Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
Korean, Japanese defense ministers reconfirm differences on GSOMIA
The defense ministers of South Korea, Japan and the United States met Sunday to discuss their differences regarding the intelligence-sharing pact between Seoul and Tokyo, amid concerns that the ongoing row might weaken the trilateral security alliance.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, held bilateral talks and met with their US counterpart in a separate trilateral meeting, both of which took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meet
Defense Nov. 17, 2019
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South Korea, US top military commanders discuss GSOMIA, OPCON transfer
The top military commanders of South Korea and the United States discussed the allies’ military readiness and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula at the 44th Military Committee Meeting in Seoul on Thursday.South Korea’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Park Han-ki and his US counterpart Gen. Mark Milley were joined by some 20 officials from South Korea and 17 officials from the US, including US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Philip Davidson and US-ROK Combin
Defense Nov. 14, 2019
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Seoul says militaries support diplomatic efforts as Esper hints at altering joint military drills
The Defense Ministry said Thursday the military authorities of Seoul and Washington support the diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of North Korea, while the US defense chief hinted at the possibility of adjusting the scope of joint military drills.On the plane to Seoul to attend Friday’s Security Consultative Meeting, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday he is open to adjusting the combined military exercises with South Korea if it can provide room for diplomacy with
Defense Nov. 14, 2019
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Terminating GSOMIA may send ‘wrong’ message to adversaries: Abrams
PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province -- By terminating its bilateral intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, South Korea risks sending the wrong message -- that the trilateral alliance of South Korea, the US and Japan is weak -- Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the US-ROK Combined Forces Command, said Tuesday.Marking his first year in office, Abrams, who also commands United States Forces Korea and the United Nations Command, spoke on a series of current issues, including the ongoing defense cost-sh
Defense Nov. 13, 2019
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Former US commanders of combined command to discuss future of alliance
Former commanders and deputy commanders of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command will gather to discuss the future of the alliance this week, forum organizers said Monday.The Korea-US Alliance Foundation said it will host the first Former Combined Forces Command CDR-DCDR Forum at Millennium Hilton Seoul on Wednesday. The theme will be the Republic of Korea-US alliance.Four former US commanders -- John Tilelli, Walter Sharp, James Thurman and Curtis Scaparrotti -- and four former deputy commanders -
Defense Nov. 11, 2019
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South Korea, US to hold annual defense talks in Seoul next week
South Korea and the United States will hold their annual defense ministers’ talks in Seoul next week to reaffirm their alliance and discuss issues including the transfer of wartime operational control, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his US counterpart Mark Esper will attend the 51st Security Consultative Meeting on Nov. 15, where they are expected to touch on pending issues, such as Seoul’s intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo. Esp
Defense Nov. 8, 2019
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[Eye Plus] Legacy of 1st Korean pilot remains in Yeouido
In the financial and banking district of Yeouido in the center of Seoul, part of the oldest airport in the country is preserved to remind people of South Korea’s aviation history.Korea’s very first airport was constructed in 1916 on Yeouido, which was a barren sandbank in the capital city, known as Gyeongseong at the time. In the times when the idea of flying was unfamiliar to most Koreans, tens of thousands gathered in Yeouido to watch world-famous American stunt pilot Art Smit
Travel Nov. 7, 2019
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Defense cost-sharing negotiations face rough road ahead
The ongoing defense cost-sharing negotiations between South Korea and the United States face a rough road ahead, with Washington reportedly asking Seoul to pay for expenses not included in the original agreement.The US has asked Korea to pay about $5 billion toward the cost of maintaining its troops stationed here for another year, about five times more than the current 1.04 trillion won ($861.4 million), local media reported Thursday. This amount reportedly would include items that are not stip
Defense Nov. 7, 2019
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Stilwell says he had ‘fantastic’ discussions with Korean government
David Stilwell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, on Wednesday welcomed “fantastic” talks with South Korean government officials. Visiting the country as part of his Asia tour, the senior US official met with Korean government officials to discuss the alliance and ways to cooperate in the region, including separate meetings with Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa, and w
Foreign Affairs Nov. 6, 2019
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Top US negotiator for defense cost-sharing deal visits South Korea
James DeHart, the chief US negotiator for the defense cost-sharing deal with South Korea, is in Seoul for an informal visit. South Korean government officials view the visit as aimed at learning more about public sentiment here toward the negotiations.DeHart, who arrived Tuesday, was scheduled to hold an unofficial dinner with his South Korean counterpart, Jeong Eun-bo, and other government officials during his four-day trip. It would be the second meeting of the top negotiators since they met f
Foreign Affairs Nov. 6, 2019
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Top US official for Asia arrives in Seoul, expected to discuss GSOMIA
David Stilwell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, arrived in Seoul late Tuesday for talks with Korean officials on their bilateral alliance and ongoing regional affairs. He is on a tour of Asia.Stilwell is expected to hold a series of meetings with government officials here and to pay a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, according to Foreign Ministry officials. One of the top issues the two allies are expected to discuss is the ongoing row be
Foreign Affairs Nov. 5, 2019
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South Korea asks for US action on its ongoing row with Japan
South Korea has asked the United States to intervene to resolve the ongoing row with Japan.Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon Soon-gu and David Stilwell, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, discussed ongoing issues affecting the South Korea-US alliance and the trilateral relationship with Japan, both ministries said Saturday.In the talks held on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Thailand, the two senior officials pledged to maintain close coordination to ensu
Foreign Affairs Nov. 3, 2019
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[Feature] Tall order to transform DMZ minefields into peace zone
After a short-lived period of detente for the two Koreas, the North appears to be back to cold-shouldering the South. But this has not deterred the Moon administration from drawing up plans for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. As part of its effort to achieve that goal, Moon proposed to transform the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas into an “international peace zone” at a UN session last month. But the DMZ that the president called the “ecological treasure
North Korea Oct. 28, 2019
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Allies should contribute more for US troops defending their land, says US defense secretary
As defense cost-sharing negotiations between South Korea and the United States were to take place Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper highlighted the importance of allies sharing the burden for maintaining US forces in their countries.“I’ve said since I took office, the importance of burden-sharing from all of our allies and partners, whether it’s host nation support in Japan, whether it’s increased GDP from our European allies, the key is to help share the burd
Defense Oct. 23, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Opposition party leader denies involvement in alleged martial law plan
Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday denied allegations made by a civic group that he took part in planning to impose martial law to quell monthslong candlelight protests if the impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye failed. Hwang’s party filed a complaint to the prosecutors’ office against Lim Tae-hoon, the chief of the Military Human Rights Center for Korea, who raised the suspicions. On Monday, Lim, testifying as a witness at the parliamentary audit of
Politics Oct. 22, 2019
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