Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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Enlistment deferred for conscientious objectors
The Military Manpower Administration said on Thursday that enlistment will be deferred for conscientious objectors who refuse the mandatory military service until they are legally able to perform alternative civilian services.The Constitutional Court ruled last week that a clause of the Military Service Act which does not recognize alternative service as a substitute for conscription is unconstitutional. The MMA said it has decided, in acceptance of the ruling, to postpone the enlistment of cons
July 5, 2018
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Military recommends Cheong Wa Dae lease new presidential jet
South Korea's defense ministry has recommended the presidential office lease a new plane for presidential overseas trips, an official said Thursday.Cheong Wa Dae has used a modified Boeing 747-400 airliner leased from Korean Air under a 2014 deal worth 142.1 billion won ($127.2 million).The five-year contract is to expire in March 2020. (Yonhap)"(We) made a suggestion to the National Security Office and the Presidential Security Service that (Cheong Wa Dae) replace the aged jet with a new one,"
July 5, 2018
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[Newsmaker] US forces in S. Korea given breathing space to explore future roles
More than six decades ago when its headquarters was ensconced in central Seoul, the US Forces Korea faced the grim reality of a war-ravaged South Korea gripped by fears of communist expansion at the height of the Cold War.At present, however, the once impoverished ally is anything but weak. It boasts a well-equipped military, vibrant democracy and extensive diplomatic networks, not to mention economic wealth, on which the USFK relies for the upkeep of its 28,500 troops.Such a transformation, cou
July 3, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Constitutional Court’s ruling on alternative service prompts debates over homosexuality in military
With the Constitutional Court for the first time urging the military to allow alternative service for conscientious objectors, the focus is now on whether the court would overturn its previous rulings that ban homosexuality in the military. According to legal experts and human right activists, Incheon district court has filed a motion with the Constitutional Court for a ruling on whether the current military criminal law violates the constitutional right to protecting sexual minorities. The
July 2, 2018
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Korean military puts off reconstruction work for frontline military bases
The South Korean military has put on hold reconstruction plans for army bases located in frontline areas within 5-10 kilometers of the Demilitarized Zone, government officials said Sunday."We have put off new building plans for some 90-100 army units categorized as Alpha in the Forward Edge of Battle Area," a government official familiar with the matter said. The FEBA has four categories -- Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta -- and Alpha is the nearest to the DMZ and within the Civilian Control Lin
July 1, 2018
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US Forces Korea opens new headquarters in Pyeongtaek
PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province -- The US Forces Korea opened its new headquarters in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Friday, in a relocation project likely to broaden its security role long defined by deterrence against North Korea.The USFK held a ceremony to celebrate the relocation from Yongsan, central Seoul, to Camp Humphreys, a sprawling complex about 70 kilometers south of the capital, after a delay caused by residents' protests, budgetary issues and massive construction work to prevent floo
June 29, 2018
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Building trust with NK continues as long as dialogue underway ‘in good faith’ : defense chiefs
The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States agreed on Thursday that they will continue to seek trust-building measures with North Korea for as long as Pyongyang engages in dialogue “in good faith.” During their meeting in Seoul, Defense Minister Song Young-moo and his US counterpart James Mattis stressed that their decision to suspend scheduled joint military exercises will support diplomatic efforts to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea. Having visited Seoul as a
June 28, 2018
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S. Korea rejects US’ renewed demand over cost sharing for strategic assets: official
South Korea has rejected a renewed demand from the United States for sharing the costs of deploying its strategic assets on and around the Korean Peninsula, a ministry official said Thursday.The US made the demand during its fourth round of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks with South Korea earlier this week on sharing the cost of stationing US troops here.In previous talks, Washington requested that Seoul share the costs stemming from strategic assets deployment. Seoul rejected the requ
June 28, 2018
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USFK chief stresses S. Korean army's capabilities to both fight and keep discipline
The chief of US Forces Korea made an implicit call on Thursday for the South Korean Army to continue to remain capable of not only fighting and winning, but also keeping "discipline" amid the emergent peace mood.Gen. Vincent Brooks made the remarks amid the efforts by Seoul and Washington to facilitate dialogue with Pyongyang over the communist state's denuclearization through a set of de-escalatory steps, including the indefinite suspension of their combined military exercises."I am very proud
June 28, 2018
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Pentagon chief reaffirms US' CVID goal, resolve to keep USFK troop level
US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Thursday reaffirmed Washington's goal for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the peninsula, and its will to keep the current American troop level in South Korea.The Pentagon chief made the remarks at the start of his talks with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo in Seoul."US commitment to the Republic of Korea remains ironclad and the US will continue to use a full range of diplomatic and military capabilities to uphold th
June 28, 2018
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USFK command dismisses concern over end to allies’ regular training exercise
A top US commander in South Korea on Wednesday dismissed concerns that the decision to suspend an upcoming large-scale joint exercise would lead to the end of training exercises that the allies’ forces have conducted regularly. During his speech at the Ministry of National Defense, USFK Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks said halting the scheduled Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise would serve to build trust with North Korea by reducing “unnecessary irritation.” (Yonhap)The general stressed that such m
June 27, 2018
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S. Korea, US begin new round of talks on sharing defense cost
South Korea and the United States held another round of negotiations in Seoul on sharing the cost of maintaining American troops here amid their beefed-up cooperation over North Korea's denuclearization.The allies opened the fourth session of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks at the Korean National Diplomatic Academy building in southern Seoul. It will continue through Wednesday.At the start of the talks, Seoul's chief negotiator Chang Won-sam and his US counterpart Timothy Betts voiced
June 26, 2018
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S. Korea chooses Boeing's P-8 patrol aircraft for naval procurement project
South Korea decided Monday to purchase US defense company Boeing's P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in a $1.7 billion project, Seoul's military acquisition agency has said.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that Seoul's defense project promotion committee convened to make the decision to purchase the aircraft through a government-to-government "foreign military sale" program."(We have decided) to purchase the latest maritime patrol aircraft for conducting patrol, search and
June 25, 2018
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S. Korean, US defense officials agree to strengthen cooperation over peninsula peace
Top defense officials of South Korea and the United States agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation in facilitating ongoing diplomacy to achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula, Seoul's defense ministry said.South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo held talks with Adm. Philip Davidson, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, in Seoul amid a flurry of the allies' talks with the communist state aimed at Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament."Minister Song and Adm. Davidson shared the view
June 25, 2018
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South Korea, US defense chiefs to discuss details of joint drills next week
South Korean and US defense chiefs will hold talks in Seoul next week to discuss the future of the allies’ joint military drills following the suspension of the scheduled Freedom Guardian exercise, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The meeting between Defense Minister Song Yong-moo and his US counterpart Jim Mattis will take place Thursday during the Pentagon chief’s one-day trip to South Korea, according the ministry. Scheduled to visit China ahead of his visit to Seoul, Mattis will meet w
June 21, 2018
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Korea, US to hold talks on sharing defense cost
South Korea and the United States will have another round of negotiations next week on sharing the cost of maintaining American troops in Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.The allies plan to hold the fourth session of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday.The previous ones took place in Honolulu in March, on Jeju Island in April and in Washington DC last month.The two sides plan to have "in-depth consultations" to fine-tune their positions on the
June 21, 2018
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USFK headquarters to leave Seoul next week
The headquarters of United States Forces Korea will be moved to a sprawling army garrison located south of Seoul next week, marking a new chapter in the US military presence here amid a flurry of speculation over the troop’s future roles. According to the Ministry of National Defense and USFK, the opening ceremony of the new USFK headquarters building in Camp Humphreys will be held on June 29. Located in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, Camp Humphreys is the la
June 21, 2018
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Mattis to visit Seoul next week for talks with S. Korean minister
The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Seoul next week on the North Korea issue, Seoul's defense ministry announced Thursday.Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is scheduled to visit here for a meeting with Defense Minister Song Young-moo slated for Thursday afternoon, according to the ministry's spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo.At a press briefing, she said that they will discuss "various ways related to follow-up measures to North Korea-US (summit) talks and South-Nor
June 21, 2018
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Suspension of scheduled joint drill feeds speculation over other regular exercises
With South Korea and the US canceling a large-scale joint military drill slated for August, speculation is rising over the prospect of other training drills scheduled to follow the suspended Freedom Guardian exercise. In the past years when North Korea conducted nuclear and missile tests, a series of bilateral and trilateral military exercises took place even after the scheduled command-post Freedom Guardian exercises ended. While the allies’ militaries have stressed that no decision has been
June 20, 2018
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Korea halts its own military drill amid dialogue mood
South Korea's military has put off its own simulation-based exercise, scheduled for next week, in order to help maintain the momentum of talks with North Korea, a defense official said Wednesday.The annual command-post practice, called Taegeuk, was scheduled to begin next Tuesday for a three-day run."We have decided to postpone it," the official said, requesting anonymity. "We will review ways to conduct it at the most appropriate time and in the optimal manner."South Korean soldiers take part i
June 20, 2018