The Korea Herald

Korea stages military drills for Dokdo

Oct 25, 2013

South Korea on Friday deployed Navy commandos, warships and fighter jets in a military exercise to defend its easternmost islets of Dokdo after Japan recently repeated its territorial claim. The military mobilized five warships including the 3,200-ton destroyer Gwanggaeto the Great, two F-15K fighters, P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, CH-60 and CH-47 choppers, and some members of the Navy’s U...
Seoul considers increasing budget for fighter acquisition

Oct 24, 2013

The Defense Ministry is in consultation with the Finance Ministry over the issue of increasing the 8.3 trillion won ($7.8 billion) budget for its next-generation fighter procurement project, a Seoul official said Thursday. “When the military is reconsidering which fighter jet it would procure, it has presented its position to the government that the budget also needs to be increased,” he said, d...
Seoul to acquire stealth radars

Oct 23, 2013

South Korea is seeking to acquire radars capable of detecting stealth aircraft by the 2020s as neighboring states such as China and Japan are pushing to deploy radar-evading warplanes in pursuit of air superiority. “The Air Force made the request to procure stealth detecting radars in July 2011 and the Joint Chiefs of Staff decided last November to procure it as part of the long-term acquisition...
OPCON transfer in 2015 'realistic,' U.S. Army leader says

Oct 22, 2013

A top U.S. Army commander in charge of the Asia-Pacific region said Friday the current schedule for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of Korean forces from Washington to Seoul is "realistic," but further assessment is needed to determine whether it's appropriate in terms of political realities. Army Gen. Vincent Brooks, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, said a proper tim...
S. Korea requests Pentagon's information on THAAD missile defense system: source

Oct 18, 2013

The South Korean military has formally asked the Pentagon to provide detailed information on Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, an informed source here privy to defense issues said Thursday. As part of efforts to bolster its missile defense against North Korea's threats, South Korea is apparently seeking to combine U.S. technologies with its own, added the source. "South Kore...
S. Korea's national security chief to visit U.S.

Oct 18, 2013

The top security advisor to South Korean President Park Geun-hye plans to visit the United States next week for talks about the North Korean nuclear standoff and bilateral security issues, a news report and an official said Friday. Kim Jang-soo, the chief of the presidential national security office, plans to meet with the White House national security advisor, Susan Rice, and other senior forei...
Missile command system delay raises concern

Oct 17, 2013

Defense acquisition chief also grilled over delay of fighter jet project
Cyber warfare officials admit to political activity

Oct 17, 2013

Several employees of the military’s cyber warfare command have admitted to having posted political comments online, an official at the Defense Ministry said Thursday. Their admission came as the ministry’s Criminal Investigation Command and the military prosecution were conducting an investigation to see if they violated the military criminal code that bans any political activity by service memb...
Parties clash over military’s alleged election interference

Oct 16, 2013

Political bickering over the cyber warfare command’s alleged election interference escalated Wednesday as the main opposition Democratic Party called for a thorough investigation and the dismissal of its chief. The ruling Saenuri Party downplayed the scandal, saying the “unconfirmed” allegations should not be exaggerated and politicized pending the Defense Ministry’s ongoing probe into the case....
‘Korea will not join U.S. missile defense system’

Oct 16, 2013

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin reiterated Wednesday that South Korea would not join the U.S.-led global missile defense system, stressing there was no “appropriate logic” for Seoul to do so. Speaking at a meeting with reporters, Kim also said Seoul was not considering the purchase of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system and ship-based Standard Missile-3, which are core assets of the mul...
South Korea pushes to build three more Aegis destroyers

Oct 16, 2013

The South Korean Navy has made a request to build three more Aegis destroyers to bolster defense against its Asian neighbors and North Korea amid increasing military tension due to territorial disputes, a military source said Wednesday. South Korea currently operates three 7,600-ton Aegis warships, but the Navy has sought to increase its fleet to cope with rising regional tension in light of Pyo...
Seoul seeks to ward off N. Korea with multi-layered missile defense

Oct 15, 2013

South Korea will speed up building its own missile defense aimed at low-flying targets, while seeking ways to develop “multi-layered” deterrence against North Korea, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Seoul has been gradually building an independent, low-tier missile shield called the Korea Air and Missile Defense, with mid-term plans to acquire the latest Patriot missiles and long-range early w...
‘U.S. not in full support of Japan’s military expansion’

Oct 14, 2013

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Monday that Washington’s recent support for Tokyo’s push for the right to collective self-defense is still within the confines of the U.S.-Japan security pact. “It is not that the U.S. has given a blank check to Japan. It is to allow (the pursuit of the right) within the limits of their security pact,” he told the parliamentary foreign affairs committee during ...
S. Korea, U.S. to decide timing of OPCON transfer next year

Oct 14, 2013

Seoul and Washington have agreed to reset the timing of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) next year after reviewing North Korean threat and the South Korean forces capabilities to deal with it, the defense ministry here said Monday. The issue of the OPCON transfer to Seoul surfaced as the major issue in this year's parliamentary audit on the defense ministry, which in May propo...
Missile interceptor out of order for 4 months last year: lawmaker

Oct 14, 2013

One of South Korea’s core missile interceptors remained out of order for longer than four months last year due to a failure to quickly replace a faulty part, an opposition lawmaker said Monday. According to a report the Air Force submitted to Rep. Baek Gun-ki of the main opposition Democratic Party, one Patriot Advanced Capability-2 system was left unfixed for 132 days as the Air Force failed to...