Most Popular
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle
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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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Seoul-Tokyo military pact would be 'useful,' U.S. says
The U.S. government said Friday that a Seoul-Tokyo accord on sharing military information, if signed, will be "useful, but it maintained a largely cautious stance on the sensitive bilateral issue."Such agreements would be useful but we recognize that this is a bilateral issue for the ROK and Japan," a State Department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency on the customary condition of anonymity. “T
June 30, 2012
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Questions remain 10 years after naval clash in West Sea
President to pay personal tribute to six sailors killed by N.K. attackOn the morning of June 29, 2002, a North Korean warship crossed the inter-Korean maritime border in the West Sea escorting fishing boats. A South Korean patrol boat confronted it and issued warnings over loudspeaker. The soldiers thought it would withdraw soon, much like the North’s navy vessels had done in nine previous intrusions that year.All of a sudden, a glint of light flashed from the North Korean vessel and the 156-ton
June 28, 2012
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Seoul under fire for Tokyo military pact
Two countries set to sign defense intelligence agreement on FridayThe Korean government will push ahead to sign the first military accord with Japan on Friday, officials said, brushing aside growing criticism over its clandestine and hasty handling of the politically sensitive issue. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the General Security of Military Information Agreement to facilitate the sharing of intelligence on North Korea and search and rescue-related missions. The Foreign Ministry said Thurs
June 28, 2012
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S. Korea, Japan set to sign military pact Friday: official
South Korea is set to sign a military pact with Japan on Friday, marking the first military agreement between the two historical rivals, a senior Seoul official said Thursday, despite lingering bitterness over Tokyo's colonial atrocities.Japan notified South Korea that its Cabinet would approve the pact Friday and the signing will be made in Tokyo immediately after the endorsement, the foreign min
June 28, 2012
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Seoul, Tokyo to sign first military accord
South Korea is set to strike its first military accord with Japan, an official said Wednesday, despite domestic opposition over historical disputes and the possibility of the move aggravating North Korea and China.The Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed the General Security of Military Information Agreement to facilitate the sharing of intelligence on North Korea and related to search and rescue missions.It is also designed to set an institutional framework for the classification, protection and handlin
June 27, 2012
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Navy investigating accidental discharge of torpedo in Yellow Sea
The Navy said Wednesday it is investigating a recent accidental discharge of a torpedo from a frigate during an exercise in the Yellow Sea.According to the Navy, a 2,300-ton frigate called Cheongju accidentally fired a deactivated torpedo during a drill in waters off Taean, South Chungcheong Province, last Thursday. The Navy said the torpedo didn't explode and sank to the bottom of the water."We b
June 27, 2012
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Veterans, families of 2002 naval battle seek damages from former military brass
The families of the six South Korean Navy sailors who died during the second naval skirmish off the coast of Yeonpyeong-do in the West Sea filed a suit against the top commanders of the South Korean military at the time, a local news agency reported Monday. The second naval skirmish occurred on June 29, 2002, when North Korean navy vessels crossed the northern limit line and opened fire on South Korean Navy ships dispatched to ensure that they withdrew out of South Korean waters. According to re
June 25, 2012
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University offers scholarships to kin of foreign war veterans
Irfan Gulyen was 23 when he volunteered to fight for South Korea during the Korean War. The Turkish soldier, who had never received any military training, arrived in Busan in 1952 and served as an artilleryman for one year. “Grandfather told me ‘When I first arrived in Korea, I thought I would never come back to Turkey. Gunshots and bombs were everywhere,’” his grandson Turget Alp Ozel, 23, told The Korea Herald. He currently studies in Korea under a scholarship program for descendants of foreig
June 24, 2012
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U.S. carrier to lead drills in West Sea
A nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier is in position off the west coast of South Korea to lead large-scale military exercises aimed at honing the two countries’joint capability to cope with North Korean aggression, Seoul officials said Friday, amid the North’s saber-rattling.About 10 warships and submarines, including the George Washington Carrier Striker Group; 8,000 personnel; and hundreds of combat aircraft from the allies will take part in the three-day exercises from Saturday, said of
June 22, 2012
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S. Korea, U.S., Japan kick off trilateral naval drills
South Korea, the United States and Japan started two-day trilateral naval drills on Thursday in waters south of the Korean Peninsula as North Korea bristled at the exercise as a "reckless provocation." The maneuvers off the southern island of Jeju are aimed at improving interoperability and communications between the navies of the three nations to facilitate cooperative disaster relief and maritim
June 21, 2012
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8.3tr won fighter jet program hits rut
South Korea’s 8.3 trillion won ($7.2 billion) project to buy new fighter jets is stuttering with less than five months left in the government’s planned schedule.The Air Force plans to acquire 60 new fighter jets to replace aging F-4 and F-5 jets in the nation’s largest-ever single defense acquisition program, called FX-III.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration set the deadline for proposals for June 18, and plans to select the model by the end of October. However, the DAPA has been forc
June 21, 2012
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High-income actor dodges draft on grounds of poverty
A rising actor earning about 150 million won ($134,000) a year won exemption from military service by citing poverty, the state audit agency said Thursday, showing how South Korea’s conscription system is still riddled with loopholes.The actor, whose identity was withheld, was declared fit to serve in the military in 2001, but repeatedly postponed his enlistment under a false pretext of preparing for a civil service exam until 2009.In 2010, he was given a military exemption on grounds of economi
June 21, 2012
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Korea to export TA-50 jets to Philippines
The Philippines air force has decided to purchase 12 TA-50 trainer jets from South Korea in a project worth nearly $360 million, a Philippines broadcaster reported Wednesday.The aircraft produced by Korea Aerospace Industries will be delivered within next year, ABS-CBN reported citing air force officials. The trainer jets are priced at 1.25 billion pesos ($29.8 million) each, it added.Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, however, said that although it was working on exporting the
June 20, 2012
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Korea suggests possible delay in picking winner for fighter jet bid
South Korea could put off a decision to select a supplier for a multi-billion-dollar purchase of advanced combat fighter jets if it is necessary for the "national interest," the head of the nation's arms procurement agency said Wednesday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration reopened bidding Tuesday for the fighter-jet contract worth upward of 8.3 trillion won ($7.1 billion), a day after
June 20, 2012
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U.S. Forces Korea bolsters ground units ahead of wartime control transfer
The U.S. Forces Korea is moving to strengthen the capabilities of its ground units ahead of the wartime operational control handover to South Korean forces in 2015.The U.S. military is reported to be bringing MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System units to South Korea. In addition, the U.S. is replacing older tanks and armored vehicles with the M1A2 Abrams battle tank and the M2A2 Bradley armored vehicles.The changes are aimed at bolstering the allies against
June 18, 2012
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Korea, U.S. boost missile defense cooperation
The South Korean and U.S. militaries will increase cooperation in countering North Korea’s missile threats, a Defense Ministry official said on Sunday. The U.S. forces will share intelligence and provide support for an air and missile defense system South Korea plans to launch in December, the official said. The increase in Seoul-Washington collaboration in missile defenses is thought to have resulted as part of a compromise in the negotiations over extending the range of ballistic missiles Sout
June 17, 2012
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U.S. division may be converted into combined unit
Reorganization expected to strengthen deterrence against North Korea on frontlineSeoul and Washington are reportedly considering reorganizing the U.S. Second Infantry Division into a combined unit of both allies to maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea.The move comes amid lingering concerns that after the transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. in December 2015, America’s security commitment on the Korean Peninsula could diminish despite Pyongyang’s continuing saber-ratt
June 15, 2012
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Panetta says missile talks with Korea making progress
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressed optimism Thursday over talks with South Korea on its push to develop greater ballistic missile capability."I think we are making good progress," he said during a joint press conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan also joined in, describing the outc
June 15, 2012
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Korea, U.S. deny keeping combined forces command
Korea’s Ministry of National Defense and U.S. Forces Korea have denied reports that U.S.F.K. commander Gen. James Thurman suggested keeping the Combined Forces Command intact after the handover of wartime operational control to Seoul in 2015.On Thursday a local daily reported that Thurman had suggested keeping the Combined Forces Command intact after the handover with the top post being held by a Korean general. The post is currently held by the commander of the U.S.F.K.Under the plans for the w
June 14, 2012
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U.S. wants 'stable' ties between Korea, Japan: Campbell
Kurt Campbell, a top U.S. diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific, said Wednesday that Washington hopes for "stable and enduring" relations between Seoul and Tokyo.He emphasized that the two Northeast Asian nations are key allies in the U.S. effort to promote both "multilateral and minilateral engagements.""What we want to see is a more stable, enduring engagement between Seoul and Tokyo going forw
June 14, 2012