Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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S. Korea, U.S. kick off large-scale air defense drill
The South Korean and U.S. Air Forces launched a large-scale, regular aerial exercise on Friday to boost combined defense capabilities.The biannual Max Thunder joint maneuver, set to take place in South Korean airspace through April 24, will "involve around 100 aircraft and 1,400 service personnel from the allies to display and hone our best combined air defense capabilities," the Air Force headquarters said in a release.Some 50 South Korean aircraft will join the exercise, including the F-15K an
April 10, 2015
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Park meets with U.S. defense chief
South Korea and Japan will hold their first high-level security talks in more than five years next week, the foreign ministry here said Friday, amid renewed tension over historical and territorial issues.The so-called 2+2 talks, involving two senior foreign affairs and defense officials from each side, will be held in Seoul on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. They will be led by Lee Sang-deok, director of Northeast Asian affairs at the foreign ministry, and his Japanese counterpart, Ju
April 10, 2015
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Carter’s visit to cement security alliance
OSAN AIRBASE -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a three-day visit aimed at further cementing the bilateral alliance against North Korea’s persistent nuclear and missile threats. His visit came two days after Pyongyang test-fired two KN-06 surface-to-air missiles from Hwajin-ri, South Pyeongan Province, in an apparent show of force amid the prolonged deadlock in its relations with Seoul and Washington. Carter’s first visit to Korea as the Pentagon chief
April 9, 2015
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Soldier gets 35-year jail term for murder of comrade
A military appellate court Thursday sentenced an Army sergeant to 35 years behind bars for beating his junior comrade to death. The sergeant, surnamed Lee, was convicted of killing the 23-year-old Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, by inflicting injuries at their frontline unit on the east coast in April last year. Yoon died after being hit in the chest by six of his colleagues, including Lee, while eating snacks at their barracks. The assault caused a piece of food to obstruct his air
April 9, 2015
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U.S. warns of N. Korean nuke, missile capabilities
Senior U.S. officials have highlighted North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile capabilities this week in an apparent push for reinforcement of America’s missile defense program.Their remarks came amid raging controversy here over the U.S.’ potential deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, a core element of its multilayered missile defense program, to Korea.U.S. Northern Command head Adm. William Gortney said Tuesday that Pyongyang was thought to be capable of miniaturizi
April 8, 2015
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U.S. defense chief to arrive Thursday
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will arrive in South Korea on Thursday in a bid to reaffirm America’s commitment to countering North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats and encourage U.S. troops here.His scheduled visit has drawn keen attention as Carter and his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo are expected to touch on the issue of the U.S.’ potential deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system during their talks Friday.Seoul officials said the THAAD issue was
April 8, 2015
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Seoul to build entity for U.S. Korean War veterans
South Korea said Wednesday it plans to launch a U.S. Korean War veterans group to honor them for their service and help enhance ties between the allies. U.S. troops began to be stationed in South Korea in earnest with the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. Currently, some 28,500 soldiers are here to deter aggressions from North Korea. "The defense ministry has a plan to set up the group for the American service personnel who had served here," a senior Seoul official said on condition of anon
April 8, 2015
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S. Korea seeks indigenous weapons parts development
South Korea Wednesday unveiled a five-year plan to localize the production of key parts of strategic weapons. Under the 2015-19 scheme, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration plans to support local defense firms in producing dozens of key parts for 10 indigenous weapons in five areas -- vehicles, firearms, aviation, vessels and reconnaissance. The 10 weapons are K-2 combat tanks, wheeled armored vehicles, Chunmoo artillery rocket ammunition, remote controlled munitions, the KUH-1 Suri
April 8, 2015
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Defense Ministry conducts top brass reshuffle
The Defense Ministry on Tuesday appointed Army Lt. Gen. Shin Won-sik as deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and promoted Maj. Gen. Lee Sang-hoon to lieutenant general to lead the Marine Corps in a regular reshuffle that promoted 23 senior officers.The ministry also promoted Major Generals Chang Gyeong-seok and Kang Goo-young to lieutenant general and Rear Adm. Lee Beom-rim to vice admiral. Chang, Kang and Lee were appointed as commanders of the Special Warfare Command, deputy Air Force
April 7, 2015
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Assembly faces arduous April
The National Assembly’s April extraordinary session that kicked off Tuesday is expected to become a battlefield for rival parties as they lock horns over contentious issues including the reform of public servants’ pension system, a probe on resource diplomacy, and controversy surrounding the Sewol tragedy. Lawmakers from the ruling and the main opposition party are also expected to intensify attacks on each other ahead of the by-elections scheduled later this month, as the event is seen as a bar
April 7, 2015
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S. Korea's military reshuffles top generals
South Korea's military Tuesday carried out a regular shake-up of two- and three-star generals, affecting some officers known as confidants to Park Ji-man, younger brother of President Park Geun-hye. Army Lt. Gen. Shin Won-sik, chief of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was appointed as deputy head of the JCS, according to the defense ministry. He attended the Korea Military Academy with the 57-year-old Park, who currently works as chairman of EG Corporation, an electronic materials prod
April 7, 2015
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S. Korea, China to hold arms control talks
Senior officials from South Korea and China will hold regular talks in Beijing this week to discuss arms control and non-proliferation, a diplomatic source said Tuesday. Yoo Dae-jong, director-general of the International Organizations Bureau at South Korea's foreign ministry, is scheduled to hold talks with Wang Qun, director-general of the Department of Arms Control of China's foreign ministry, on Wednesday, the source said on the condition of anonymity. Yoo and Wang are also expected to e
April 7, 2015
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Military investigators vow efforts against corruption, sex crimes
Military police and prosecutors here gathered Tuesday to seek ways to root out pervasive corruption and on-base sex crimes, the defense ministry said. Some 150 senior officials in the military law enforcement agencies under the defense ministry and all branches of service "discussed what causes sexual abuse cases among the servicemembers, how to better protect victims, and how to set up a cooperative mechanism to eradicate corruption in the defense industry," according to the ministry. The fi
April 7, 2015
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Carter seeks to bolster capabilities to cope with
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Monday he will discuss ways to bolster joint defense capabilities with South Korea to cope with "an increasingly dangerous and provocative North Korea" when he visits Seoul later this week. Carter made the remark during a speech at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, outlining his trip to South Korea and Japan, designed to cement alliances with the two countries in a region marked by China's rise and threats fr
April 7, 2015
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Security forum on Northeast Asia due in Japan next month: sources
A two-track regional security forum is to be held in Japan next month, involving government officials and scholars from the six nations engaged in multilateral talks on North Korea's denuclearization, sources said Sunday.Since its inception in 1993, the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue has served as a venue for informal dialogue among North Korea and its five dialogue partners on its nuclear program -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.Organized by the University of Cali
April 5, 2015
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State Department approves possible missile sale to S. Korea
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible sale to South Korea of 400 air-to-surface Hellfire missiles as well as related equipment, parts and support, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Thursday. South Korea has asked to buy 400 AGM-114R1 Hellfire II Semi-Active Laser Missiles with containers, 100 ATM-114Q Air Training Missiles, and 12 M36E8 Hellfire II Captive Air Training Missiles from Lockheed Martin, the agency said in a statement. The estimated cost is $81 million, it sa
April 3, 2015
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THAAD’s efficacy in dispute
Amid controversy over the U.S.’ potential deployment of an advanced missile defense battery here, defense experts are focusing on its military efficacy ― a topic that has been eclipsed by a dominant “U.S. vs China” discourse.The experts say that the public debate should center on whether the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system would really be helpful or necessary to counter North Korea’s missile threats ― rather than on whose side Seoul should take amid objections from China and Russia.Be
April 2, 2015
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S. Korea did not receive THAAD information from Lockheed Martin: ministry
South Korea has not received any detailed information from the U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin Corp. on the firm's advanced missile defense battery, the defense ministry here said Thursday.Reuters reported on Monday that Lockheed Martin "has provided information to South Korea and the U.S. government to support a possible sale of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system," citing Lockheed Martin's senior manager for international air and missile business development, Dan Garcia.THAAD h
April 2, 2015
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U.S. not to raise THAAD issue when Carter visits S. Korea next week: official
The United States will not bring up the issue of the THAAD missile defense system when Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visits South Korea next week, a U.S. official said Wednesday."After discussions between senior leaders at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and military leaders on the peninsula and at the Pentagon, it was decided that the topic of THAAD will not be discussed during Secretary Carter's trip next week," the official said.The U.S. wants to deploy a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defens
April 2, 2015
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S. Korea to create task force for indigenous fighter project
South Korea plans to form an inter-agency team to handle the country's largest-ever acquisition project aimed at developing an indigenous fighter jet, officials here said Wednesday, which is already facing daunting challenges on the budget and technology transfer fronts.Seoul's arms procurement agency is trying to speed up the 8.67 trillion won ($7.84 billion) project, more than 10 years behind schedule. On Tuesday, it selected Korea Aerospace Industries, the country's sole aircraft maker, as th
April 1, 2015