US nuclear-powered supercarrier will stage military drills with South Korean warships for first time since 2017

Yoon government will abide by inter-Korean agreement except in case of unacceptable provocations, S. Korean vice defense minister says

An annual international security forum hosted by South Korea's defense ministry kicked off in Seoul on Tuesday for discussions on North Korea's denuclearization, cyberthreats, space security and other challenges. The three-day vice-ministerial Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) got under way at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul under the theme of "How to Address Complex Security Challenges: Fostering Inter...

Vice defense ministerial meeting will be held in Seoul for first time in six years

Yoon Suk-yeol government accelerates procedures to fully operate existing THAAD battery

South Korea and the United States are set to wrap up a major combined military exercise Thursday, Seoul officials said, in a conclusion highlighting their pursuit of stronger deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The allies have carried out the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which kicked off on Aug. 22, despite North Korean state media berating the annual drills as a rehe...

Controversial project to develop light aircraft carrier is left out in defense spending bill

The Defense Ministry promised more active communication with local residents regarding normalizing the THAAD anti-missile base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Col. Moon Hong-sik, deputy spokesperson of the Defense Ministry, said in a regular briefing, "We will sufficiently and actively communicate with local residents. Not only the Defense Ministry, but also the government should...

The South Korean government announced a plan Tuesday for a 4.6 percent on-year increase in its defense budget for next year, with a focus on bolstering a key deterrence system to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The defense ministry has proposed a budget of 57.1 trillion won ($42.3 billion) for next year, up from this year's 54.6 trillion won. The government plans to submit it ...

WASHINGTON -- The US missile defense system deployed in South Korea, THAAD, is a purely defensive system that is only designed to protect South Korea and its people against threats from North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, also insisted any call or demand from other countries to withdraw THAAD would be "inapprop...

South Korea's military reported 715 additional COVID-19 cases Sunday, raising the total caseload among its service members to 260,260, the defense ministry said. The new cases included 464 from the Army, 93 from the Air Force, 60 from units under the direct control of the ministry, 57 from the Navy and 41 from the Marine Corps. Currently, 7,666 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

The Navy on Sunday wrapped up an annual operation to collect underwater waste near a northwestern border island as part of efforts to help protect the maritime ecosystem and ensure safer fishing activities, the armed service said. Using a 3,500-ton towing ship, the Navy gathered 13 tons of maritime waste during the 19-day operation near Yeonpyeong Island. The mission proceeded in cooperation wit...

A former chief of the Defense Security Command (DSC) indicted in 2018 for the military's allegedly illicit online political maneuvers was sentenced to three years in prison in a retrial by an appellate court Friday. The Seoul High Court gave the sentence to Bae Dek-sig, who led the DSC from 2010-2013, after finding him guilty of abuse of power and ordered his immediate detention. Bae was first ...

Russian military aircraft entered South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice Tuesday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighters to the scene, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The JCS did not provide details, like the number of Russian planes and their types. The entry into KADIZ came amid tensions between Seoul and Moscow over the latter's invasion of Ukrai...

Ulchi Freedom Shield presents real-life scenarios including N. Korean attacks on key infrastructure, GPS jamming