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South Korea to develop indigenous 'Iron Dome' system
South Korea has started development of a low-altitude missile defense system, akin to Israel’s "Iron Dome," to better counter long-range North Korean artillery threats. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration held a project kickoff meeting on Monday attended by military officials, representatives from the Agency for Defense Development -- a state-run defense think tank -- and prototype manufacturers, including LIG Nex1, Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems. According to DAPA, the ADD will
Jan. 20, 2025 -
S. Korea to hold overseas combined drills in UAE next month
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates will conduct combined drills in the Middle East nation in February, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday, as part of efforts to bolster their defense cooperation. Under the plan, service members of the South Korean Army, Navy and Marine Corps departed for the UAE from a naval base in Jinhae, 312 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier in the day to attend the combined exercise scheduled for Feb. 10-20, according to the ministry. The upcoming exercise, orga
Jan. 20, 2025 -
S. Korea eyes $300 m K9 howitzer exports deal with Vietnam
South Korea is in the final stage of reaching a $300 million agreement to export homegrown K9 self-propelled howitzers to Vietnam, industry and government sources said Monday, in what would mark the first arms exports to the Southeast Asian nation when finalized. Under the envisioned plan, South Korea will ship around 20 K9 howitzers to Vietnam, which would make Hanoi the 10th country outside of Seoul to acquire the weapons systems, according to the sources. South Korea has so far shipped the K9
Jan. 20, 2025 -
Top military officer inspects readiness posture against N.K. threats near NLL
South Korea's top military officer on Friday visited the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command and a radar site under the command to inspect its readiness posture against North Korean threats near the western inter-Korean maritime border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo visited the naval command in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, where he paid respects at a monument built in remembrance of 46 sailors who were killed during the 2010 sinking of the Cheonan corvet
Jan. 17, 2025 -
S. Korean military official urges international cooperation against NK-Russia alliance threats
The head of strategic planning at the Joint Chiefs of Staff called for “close coordination” among the international community against threats stemming from North Korea’s military support to Russia at a recent NATO meeting. The JCS said Friday that Lt. Gen. Son Jeong-hwan, head of strategic planning for the South Korean military, explained to top military officials around the world, that “North Korea’s recent military support to Russia and missile launch provocations are becoming a big threat to
Jan. 17, 2025 -
S. Korea approves plan to produce L-SAM defense system
The government has approved a plan to start the production of a newly developed homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM), the state procurement agency said Thursday, as South Korea seeks to boost its air defense capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The Defense Project Promotion Committee reviewed the completion of the development and approved a 1.73 trillion won ($1.19 billion) project to manufacture the missile defense system through 2030, according to the
Jan. 16, 2025 -
Monthly salaries of junior officers, NCOs bumped up 6%
Annual salaries of entry-level military officers and non-commissioned officers have been increased by an average of 6 percent this year to improve the working conditions of South Korean troops, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The monthly salary for a new staff sergeant rose 6.6 percent on-year to 20 million won ($1,372.91) in 2025, according to the policy direction for this year outlined by the ministry during a briefing to acting President Choi Sang-mok. The salaries of sergeants and second
Jan. 16, 2025 -
Defense Ministry vows continuation of NCG under Trump 2.0
South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Thursday pledged to build a system that would help Seoul’s key nuclear deterrence talks with the US to continue in a “sustainable and stable manner.” The vow was included in the policy direction for this year outlined by the ministry during a briefing to acting President Choi Sang-mok. It was also announced amid growing concerns that the Nuclear Consultative Group, the allies' nuclear deterrence body launched during the Biden administration, could dissolve under
Jan. 16, 2025 -
Trial starts for ex-defense minister over martial law case
A Seoul court on Thursday held the first preparatory hearing for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who has been charged with insurrection and abuse of power over his alleged key role in the president's botched martial law imposition last month. During the first preparatory hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, Kim, who is currently under detention, appeared with his legal representatives. Kim’s attorneys engaged in an intense argument with prosecutors in discussing how the trial woul
Jan. 16, 2025 -
DAPA minister to visit Saudi Arabia, Norway
Seok Jong-gun, head of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, will visit Saudi Arabia and Norway to bolster defense industry partnerships amid the recent growth of Korean defense exports. “These visits to Saudi Arabia and Norway mark the beginning of the government’s robust efforts to support defense exports in 2025," Seok, a retired Army major general and the current DAPA leader, said in a statement released Thursday morning. According to DAPA, Seok’s five-day trip, scheduled
Jan. 16, 2025 -
S. Korea, US conduct joint counterfire drills against NK threats
South Korea and the United States have conducted a combined counterfire exercise aimed at deterring North Korea's artillery threats in the greater Seoul area, the South's Army said Thursday. Some 250 South Korean and US troops took part in the three-day command post exercise, aimed at training them on operating surveillance and ground artillery assets in an integrated manner, the Army's Ground Operations Command said. The exercise, which kicked off Tuesday, simulated North Korean provocations th
Jan. 16, 2025 -
Seoul rejects Pete Hegseth’s ‘nuclear power’ label for North Korea
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Pentagon chief, referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power” in a written statement for Tuesday’s confirmation hearing – shattering a longstanding taboo by granting such a designation to Kim Jong-un’s regime and drawing considerable attention in Seoul. Seoul's Defense, Foreign and Unification ministries immediately dismissed Hegseth’s statement when asked for comment, each emphasizing in their respective statements that North Korea can never
Jan. 15, 2025 -
S. Korea begins upgrade of 4,400-ton destroyers with homegrown technology
The state arms procurement agency has kicked off a project to renovate the Navy's 4,400-ton warships with homegrown technology for enhanced efficiency in operating the fleet, officials said Wednesday. A meeting to discuss details of the upgrade for the Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers took place at the office of defense firm Hanhwa Systems in Gumi, 233 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier in the day, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Under the plan, DAPA plans
Jan. 15, 2025 -
North Korea launches multiple short range missiles ahead of Trump's return
North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Tuesday, in its latest show of force a week before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missiles flew approximately 250 kilometers after being launched at around 9:30 a.m. from Kanggye, Jagang Province, near the regime's border with China. They landed in the East Sea, it added. “The South Korea-US intelligence authorities had been closely monitor
Jan. 14, 2025 -
S. Korea to develop advanced high-altitude interceptor missile
South Korea's arms procurement agency announced Tuesday that it has launched the development of the L-SAM-II, an enhanced long-range surface-to-air missile designed to improve range and altitude capabilities. The L-SAM-II is designed to intercept the enemy's nuclear and missile threats at higher altitudes than the existing L-SAM system. Its increased altitude capability is expected to expand defense coverage to three to four times the current model. The advanced interceptor is expected to enable
Jan. 14, 2025