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Defense chiefs of Russia, N. Korea meet amid escalating Ukraine war
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with his North Korean counterpart, No Kwang-chol, in Pyongyang on Friday amid the intensifying war in Ukraine, where North Korea has dispatched soldiers and provided weapons to bolster Russia's efforts. The meeting was held during Belousov's "official visit" to North Korea at the invitation of Noh, Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday. Belousov notably underscored the significance of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Part
Nov. 29, 2024 -
11 Chinese, Russian military aircraft enter S. Korea’s air defense zone
Eleven Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone without notice Friday, prompting the South Korea’s Air Force to send its fighter jets to the scene. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, five Chinese military planes and six Russian aircraft entered the KADIZ over the East and South Seas between 9:35 a.m. and 1:53 p.m. and exited it. They did not violate the country's airspace. The JCS said it identified the Chinese and Russian
Nov. 29, 2024 -
Ukrainian delegation in Seoul did not request South Korean weapons: minister
The delegation from Ukraine did not request that South Korea provide defensive weapons during a series of high-level meetings held Wednesday in Seoul. Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, who spoke with his visiting Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov for 30 minutes on Wednesday, said he “did not receive any proposals” from the delegation about buying the Cheongung air defense system, as some reports had speculated. The South Korean defense minister was speaking Thursday in re
Nov. 28, 2024 -
S. Korea, US to hold tabletop exercise on nuclear deterrence next week
South Korea and the United States will hold a discussion-based exercise simulating North Korea's use of a nuclear weapon next week, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen joint deterrence against the North's nuclear threats. Cho Chang-rae, South Korea's deputy defense minister for policy, and Cara Abercrombie, the US acting deputy under secretary of defense for policy, will lead the tabletop exercise during a two-day meeting slated fo
Nov. 28, 2024 -
N. Korea may officially declare troop deployments to Russia: Seoul
North Korea may officially acknowledge its troop deployments to Russia to secure strategic gains by formalizing its role as an official war participant amid mounting internal challenges in concealing such actions, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. The ministry suggested Seoul detected "signs of unease" within North Korean society, as rumors, including accounts of families in tears, have surfaced and spread despite Pyongyang's efforts to keep its troop deployment to R
Nov. 26, 2024 -
North Korea cuts off power supplies to shuttered inter-Korean industrial park
North Korea has been dismantling power lines installed just north of the shared border with the South from Sunday in the latest of a series of demolitions of past inter-Korean peace efforts. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday, the North Korean military was spotted taking down power transmission systems on its side of the Military Demarcation Line dividing the Korean Peninsula. The JCS said the North Korean military cut off high-voltage wires from the transmission t
Nov. 26, 2024 -
Lt. Gen. Ju Il-suk picked as marine corps chief
Lt. Gen. Ju Il-suk, the former director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s combat readiness inspections, was named Marine Corps Commandant in a reshuffle of general-level officers announced Monday. Ju replaces Lt. Gen. Kim Kye-hwan, who is under investigation for the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun in July last year. Chae was killed during a search mission for missing victims of heavy downpours in Yecheon, a county in North Gyeongsang Province. Vice Adm. Choi Sung-hyeok of the 1st Fleet Command was
Nov. 25, 2024 -
North Korean troopers killed, wounded in Ukraine war: NIS
South Korea has intelligence that North Korea has suffered losses among its troops dispatched to aid in Russia’s war on Ukraine. The National Intelligence Service on Monday confirmed for the first time North Korean troops fighting Ukraine have been killed and wounded, without providing how many. In a Nov. 20 briefing to the National Assembly, the NIS said North Korean troops were deployed in the Russian province of Kursk near the border with Ukraine, with some participating in battles. Acc
Nov. 25, 2024 -
South Korean military plans to launch new division for future warfare
The South Korean military plans to establish a division for multi-domain operations to boost its cyber and space capabilities, which have emerged as new battlefields of future warfare. The Ministry of National Defense said Friday it was seeking an amendment to the laws concerning the Joint Chiefs of Staff to “proactively respond to the changing security environment with the advancement of science and technology and the rise of new areas of battle.” According to the ministry, the mult
Nov. 22, 2024 -
JCS to launch new multidomain unit for future warfare readiness
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is set to launch a new unit tasked with bolstering readiness in the domains of space, cyber and electronic warfare, officials said Friday, amid South Korea's push to better prepare for future warfare. In a legislative notice, the defense ministry said the plan is aimed at better responding to changes in the security environment, such as the development of high-tech science and technology, expanding the domains of warfare and the growing importance of cognitive oper
Nov. 22, 2024 -
Foreign troops train with K9 howitzer, K2 tank in S. Korea
South Korea has launched an education program on the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the K2 main battle tank for military personnel from seven nations, including Poland, Romania, and Qatar, the Army said Friday. Unlike the first round of the program held in July, which focused on the K9 howitzer, the second round of the three-week program that began Monday also includes education on the K2 tank, according to the Army. A total of 35 personnel from seven nations, up from 14 personnel from three nat
Nov. 22, 2024 -
Top air force commanders of S. Korea, US, Japan discuss cooperation
The top air force commanders of South Korea, the United States, and Japan have held talks to discuss ways to strengthen their cooperation, such as expanding joint air drills, officials said, the latest in their trilateral security cooperation amid North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. In the video-conferencing talks held Thursday, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su and his US and Japanese counterparts, Gen. David W. Allvin and Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, respectively, vowed to con
Nov. 22, 2024 -
Audit agency refers ex-security adviser to probe over delayed deployment of THAAD
The state audit agency said Monday that it referred a former national security adviser and three others to the prosecution as they had abused their powers to intentionally delay the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in a southeastern county. According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, Chung Eui-yong, who also served as foreign minister under the former Moon Jae-in administration, and other senior government officials were found to have intentionally delayed the publication
Nov. 18, 2024 -
South Korea to launch 3rd spy satellite from Vandenberg base by year-end
The South Korean military is close to launching a third spy satellite, to be a key asset in monitoring North Korea. The third military reconnaissance satellite will be carried into orbit atop Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket, like the first two, around the third week of December from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday. The upcoming launch is part of the South Korean military’s project to place five reconnaissance satellites
Nov. 18, 2024 -
S. Korea's homegrown long-range radar approved for combat suitability
A new long-range radar system developed with homegrown technology has been approved for combat suitability, the state arms procurement agency said Monday, with the equipment expected to bolster surveillance of aircraft in the country's air defense identification zone (KADIZ). The new radar system is capable of conducting around-the-clock surveillance in KADIZ and transmitting real-time data to the Air Force's Master Control and Reporting Center, the Defense Acquisition Program Administ
Nov. 18, 2024