Articles by Choi Si-young
Choi Si-young
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com-
Contentious US missile shield back in limelight
Delays in building a US base in South Korea to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system have been a fact of life for the past four years. But the two allies may soon find themselves at odds as Washington demands better living conditions for its personnel handling the THAAD system. In April 2017, South Korea brought in a THAAD battery to counter mounting threats from North Korea. But the living accommodations for the soldiers who live at the site remain inadequate, as Sou
Defense April 5, 2021
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Military to resume search for Korean War remains
South Korea’s military and an international recovery team led by the UN Command will resume an annual search for the remains of Korean and UN soldiers missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday. The excavation project, which lasts from April to November annually, will begin Monday. The search has been held since 2019, a year after South and North Korea agreed to a military pact singed to end hostilities in the inter-Korean border. The command is
Defense April 1, 2021
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S. Korea to invest W7tr for Aegis destroyers, attack helicopters
South Korea’s arms procurement agency said Wednesday that it will invest about 7 trillion won ($6.19 billion) to build three more Aegis destroyers and buy 36 American-made attack helicopters as part of a long-term initiative to bolster its military capabilities. The Navy is seeking to produce Aegis destroyers with better ballistic missile defense in upgrades to its Sejong class destroyer, the country’s first Aegis warship commissioned in 2008. The Navy expects to build the new destr
Defense April 1, 2021
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Latest NK missile nuclear-tipped, hard to intercept: report
The two ballistic missiles North Korea tested a week ago could carry nuclear warheads and would be hard to intercept with South Korea’s missile defense systems, a local security think tank said Tuesday in its latest report. “They could put a nuclear warhead on each KN-23,” the Sejong Institute said, referring to the missiles. The report cited experts including Jefferey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies. He said the North could mount nu
North Korea March 31, 2021
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US starts joint anti-missile drill in Indo-Pacific
The US military held its first joint missile defense drill in the Indo-Pacific region involving four US bases in South Korea, Japan, Guam and Hawaii, the US Army said. The Korean military confirmed Tuesday that the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade in Osan, Gyeonggi Province -- a subunit of the Eighth US Army that commands 28,500 US troops here -- joined the 38th ADA Brigade in Japan, the E-3 ADA THAAD unit in Guam and the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Hawaii. The tw
Defense March 30, 2021
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[Herald Interview] ‘Green economy common priority for Bulgaria, Korea’
South Korea’s drive to achieve carbon neutrality is an opportunity to create deeper and wider ties between Seoul and Sofia, the Bulgarian ambassador to Korea says. “The shift to a sustainable green economy based on clean energy is a common priority for Bulgaria and Korea,” Petko Draganov, Bulgarian ambassador to Korea, said during an interview with The Korea Herald at his office in Yongsan, Seoul. “Our country promotes the European Green Deal,” he said, referrin
Foreign Affairs March 30, 2021
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NK to step up pressure until US responds
The latest missile launches by North Korea are part of the regime’s accelerating cycle of provocations against the US as it seeks sanctions relief, experts said. The North fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday morning, a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. It was the North’s second missile test since US President Joe Biden took office in January. On Sunday it fired two short-range cruise missiles into the West Sea. “We belie
North Korea March 25, 2021
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N. Korea resumes building up tensions as it awaits US move
North Korea’s missile launches Sunday marks its return to a fresh cycle of provocations to earn sanctions relief from the new US administration, experts said. On Wednesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the North fired two cruise missiles into the West Sea on Sunday, without elaborating on details. Senior administration officials from both Korea and the US said the North did not violate the UN Security Council resolutions. “It is not covered by UN S
North Korea March 24, 2021
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‘Seoul’s nuclear pursuit would harden NK’s atomic ambitions’
South Korean nuclear armament will make it harder for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, a former commander of the US military in South Korea said at a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Monday. A growing number of South Koreans see nuclear armament as a feasible option amid stalled nuclear talks between the US and the North, which have yet to narrow differences over which steps to take first between denuclearization and sanctions relief.
North Korea March 23, 2021
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Defense minister visits UAE, India to expand ties
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook is visiting the UAE and India this week to expand exchanges, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. From Monday to Wednesday, Suh is staying in the UAE and will meet with his UAE counterpart, Mohammed al-Bowardi, and other key military officials to discuss strengthening cooperation. Suh will also visit South Korea’s special warfare unit deployed there. The UAE asked the South to field a special operation team from the unit in 2010, when its
Defense March 22, 2021
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Gaps to fill in ‘ironclad’ alliance between Korea, US
South Korea and the US have held the first foreign policy talks since US President Joe Biden came to power, but the two allies fell far short of reaching consensus on the reason the US secretaries of state and defense flew to Asia in their first overseas travel: China and North Korea. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken labeled China authoritarian and a challenge that a democratic coalition should try pushing back, referring to its key allies in the region such as Korea and Japan. The two US s
Foreign Affairs March 19, 2021
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Korea, US sign deal on troop costs after marathon talks
South Korea and the US on Thursday signed an agreement that settled a protracted dispute over sharing the burden of supporting 28,500 US troops here, on the last day of the first in-person talks of their foreign and defense ministers in Seoul. The US state and defense secretaries flew here a day earlier. Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul’s chief negotiator for the cost-sharing talks, and Rob Rapson, acting US ambassador to Korea, initialed the agreement as the two allies’ top envoys and defense
Defense March 18, 2021
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US reels in S. Korea to push back against N. Korea, China
The alliance between the US and South Korea is key to addressing North Korea and a rising China, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday at his first in-person talks with South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook in Seoul. “Given the unprecedented challenges posed by both the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and China, the US-ROK alliance has never been more important,” Austin said, referring to Seoul’s official name, Republic of Korea. DPRK is Pyongyang&rsquo
Defense March 17, 2021
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S. Korean civic group extends COVID aid worldwide
Global Together, a South Korean civic group helping underprivileged countries with health care and education, said Monday it has donated face masks and coronavirus test kits to Uzbekistan. The group held a ceremony with the Uzbekistan Embassy here to mark the delivery. “With the current COVID-19 continuing, support for masks and diagnostic kits will greatly help overcome the COVID-19 crisis in Uzbekistan. Moreover, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Global Together, Korean stude
Social Affairs March 16, 2021
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US seeks stronger alliances to balance China in Seoul trip
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday they expect to forge stronger alliances with South Korea and Japan to resolve global security challenges and counter an assertive China, in their trip to Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday, which immediately follows a visit to Tokyo. “Our diplomats and defense leaders strategize together on how to confront shared threats such as North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs,” the to
Defense March 15, 2021
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