Indonesia will see its payment reduced by 100 billion won ($85 million) to 1.6 trillion won for the joint fighter jet project with South Korea, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Monday, a week after it reached a new deal with Indonesia amid rumors of the Southeast Asian country defaulting.　 The KF-21 program -- in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest -- aims to mass produce jets as early as 2027, but Indonesia had hardly p

Defense Nov. 15, 2021

North Koreans should make the best use of the remainder of the year to support the regime’s economic plan, the official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Friday, as the North faces a growing economic crisis. “Those who are falling behind what they are expected to do should come to their senses and respond to what our revolution demands: bold action,” the newspaper said, referring to the five-year initiative that national leader Kim Jong-un revealed in January to jump-start the econ

North Korea Nov. 12, 2021

President Moon Jae-in is set to attend this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Friday to meet with 20 other Pacific Rim leaders and discuss a path to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. APEC members from Pacific Rim nations including New Zealand, Russia, the US and Chile meet annually to ease trade barriers and expand growth. Their economies account for nearly 40 percent of the world’s population and about 60 percent of its gross domestic product. But for a second

Politics Nov. 12, 2021

South Korea and Indonesia reached an agreement Wednesday on the payment Indonesia would have to make for their joint fighter jet project after concerns for months that Jakarta could default on the deal to produce a cheaper, less-stealthy alternative to the US-made F-35. The KF-21 program -- in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest -- aims to mass produce jets as early as 2027, but the Southeast Asian nation had hardly paid its contributions

Defense Nov. 11, 2021

South Korea and the US have not made any decisions on when Seoul will take over wartime operational control from Washington, the US Defense Department said Wednesday, amid signs of a rift in the allies’ position on the wartime role the US first assumed in the 1950-53 Korean War. Last week, Gen. Paul LaCamera, the US military chief overseeing the 28,500 American troops here, said the two countries could make changes to Korea’s plan to retake command by May next year or set a deadline

Defense Nov. 11, 2021

The annual ceremony honoring UN veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War will be held in Busan on Thursday. The “Turn Toward Busan” event -- attended by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Colombian Vice President Marta Lucia Ramirez, UN Command Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera -- takes place in the city housing the first UN cemetery with 2,311 war dead from 11 countries. About 2 million UN troops participated in the war. The ceremony, which has invited veterans and their families as well as top d

Defense Nov. 10, 2021

Peace comes from people and their hearts and minds, not from an organization, according to Vincent Courtenay, a Canadian veteran who took part in the 1950-53 Korean War and is visiting Busan on Thursday with fellow veterans to commemorate International Memorial Day for UN Veterans. Courtenay was referring to President Moon Jae-in’s latest initiative to formally end the decades-old conflict that ended in an armistice, signed by North Korea, China and the US, representing South Korea and th

Defense Nov. 9, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed his aides to use diplomacy and public reserves to stave off a urea shortage in the private sector, as the country runs low on diesel exhaust fluid after China tightened exports to avert its own power crisis. Urea solutions are used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions, and about 97 percent of Korea’s imports came from China during the first nine months of the year, according to the Trade Ministry. Seoul has already asked Beijing to ease its exp

Politics Nov. 8, 2021

The number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients has risen steadily since Nov. 1, when rules were eased for public gatherings and working hours at public facilities such as restaurants and cafes. The change came into effect as part of a step-by-step transition by health authorities to remove all restrictions by February. This weekend some 3,000 South Koreans attended rallies in downtown Seoul, while many others took advantage of the increased freedom in public places. But Korea is seeing an incr

Social Affairs Nov. 7, 2021

South Korea and the US are still working for Seoul to take over wartime operational control of the joint military forces from Washington by the time they had agreed, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday in response to the top US general who hinted at a delay. “We will have to look at what exactly the US commander said, but the bottom line is that the transfer is taking place as scheduled, as agreed by both our commanders-in-chief,” ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said

Defense Nov. 4, 2021

Despite efforts by the military to introduce a culture that better respects soldiers’ rights, young Korean men still favor an alternative to their mandatory military service: the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army. Last week, the military loosened rules on hairstyles that can be worse by conscripts, in its latest move to drop discriminatory practices and boost morale following a number of scandals involving allegations of abuse and subsequent cover-ups. Nevertheless, KATUSA -

Defense Nov. 2, 2021

South Korean and US intelligence are closely monitoring for signs of North Korea’s next missile test, the military said Monday in response to satellite images showing preparations to launch a submarine-launched ballistic missile for the second time since October. The images -- made public last week by 38 North, which monitors North Korea -- showed activity involving a mobile crane and a submerged barge at Sinpo, a port city along the east coast where North Korea runs a major submarine shi

Defense Nov. 1, 2021

President Moon Jae-in invited Pope Francis to North Korea again as he made another effort to reopen nuclear talks, at a meeting at the Vatican on Friday. The meeting was the first official stop on his trip to attend a Group of 20 summit over the weekend and a UN climate meeting that ends Tuesday. “Your visit to North Korea would be the new momentum for peace on the Korean Peninsula. South Koreans are looking forward to it,” Moon said, repeating an invitation from North Korean leade

Politics Oct. 29, 2021

Defense Minister Suh Wook and US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Thursday discussed deepening naval ties and expanding alliance, during a meeting held at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. Suh thanked Del Toro for US support in bringing in nearly 400 Afghans in August who worked on South Korean projects in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized power. Seoul amended the law to grant them long-term stays. Del Toro said he expects to see a growing alliance that will allow

Defense Oct. 28, 2021

Workers at South Korea’s chief weapons developer were offered no incentive pay, despite their efforts that President Moon Jae-in hailed as marking a new milestone in the country’s decadeslong drive to mount a self-reliant defense. The Agency for Defense Development -- which recently tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, making South Korea the first non-nuclear state to do so -- has yet to prepare guidelines on compensating those who build strategic assets like SLBMs, a

Defense Oct. 26, 2021