Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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[Graphic News] Changes of conscription term
The Defense Ministry has embarked on its review on the military reform plan from President Moon Jae-in, who pledged during the election campaign to shorten the period of conscription from the current 21 months to 18 months.After peaking at 36 months during the Park Chung-hee regime, the military service term -- based on the army -- has continued to reduce over the past few decades. It was 26 months between 1993 and 2003 and 24 months between 2003 and 2010.
May 14, 2017
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Military prepares for defense reform measures
South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it has started working-level preparations for the implementation of reform measures proposed by President Moon Jae-in during his campaign."With regard to the presidential campaign pledges on the defense sector, of course, we are reviewing conditions and ways for implementation," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters. (Yonhap)Moon's promises include shortening the service period for conscripted soldiers to 18 mo
May 12, 2017
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S. Korea's military strength ranks 11th in world
South Korea remained 11th in the world in terms of military strength this year, ahead of North Korea at 23rd, an annual military power index showed.The South had a firepower index of 0.2804, right behind Italy's 0.2772, according to the Global Firepower 2017, which took over 50 factors into account to assess the military power of 127 countries. The smaller the index, the stronger a country's military power. South Korea's GFP ranked seventh in the 2015 index.The North's index this year is up from
May 11, 2017
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Trump severely berates McMaster over THAAD deployment in Korea: report
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump severely berated National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster for undermining his efforts to get South Korea to pay for the THAAD missile defense system deployed to the country, a news report said Tuesday.The reprimand came after McMaster called his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, and assured him that Trump's demand for Seoul to pay for the $1 billion missile defense system was not official policy, Bloomberg reported, citing unidentified White House off
May 10, 2017
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US warship collides with South Korea’s fishing vessel
A United States warship collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in the East Sea on Tuesday, while conducting a joint military drill, the two countries’ militaries said. US cruiser USS Lake Champlain clashed with South Korean fishing ship 502 Namyang about 83 kilometers south of Ulleung Island at around noon, according to South Korea’s military. US-led Combined Forces Command also confirmed the incident. Fishing ship 502 Namyang (Yonhap)There were no casualties and the exact cause of the inc
May 9, 2017
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Military keeps vigilance ahead of presidential polls
South Korea's defense authorities said Monday they are maintaining a heightened state of alert against a possible provocation by North Korea on the eve of the presidential election here.In recent months, there have been increased military tensions on the peninsula amid a series of the North's ballistic missile launches and speculation that it may conduct another nuclear test or fire a long-range rocket. Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (Yonhap)"We are maintaining
May 8, 2017
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Marine Corps commander inspects war readiness at front-line units
South Korea's Marine Corps commander inspected front-line troops near the tense maritime border Thursday and stressed any provocations by North Korea will be met with bold retaliations."Commander, Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo made an unannounced visit to the Yeonpyeong unit of the front-line Udo Island and carried out an operation inspection," the Marine Corps said. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo (Yonhap)The set of forefront islands lie just below the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border with North Korea,
May 4, 2017
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US Special Operations Command training actively to ensure readiness for NK contingencies: commander
WASHINGTON -- The US Special Operations Command is training actively to ensure readiness for contingency operations in North Korea, where its capabilities to counter weapons of mass destruction could play a critical role, its commander said.Gen. Raymond Thomas made the remark during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, saying the threat of "an increasingly rogue North Korea" is of growing concern to him, and the North's threat is no longer a regional one, but has "global implications.""In r
May 4, 2017
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Is THAAD part of global US missile defense?
A top US commander was found Wednesday to have said the country is working to create a “fully-integrated” regional missile defense scheme that includes South Korea, fueling controversy over the deployment of a US missile shield that US President Donald Trump wants Seoul to pay $1 billion for. Controversy has persisted over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here, which China argues constitutes Seoul’s de facto participation in the US-led global missile defense progra
May 3, 2017
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N. Korea says detained American man for carrying out 'criminal acts'
North Korea said Wednesday that it has detained an American man for conducting "criminal acts of hostility" aimed at overturning the country.The man identified as Kim Sang-dok was arrested at Pyongyang's international airport on April 22, according to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). (Yonhap)"He was intercepted for committing criminal acts of hostility aimed to overturn the DPRK not only in the past but also during his last stay before interception," the KCNA said in an E
May 3, 2017
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Seoul denies report about knowledge of US earlier request for financing THAAD
South Korea did not have any prior knowledge that the US might charge it for the deployment of a new missile shield, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, as controversy escalated here over US President Donald Trump’s surprise remark last week about possibly billing Korea $1 billion for the system, which the allies said is now “operational” with “initial capability.” The presidential office’s clarification came in response to a local report that claimed that a transition team for then President-elect Trum
May 2, 2017
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Korea to hold counter-terror drills this month
The South Korean government will hold counter-terror drills later this month as part of its preparations for the upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup, Seoul officials said Tuesday. (Yonhap)The drills will be held in Suwon, some 46 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 16 to practice procedures to respond to a number of terrorism scenarios. The international competition is slated to take place in six cities -- Suwon, Jeonju, Incheon, Daejeon, Cheonan and Jeju -- from May 20 through June 11.The scenarios for
May 2, 2017
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THAAD in operation against N. Korean missiles: USFK
American troops in South Korea confirmed Tuesday that their advanced missile defense system, called THAAD, has been put into operation despite controversies over its deployment here and cost."US Forces Korea confirms the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is operational and has the ability to intercept North Korean missiles and defend the Republic of Korea," the USFK's spokesman Col. Rob Manning said in an emailed statement.He was calling South Korea by its official name.(Yonhap)The anno
May 2, 2017
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USFK veterans to launch fraternity for alliance
South Korea said Tuesday former and current US Forces Korea service members will launch a new fraternity association in Washington DC this week after years of preparations, adding it would be the largest pro-Seoul group there.The Korea Defense Veterans Association will be born in a ceremony to be held at the official residence of the South Korean ambassador to the US on Wednesday (local time), according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.It will have as many as 3.5 million members
May 2, 2017
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THAAD in S. Korea is now operational: report
WASHINGTON -- The US THAAD missile defense system installed in South Korea is now operational, a US defense official was quoted Monday as saying."It has reached initial intercept capability," the unidentified official told AFP.(Yonhap)The THAAD battery has been deployed in southeastern South Korea to defend better against North Korean threats, despite Chinese pretests that the system hurts its strategic deterrence.The battery has also been a focus of attention after US President Donald Trump dem
May 2, 2017
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[Graphic News] S. Korea paid W932b to USFK last year
South Korea paid 932 billion won ($828 million) to host American soldiers here last year, according to government data. The amount that Seoul paid was in accordance with the allies’ defense cost-sharing agreement. It has increased by nearly nine times compared to 107 billion won in 1991, the first year when the contribution was paid officially.Seoul’s share of the cost of stationing nearly 28,000 US soldiers here is set out in the Special Measurement Agreement under the Status Forces Agreement b
May 1, 2017
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Seoul rules out negotiation over THAAD payment
South Korea on Monday ruled out any future negotiation over who should pay for a US advanced missile defense system to be deployed here, but left open the possibility that the Trump administration might use the issue as leverage against Seoul during the allies’ defense-sharing negotiations scheduled to take place next year. Citing the Status of Forces Agreement and a classified separate agreement with US Forces in Korea, the Defense Ministry stressed that the allies had agreed that the US would
May 1, 2017
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Allies’ security chiefs ‘reiterate’ initial agreement on THAAD: Cheong Wa Dae
Security chiefs of South Korea and the United States reaffirmed the initial agreement on a US advanced missile defense system that Washington would shoulder expenses for deploying and operating the weapon system, Seoul’s presidential office said Sunday.The reassurance came amid growing jitters here over US President Donald Trump’s surprise remarks that South Korea should pay $1 billion for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, some of whose key components have arrived on the peninsula.
April 30, 2017
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USS Carl Vinson stages war drills with Korean Navy
The USS Carl Vinson, a US aircraft carrier, on Saturday started a joint naval drill with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea amid heightened tensions from North Korea's failed ballistic missile launch earlier in the morning, defense officials here said."South Korea and US strike forces began a drill in the East Sea from 6 p.m. today against the backdrop of the current security situation," the South Korean Navy said. A photo of the USS Carl Vinson (Yonhap)No specific schedule for the rendezvous
April 30, 2017
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Korea, US finish joint military exercise
South Korea and the United States on Sunday wrapped up their two-month combined defense drills amid unrelenting tensions on the Korean Peninsula."The Foal Eagle exercise is ending today as scheduled," a South Korean military official said. South Korean and US troops hold joint logistics drills in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, as part of their Foal Eagle exercise. (Yonhap)The allies kicked off the annual Foal Eagle drills, a major field-training exercise, at the start of March involving more
April 30, 2017