South Korea on Wednesday unveiled its first indigenous 4,500-ton amphibious landing ship, which will be deployed on the Navy's landing and transportation operations in 2015, the Navy said. The lead ship of 3,500-ton class named after Cheonwangbong, the highest peak of Mount Jiri, was built with domestic technology by Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. A launching ceremony was held in Ha...

The United States has no plans this year for tripartite ballistic missile defense exercises with South Korea and Japan despite Washington's continued push for bolstering three-way military cooperation with the key regional allies, according to a Pentagon source. "I do not believe we have any trilat missile exercise scheduled this year," the source told Yonhap News Agency. The three countries ha...

South Korea's plan to deploy a surveillance blimp near the northwestern border has been delayed due to errors in its data transmission system, the state arms procurement agency said Sunday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) spent 24 billion won (US$21.9 million) to build an airship with imported parts to monitor the North Korean military near the tensely guarded border. The ...

South Korea and the United States have completed a draft of a joint military plan that outlines how to handle the North Korean nuclear threat, a government source said Sunday. South Korean and U.S. officials have prepared a customized deterrence plan over the last 10 months, which will be signed at the Security Consultative Meeting between the two nation‘s defense chiefs slated for Oct. 2, the s...

The U.S. Army will deploy an air cavalry squadron made up of 30 OH-58D armed reconnaissance helicopters to South Korea next month after the choppers complete a five-year mission in Iraq, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) said Thursday. The 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington will be deployed to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, just south of Seoul, on Oct. 1,...

The Navy has taken delivery of its 10th domestically built guided-missile destroyer on Tuesday, which will join patrol missions to defend the nation’s shoreline and harbor waters, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said. STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. delivered the newest PKG-class (Patrol Killer, Guided Missile) patrol ship to the Navy command, located in Jinhae, some 410 kilometer...

South Korea on Sunday denounced Syria for apparently using chemical weapons on its own people, supporting a recent U.S. assessment that a nerve agent attack had been carried out by the Bashar Assad regime. "Our government strongly condemns such brutal acts of crime," the foreign ministry here said in a statement. "Individuals in connection with the use of chemical weapons in Syria must be held a...

An Air Force T-50 trainer jet crashed Wednesday during a training session in the southeastern city of Gwangju, killing both pilots. The plane went down around 1.8 kilometers east of the runway in the Air Force First Fighter Wing, officials said. A major and a captain, both in their 30s, were aboard the domestically produced supersonic jet. “The trainer jet, all of a sudden, fell down and tumble...

The Korea Military Academy on Monday announced a series of measures to tighten discipline amid escalating criticism for a recent series of improprieties, including sexual misconduct. The measures include focusing more on aspiring cadets’ aptitude in the admission process; strengthening the “three-nos” policy banning marriage, alcohol and smoking; building more safeguards for female cadets; and e...