implement measures in light of a continuing rise in drug-related crimes, pr

Herald Corp. is hosting a forum in Seoul on Wednesday to commemorate seven decades of the Korea-US alliance, forged in the wake of the 1950-53 Korean War. The forum, titled “The ROK-US Alliance Plus,” will be held from 2.30 p.m. through 8 p.m. at the Shilla Hotel Dynasty Hall in Seoul and will also commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Korea Herald’s foundation. Renowned international personalities, including former US Vice President Al Gore and former Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuz

The South Korean Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team will stage a friendship flight with Malaysian jets Tuesday over an airport in the Southeast Asian country, in a move to bolster bilateral defense ties, officials said. The aerobatic team is scheduled to conduct the flight later in the day after arriving in the country last Thursday to join the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition at Langkawi International Airport from Tuesday through Saturday. After the air show�

A soldier in his 20s was shot dead during a regular shooting exercise at an Army base in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, the Army said Monday, calling the incident an accident. The private first class, whose name was withheld, was shot by an assault rifle in the head and was in a state of cardiac arrest when first responders arrived at the scene. He died after he was taken to a nearby civilian hospital. “We will closely work with civilian police and offer whatever help necessary to the investig

The South Korean government has initiated a review to select nonlethal military aid and equipment to send to Ukraine, a military official with knowledge of the matter confirmed Monday. The related government agencies, including the Defense Ministry, have commenced a working-level process following the first in-person meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting took place on Sunday in Hiroshima, Japan on the sidelines of the Group

South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup will embark on a four-day trip to Malaysia on Monday for talks on arms industry cooperation and attend a contract signing ceremony for Seoul's export of FA-50 light attack aircraft to the country, his ministry said. During the visit, Lee will meet with his Malaysian counterpart, Mohamad Hasan, and pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss defense cooperation as he attends the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace

South Korea's defense chief met with Polish pilots at an Air Force unit here Thursday and expressed hopes the two nations will expand defense cooperation, his ministry said. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup made the remarks during the meeting with four Polish pilots currently undergoing a flight education program to operate South Korea's FA-50 light attack aircraft at the 1st Fighter Wing in Gwangju, 267 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the ministry. "Through the education pro

On S. Korea’s homegrown Aegis destroyer and attack submarine, naval officers on readiness posture 24/7 amid escalating N. Korean threats

UN Command (UNC) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera on Tuesday highlighted the US-led institution's role in crisis management on the Korean Peninsula and peace in Northeast Asia, saying it "cannot be replicated by any other organization." LaCamera made the remarks as the command maintains its relevance as an enforcer of the armistice that effectively halted the 1950-53 Korean War, amid lingering questions over the need to update the long-standing entity. "The work of the UN Command

South Korea's homegrown KF-21 fighter jet passed a provisional combat suitability evaluation earlier this week, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday, in a key milestone ahead of its initial production phase set to begin next year. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the evaluation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff came Monday, based on the outcome of hundreds of flight and ground tests on the jet that have proceeded for some two years. The "provisional" evalua

North Korea has resumed refurbishing a launchpad at the country’s main long-range missile and rocket launching station on the west coast since late last month, after nearly a half-year hiatus, a US think tank said Sunday. The construction activities have taken place to renovate the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in the Tongchang-ri area, North Pyongan Province, according to 38 North who based its findings from analyzing recent satellite imagery. The launch site has been used to launch t

High-profile seminar has rekindled controversy over how S. Korea can address shortages in military personnel amidst demographic crisis

South Korea and the United States staged a friendship flight this week as part of a remembrance ceremony for a late US veteran who helped rescue around 1,000 orphans during the 1950-53 Korean War, officials said Friday. The flight took place Thursday over the southern island of Jeju during the memorial for US Air Force Col. Dean Hess at the Jeju Aerospace Museum, involving three South Korean KF-16 jets and two US F-16 fighters, according to South Korea's armed service. The five aircraft als

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Thursday announced that the advantages of allowing enlisted soldiers to carry and use their mobile phones during working hours outweighed the disadvantages based on the outcomes of a previous pilot program. The military will conduct another, larger-scale pilot program targeting 20 percent of all soldiers from July to December this year. Only 5 percent were subject to the two-month test operation conducted from June to December last year. South Korean enlis