Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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Seoul to promote luxurious side of the city
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Defense minister dismisses N. Korea’s taunts, highlights strong defense posture
Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said it was not worth listening to North Korea’s criticism of South Korea’s joint military exercises with the United States, and vowed that defense posture would remain strong. At a parliamentary defense committee meeting, Jeong also spoke of the usefulness of the controversial military intel-sharing agreement with Japan. “(The North) is using vulgar words (to criticize us), but I do not feel it is worth responding to its words one by one,&rdqu
Aug. 21, 2019
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S. Korea, US wrap up summertime combined exercise
South Korea and the United States wrapped up their weekslong combined military exercises on Tuesday, raising hopes for a halt in a series of missile launches by North Korea and a possible resumption of nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.The North has strongly bristled at the Combined Command Post Training and Crisis Management Staff Training, ratcheting up tensions with six rounds of missile or projectile launches and bellicose rhetoric over about three weeks."We've wrapped up t
Aug. 20, 2019
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[Feature] Seoul takes time mulling renewal of military intel-sharing pact with Japan
Nearly six decades have passed since South Korea and Japan signed a treaty to normalize diplomatic ties in 1965, but their relationship has been fraught since then with continued bitterness over the history of Korea’s colonization. Now, as the relationship of the “frenemies” hits a new low with a budding trade war, Seoul has hinted at scrapping a military intel-sharing pact with Tokyo. But while South Koreans are unified in denouncing Japan’s increased controls on ex
Aug. 20, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Panel confirms widespread use of humidifier disinfectants in military
Humidifier disinfectants, suspected to have been a cause for at least dozens of deaths, were widely used in military barracks and hospitals in the early 2000s, a state-funded agency revealed Monday, raising speculation that a large number of service members could have been exposed to the chemicals.The Special Commission on Social Disaster Investigation said it has confirmed 12 institutions affiliated with the Army, Navy, Air Force and units under the defense ministry had purchased more than 800
Aug. 19, 2019
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Details for Dokdo defense drills yet to be fixed: ministry
South Korea is still reviewing the timing and the scale of semiannual maritime defense drills to be held on and around its easternmost islets of Dokdo, the defense ministry said Monday.This year's drills have been pushed back amid an escalating trade row with Japan stemming from differences over wartime forced labor. South Korea usually stages the drills in June and Dec. to better defend the rocky outcroppings and the surrounding waters.Japan, which has made territorial claims to Dokdo, has prot
Aug. 19, 2019
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Little progress in coming up with alternative service for conscientious objectors
Over a year has passed since the Constitutional Court addressed the need to come up with an alternative form of service for conscientious objectors, but little progress has been made at the National Assembly.According to the Military Manpower Administration on Sunday, as of late July 498 people had submitted applications to defer enlistment, citing religious beliefs. Previously, the authorities had uniformly charged conscientious objectors under the Military Service Act. But since the Constituti
Aug. 18, 2019
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US official to visit Seoul for defense cost-sharing deal before official negotiations begin
Timothy Betts, acting deputy assistant secretary and senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements, will visit Seoul this week to discuss the defense cost-sharing pact, sources said Sunday.Betts, who led the US negotiation team for the 10th defense cost-sharing agreement, will meet with Chang Won-sam, his South Korean counterpart, on Tuesday. Details on the venue and time of the closed-door meeting have not been revealed, but it may be held at a location other than the Foreign Ministry
Aug. 18, 2019
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Seoul yet to decide on sending Cheonghae Unit to Strait of Hormuz
The Ministry of National Defense Ministry said Thursday that it has not yet decided on sending the anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit to the Strait of Hormuz in response to Washington’s request to forge a coalition against Iran’s military activities amid heightened tensions with Tehran.“Sending (Cheonghae Unit) to the Strait of Hormuz has not been decided. … We are considering various ways to protect our vessels in the area, and are closely observing the situation,” the mi
Aug. 15, 2019
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S. Korea to acquire more anti-missile radars, interceptors to counter NK threats
South Korea plans to add two more ground-based anti-missile early warning radars and build three Aegis-equipped destroyers in the next five years in an effort to better detect and intercept incoming missiles from North Korea, the defense ministry said Wednesday.The plan was one of the key projects that the ministry unveiled in its five-year defense blueprint for 2020-2024 amid heightened concerns about North Korea's missile capabilities in the wake of a series of test-firings of what Pyongyang c
Aug. 14, 2019
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Cheonghae Unit sets sail for mission amid speculation of serving in Hormuz Strait
Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit on Tuesday embarked on its mission in the Gulf of Aden amid speculation that its final destination may be the Strait of Hormuz.As Washington has been calling for its allies to take part in the “international maritime security mission” in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tension with Iran, Seoul has been weighing its options. The naval Cheonghae Unit, one of Korea’s military troops deployed overseas, was seen as the most likely t
Aug. 13, 2019
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S. Korea mulling further delay of Dokdo defense drills
South Korea is considering conducting maritime defense drills on and around its easternmost islets of Dokdo later this month, military sources said Monday, far behind its usual schedule amid ongoing diplomatic and trade disputes with Japan.The military "plans to stage the drills at an appropriate time," defense ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told a regular briefing Monday, adding the authorities are reviewing "the exact schedule and scale."The drills, involving the Navy,
Aug. 12, 2019
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Trump ridicules S. Korea on defense cost-sharing
US President Donald Trump ridiculed South Korea at his reelection campaign fundraiser Friday, saying it was very easy to force Seoul to hike its share of costs for stationing American troops here.According to the New York Post, Trump referred to how as a boy he used to accompany his father to collect rent, saying: “It was easier to get a billion dollars from South Korea than to get $114.13 from a rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn, and believe me, those 13 cents were very important.&rdq
Aug. 12, 2019
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Allies to conduct summertime military exercise in earnest next week
South Korea and the United States are scheduled to kick off their combined military exercise in earnest next week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Saturday, despite North Korea's strong complaints against it. The computer-based "Combined Command Post Training" will be conducted for 10 days starting Sunday, which aims to better prepare the allies for the transfer of the wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul and to enhance their strong military readiness, the
Aug. 10, 2019
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S. Korean, US defense chiefs vow to support diplomacy for NK denuclearization
South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper agreed Friday to work together to support diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea despite Pyongyang's saber-rattling amid stalled nuclear talks.During the defense talks held in Seoul, Esper also asked for South Korea to play a role in the US-led coalition to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials. The two defense chiefs "reaffirmed their commitments to supporting their diplomatic effort
Aug. 9, 2019
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US defense chief arrives in S. Korea
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in South Korea on Thursday for talks that are expected to focus on a series of requests Washington has been making to Seoul, including a greater financial contribution to the cost of stationing American troops here.Also expected to be on the agenda for Esper's talks with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo are the US initiative to secure the shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz and Washington's wish to get a military information-sharing pact
Aug. 8, 2019
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NSC members review agenda for upcoming high-level defense talks with US
South Korea's top national security officials on Thursday prepared for defense ministerial talks with the United States to be held this week.The new Pentagon chief, Mark Esper, is scheduled to arrive in Seoul later in the day. He will hold talks with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Friday in which a host of alliance issues, as well as how to deal with North Korea, are expected to be discussed. In the weekly session of the National Security Council standing committee, participants "thor
Aug. 8, 2019
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Seoul, Washington haven’t started talks for defense cost-sharing deal: Foreign Ministry
South Korea reiterated Thursday that Seoul and Washington will discuss the defense cost-sharing deal in a way that is “fair and reasonable,” but said the negotiations have not started yet, denying a claim to the contrary from US President Donald Trump.On Twitter on Wednesday, Trump wrote as if the new cost-sharing deal were already in place and said South Korea had agreed to a significant increase in its share of the costs for the upkeep of the US troops stationed here. “
Aug. 8, 2019
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US approves $800 m in helicopters for S. Korea
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The US government has approved the sale of $800 million worth of helicopters to South Korea, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump said Seoul had agreed to pay more for the US military presence in the country.The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the State Department had approved the sale of 12 MH-60R Multi-Mission Seahawk Helicopters and extensive associated radar, communications and weaponry equipment.The helicopters bolster
Aug. 8, 2019
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Trump says US-S. Korea talks on defense payment begin
US President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that talks to get South Korea to increase its contribution to the upkeep of US forces in the country have begun. "South Korea is a very wealthy nation that now feels an obligation to contribute to the military defense provided by the United States of America. The relationship between the two countries is a very good one!" Trump wrote in a tweet.He added, "South Korea has agreed to pay substantially more money to the United States in orde
Aug. 7, 2019
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[Newsmaker] South Korea expected to conduct maritime defense drills on Dokdo this month
South Korea is planning to conduct combined maritime defense drills on and around its easternmost islets of Dokdo as early as this month, government sources said Wednesday. During a parliamentary committee session, National Security Director Chung Eui-yong confirmed Tuesday that the government would carry out two maritime drills this year. While the date has not yet been decided, military sources said the maritime drills are likely to take place before or after the Liberation Day holiday Aug. 15
Aug. 7, 2019