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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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
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Seoul vows retaliation against N.K. provocation over leaflets
Seoul’s Defense Ministry warned of “stern retaliation” against any North Korean provocations Wednesday, amid reports that the North had completed drills to “devastate” South Korean border areas from which balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets were floated.“Should North Korea mount provocations on the pretext of our civic groups’ spreading of anti-North Korea leaflets, we will sternly retaliate against not only the origin of the provocation, but also forces supporting it and its commanders, a
Jan. 14, 2015
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‘U.S. to shift focus to air and sea for Korea defense’
This is the fourth installment in a special New Year’s series of interviews with preeminent scholars on international politics and security. ― Ed.The U.S. security commitment to South Korea will come more in the form of air and naval power than ground troops in the future, a U.S. security expert said, noting the need for America to maintain highly mobile forces to handle evolving security challenges around the world.In an interview with The Korea Herald, Aaron Friedberg, professor of politics an
Jan. 14, 2015
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Korea, U.S. to conduct military drills in March
South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a large-scale joint military exercise in early March, a source here said Tuesday, despite North Korea’s recent calls for halting joint drills this year.Last week, Pyongyang sent a message to Washington expressing its will to temporarily suspend nuclear tests if the U.S. halts its joint military exercises with South Korea this year, though the U.S. effectively spurned the offer.The military source said Key Resolve, one of the two major annual co
Jan. 13, 2015
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Defense Ministry integrity rated lowest in decade
The integrity level for the Defense Ministry dipped to its lowest point in 2013 in nearly a decade due to a series of corruption cases, according to the ministry’s 2014 compilation of defense statistics released on Tuesday.In a state integrity survey, the ministry scored 7.12 points in 2013, with 10 being the highest level.From 2008-2012, during the Lee Myung-bak administration, the ministry scored between 8.15 and 8.98, while from 2004-2007, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, it scored bet
Jan. 13, 2015
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S. Korea, U.S. to conduct annual military drills in March
South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a large-scale joint military exercise in early March, a source here said Tuesday, despite North Korea's recent calls for halting joint drills this year.Last week, Pyongyang sent a message to Washington expressing its will to temporarily suspend nuclear tests if the U.S. halts its joint military exercises with South Korea this year, though the U.S. effectively spurned the offer.The military source said Key Resolve, one of the two major annual co
Jan. 13, 2015
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Military bolsters coastal monitoring system
South Korea’s military procurement agency said Monday that it had completed the deployment of an integrated monitoring system to reinforce the defense of vulnerable areas along the country’s eastern, western and southern coasts. Before deploying the 250 or so pieces of coastal monitoring equipment including thermal observation devices, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration carried out consultations with some 2,000 local residents about the deployment over the past 18 months, officials s
Jan. 12, 2015
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S. Korea, U.S. to conduct joint naval drill this week
South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a two-day joint naval drill this week on South Korea's east coast as part of efforts to enhance their joint military readiness, officers here said Monday.The allies "are scheduled to conduct the exercise for two days starting Tuesday in the East Sea," a naval officer here said, requesting anonymity.The joint exercise involves two U.S. Aegis destroyers, including the 9,200-ton USS Mustin (DDG 89), which arrived at the port city of Donghae on Sun
Jan. 12, 2015
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Navy to set up submarine command next month
The South Korean Navy will set up a submarine command next month as part of efforts to boost the country‘s underwater capabilities, a naval officer said Sunday.“The submarine command will be established on Feb. 1 in the southern port city of Jinhae after extending the current 9th submarine flotilla,” the naval officer said, requesting anonymity.The new command will be in charge of the naval underwater capabilities under the leadership of a two-star general, he added.“It will operate nine 1,200-t
Jan. 11, 2015
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S. Korean Navy to set up submarine command next month
The South Korean Navy will set up a submarine command next month as part of efforts to boost the country's underwater capabilities, a naval officer said Sunday."The submarine command will be established on Feb. 1 in the southern port city of Jinhae after extending the current 9th submarine flotilla," the naval officer said, requesting anonymity.The new command will be in charge of the naval underwater capabilities under the leadership of a two-star general, he added."It will operate nine 1,200-t
Jan. 11, 2015
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N.K. bolsters underwater warfare capabilities
North Korea appears to be striving to reinforce its underwater warfare capabilities with a focus on developing submarine-based missiles, which military analysts say would pose a serious security threat given the difficulties in detecting and tracking them.Recent commercial satellite imagery indicated that the conning tower of a new North Korean submarine housed one or two possible vertical launch tubes for either ballistic or cruise missiles, the U.S.-based research blog 38 North said in its lat
Jan. 9, 2015
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Military to relieve troops of non-combat roles
The Defense Ministry plans to relieve some 2,500 troops of their military support missions and reassign them to combat positions by 2019, as it seeks to open noncombat missions to civilian staff.The ministry said Thursday that it had established a basic plan to open some military jobs to civilians for 2015-19. The sectors include laundry, disposal of military waste, operations of post exchanges and maintenance of military equipment.The plan comes amid criticism that assigning soldiers for such p
Jan. 8, 2015
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Defense firm exec gets jail term for leaking military secrets
A local court sentenced an executive of a South Korean defense company to four years in prison Thursday for leaking military secrets to more than two dozen domestic and foreign firms.Last July, the 52-year-old executive, identified only by his surname Kim, was indicted on charges of collecting classified military documents and passing them on to 25 companies at home and abroad between 2008 and June last year.The leaked documents contained information about some 31 defense enhancement projects, i
Jan. 8, 2015
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[Graphic News] Comparison of two Koreas’ military strength
Jan. 7, 2015
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S. Korea to set up ground operations command in 2018
The South Korean military plans to establish a command to be in charge of the Army's ground operations in 2018 as part of efforts to guarantee more efficient and stronger field operations, government sources said Wednesday.Under its comprehensive plan to reform the military structure to ensure more flexible troop management, the government has pushed to merge its 1st and 3rd Armies to create the Ground Operations Command to lead frontline units."At the end of last year, the defense ministry deci
Jan. 7, 2015
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Seoul reports N.K. progress in nuke capability
North Korea’s capability to miniaturize nuclear warheads has reached a “considerable” level, while its long-range missiles are presumed to be capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, according to Seoul’s 2014 defense whitepaper published Tuesday.The biennial policy paper referred to the North Korean regime and military as “our enemy,” the same term it used in 2010 ― the year the North launched two provocations that killed a total of 50 South Koreans including two civilians.The paper also reported
Jan. 6, 2015
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Frenchman indicted for smuggling defense secrets
The prosecution said Tuesday it indicted the former head of the Korean branch of a France-based defense firm without physical detention on the charge of collecting secrets from the Korean military.The 65-year-old suspect, whose name was withheld by authorities, is believed to have illegally acquired military secrets from August 2012 to April 2014, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. He supposedly received the information from a South Korean defense broker surnamed Kim, a
Jan. 6, 2015
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Favors to defense firms cause big budget waste: state auditor
The military and related public agencies have provided a range of favors to defense companies and failed to properly manage them, leading to pervasive corruption and a huge waste of budget, the state auditor said Tuesday.Announcing the results of a three-month probe from May, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said the authorities designated defense goods without proper demand analysis and gave preferences to large defense companies for their production, which led to a waste of more than 60
Jan. 6, 2015
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‘Responsibility to protect does not apply to N.K.’
This is the second installment in a special New Year’s series of interviews with preeminent scholars on international politics and security. ― Ed.Recent years have seen growing calls for the international community to more actively intervene to address North Korea’s human rights abuses under the responsibility to protect.Last year, a U.N. investigation report underscored the need to apply the R2P, stressing Pyongyang had “manifestly” failed to fulfill its state responsibility to protect its peop
Jan. 1, 2015
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Park calls for military readiness amid tensions with N. Korea
President Park Geun-hye called on the military Thursday to maintain its readiness, saying robust security is a must to lay the groundwork for potential unification with North Korea. "We should end the history of division by putting an end to the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula," Park said in a New Year's message to the country's 650,000-strong military. The Korean Peninsula was divided into the capitalistic South and communist North after its liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
Jan. 1, 2015
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Uncertainties cloud East Asia security prospects
Uncertainties remain high over the security landscape of East Asia for 2015, as China pushes to increase its geostrategic clout, Japan to secure a greater military role and North Korea to break out of deepening isolation. Hopes still linger that a reconciliatory mood may emerge as the region marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Yet, pessimists forecast another tumultuous year, noting persistent historical and territorial disputes, security rivalries and emergent nationalism. Ab
Dec. 31, 2014