South Korea’s Defense Ministry kicked off a joint operation Tuesday to shoot wild boars to stop the African swine fever from spreading near the border areas to North Korea, after infected carcasses were found. In a joint mission with the Environment Ministry, about 70 to 80 teams of 11 to 12 members each, will be dispatched to border regions, including Paju, Cheorwon and Yeoncheon to shoot down the wild boars with guns and traps, according to the Defense Ministry.Since the first case was c

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2019

South Korea has told members of the United Nations Command that its approval must be granted for any expansion plans, a local media outlet reported Monday.According to the Kyunghyang Sinmun, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo sent a letter to the embassies of 16 sending states here in July stating that the US-led UNC would have to obtain approval from South Korea to proceed with its plans to “revitalize” the organization. In the letter, Jeong is said to have stated that the UNC would

Defense Oct. 14, 2019

Two decades have passed since South Korean troops were dispatched to East Timor, officially known as Timor-Leste, on peacemaking operations in the newly independent country.While the Evergreen Unit of South Korea was stationed in East Timor from 1999 to 2003 to help it settle as an independent nation, traces of the troops’ legacy remain.When South Korea’s delegation from the Defense Ministry visited the country to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deployment of the Evergreen Un

Defense Oct. 13, 2019

North Korea denounced South Korea’s combined military exercise with the United States on Sunday, saying it is “the most concentrated” security threat against its regime. In a column on North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri, Pyongyang made issue of the recent remark by US Marine Commandant Gen. David H. Berger, who said the joint military exercise of US and South Korean marines has continued, in a seminar. ”The US and South Korea’s military warmongers said th

North Korea Oct. 13, 2019

Despite soured ties between South Korea and Japan, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon will attend the Japanese emperor’s enthronement ceremony next week, the government said Sunday.According to the Prime Minister’s secretariat, Lee will visit Japan from Oct. 22 to 24 for the enthronement events of Japanese Emperor Naruhito. Lee will attend the enthronement banquet on Oct. 22, and another banquet hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Oct. 23, the secretariat said in a statement.&nbs

Foreign Affairs Oct. 13, 2019

European Union members of the United Nations Security Council have condemned North Korea for its recent firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile and urged Pyongyang to commit to negotiations with the United States. After convening a closed-door session on Tuesday (US time), Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Belgium and Estonia issued a joint statement calling for Pyongyang to discard its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. “We reiterate our condemnation

North Korea Oct. 9, 2019

An unidentified projectile fired into the East Sea by North Korea on Wednesday appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile, South Korean authorities said, raising the possibility that Pyongyang’s missile capabilities may be improving. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected Pyongyang’s firing of an unidentified ballistic missile in the waters off the northern part of Wonsan, North Korea’s Kangwon Province, toward the East Sea at 7:11 a.m.While further anal

North Korea Oct. 2, 2019

South Korean nationals will be able to tour the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone bordering North Korea in small groups, authorities said Monday.According to an official from the Ministry of Unification, the ministry and other concerned government bodies have begun reviewing a plan to allow small groups of South Korean tourists from the first half of next year. Currently, South Korean nationals wishing to visit the area must apply in groups of more than 30 and fewer than 45. While t

Defense Sept. 30, 2019

For Milton Walker and Henry Schafer, the piercing cold and sound of war that surrounded them remains as clear as if it were yesterday. Returning to the country where they had fought after decades, the two American veterans of the Korean War recalled their experience Friday.“We were surrounded when we were attacked in midnight, and I was hit,” Schafer told The Korea Herald in a joint interview in Seoul. “I was shot four times, on my arms and in the back. The first three bul

Defense Sept. 29, 2019

South Korea criticized Japan Friday for repeating unilateral disputed defense agendas in its latest defense white paper, including its claims on Dokdo islets.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry released a statement strongly denouncing Tokyo, saying that Japan should realize that its “unfair” and “absurd” claims would not help the bilateral relationship in any way.  “We strongly protest Japan’s claim of unfair sovereignty over Dokdo, that is clearly our territo

Defense Sept. 29, 2019

The United Nations Command flatly denied news reports that it may be seeking exercise control over military activities on the Korean Peninsula after the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea. The UNC told The Korea Herald in an email response that its role will remain the same even after the OPCON transfer, and that it has no plans to become an operational command.“Media reports that the US wants to use the UNC as a means to get around OPCON are unfounded. There is no plan

Defense Sept. 25, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may visit South Korea to take part in a multilateral summit if denuclearization negotiations with the US work out, Seoul’s spy agency said Tuesday.In a closed-door session of the parliamentary intelligence committee, South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency chief Suh Hoon told lawmakers that working-level talks between the United States and North Korea are expected to take place in two to three weeks, according to the committee’s lawmakers, who

North Korea Sept. 24, 2019

The military conscription system in South Korea has been in place for decades. Conscientious objectors’ fight against the system that criminalized them lasted nearly as long, and they chose to go to jail rather than serve in the military because their faith forbids bearing arms. Their decadeslong struggle came to an end in June 2018, when the country’s Constitutional Court made a landmark ruling that would lift the stamp of “guilt” from thousands of conscientious objector

Defense Sept. 23, 2019

Foreign defense attaches based in South Korea are visiting military facilities as part of a three-day program designed to boost their understanding of the country’s security situation, the Defense Ministry said Monday.During the program organized by the Defense Intelligence Agency, 50 defense attaches and their spouses from 25 countries are scheduled to visit the Navy’s Third Fleet headquarters, the Air Force’s 20th Fighter Wing, and the Army’s armor school located in Sou

Defense Sept. 23, 2019

Kim Myong-gil, who recently released a statement confirming that he is the head of the North Korean delegation for the envisioned working-level negotiations with the United States, is known to be a US expert. Having participated in various levels of nuclear weapons negotiations with the US since the 1990s, Kim may be able to bring about a more productive outcome for North Korea in the upcoming denuclearization negotiations, experts here say. Amid speculations that Kim would be the counterpart of

North Korea Sept. 22, 2019