Defense ministry requests 8% budget increase for 2020

The defense ministry said Wednesday it has proposed an 8 percent on-year hike in its budget for next year to strengthen national defense capabilities and better manage troops.According to a ministry report presented to the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, the ministry has asked the government to earmark 50.43 trillion won ($43.23 billion) for the budget for 2020, up from this year's 46.7 trillion won. If accepted, it will be the first time that the defense budget surpasses the 50

July 3, 2019

Unidentified object spotted over DMZ was a flock of birds: JCS

An unidentified object detected on military radars flying near the border with North Korea turned out to be a flock of birds, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday, after the detection prompted fighter jets to scramble.Earlier in the day, the JCS said that the military "is checking and taking measures after the military radar captured an unidentified object in the sky above the Demilitarized Zone in the central portion of the inter-Korean border in Gangwon Province at around 1 p.m.The objec

July 1, 2019

Panel wraps up probe into border security failure in N. Korean boat case

A defense ministry panel wrapped up a weeklong probe Friday into the border security failure that led to the undetected arrival of a North Korean boat at an eastern sea port earlier this month, military sources said.The investigation detected some problems in maritime and coastal surveillance operations, but the panel is yet to make a conclusion on if there were any false reports or attempts to cover up the case, they added. The panel involving 30 officials and experts launched the probe on June

June 28, 2019

US will ask S. Korea to pay more for stationing troops: official

The United States will ask South Korea to pay more for the stationing of American troops on the peninsula once the current cost-sharing accord expires at the end of the year, a US official said Monday.Joy Yamamoto, director of the US State Department's office of Korean affairs, noted that President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants US allies to pay "a fair share, a greater share of the cost of protecting themselves." "Korea comes under that," she said during a disc

June 25, 2019

2 Russian bombers enter S. Korea's air defense zone

Two Russian military aircraft violated South Korea's air defense identification zone on Thursday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighter jets in response, a military source here said.The Tu-95 bombers entered the KADIZ without prior notice above the East Sea once at around 3:37 a.m. and stayed in the zone for about 29 minutes, according to the source. The Air Force, in response, deployed multiple jets, including F-15Ks, to track them and send warning messages in accordance with it

June 20, 2019

Defense minister apologizes over NK boat's undetected crossing

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo apologized Thursday amid mounting public criticism that the military failed to detect a North Korean boat crossing the maritime border and tried to cover up the failure.The military has come under fire following revelations that the small North Korean wooden boat crossed the inter-Korean maritime border and sailed undeterred in the South's territorial waters in the East Sea for about three days before arriving at the port of Samcheok, Gangwon Province, on Saturd

June 20, 2019

[Newsmaker] Defense minister reprimands military for security failure over NK boat

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Wednesday strongly reprimanded the military for its failure to detect a North Korean boat that crossed the de facto maritime border and reached a coastal city in the South. The boat carrying four North Koreans was found along the breakwater in Samcheok Port in Gangwon Province at 6:50 a.m. Saturday. The small wooden boat had moved at least 130 kilometers from the Northern Limit Line to reach the port city in four days, but the military and police

June 19, 2019

Navy, Air Force conduct large-scale maritime rescue drills

The Navy and the Air Force said Tuesday they have conducted large-scale joint search and rescue drills in waters off the east coast as part of efforts to bolster the country's disaster relief capabilities.The joint exercises took place based on a scenario in which the military responds to a major maritime accident that leaves a massive number of people at sea waiting for help.  The maneuvers were launched last year, though the Coast Guard joined the recent drills for the first time.Upon a d

June 18, 2019

US Forces Korea chief suspends curfew for 3 months

US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Monday began a three-month suspension of a curfew for his troops here, officials said, calling it an opportunity to show their ability to maintain good order and discipline.The curfew between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. was imposed in 2011, when public outcry surged over some USFK troops’ alleged sexual violence and other crimes. The temporary suspension of the curfew will continue until Sept. 17. “The suspension will serve as an evaluation perio

June 17, 2019

Concerns raised over military surveillance after NK fishing boat drifts over sea border

Concerns have been raised over the military’s surveillance capability after a North Korean fishing boat was found adrift in South Korean waters, assumedly hours after it entered. The North Korean fishing boat was found drifting some 150 kilometers below the Northern Limit Line in territorial waters of the South on Saturday. The boat, carrying four fishermen, was reportedly drifting after its engine broke.  South Korean fisherman first spotted the boat near waters off Samcheok Port in

June 16, 2019

US House draft bill preventing reduction in US Forces Korea

The US House Armed Services Committee has revised its draft defense budget bill for next year to add a clause prohibiting a reduction in the number of American forces stationed in South Korea without congressional approval, the committee chairman has said.The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 2020 prevents the US government from curtailing the number of its troops in South Korea below 28,500, but the draft bill presented by the House committee earlier this m

June 11, 2019

Canadian veteran of Korean War to be laid to rest in S. Korea

The remains of a Canadian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War will arrive in South Korea this week for burial, the veterans affairs ministry said Monday.The remains of the late Albert Hugh McBride are scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Tuesday before being buried at the UN Memorial Cemetery in the southern port city of Busan the following day, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.McBride fought in the Korean War from November 1951 until Ja

June 10, 2019

Harris repeats concerns over 5G network security amid anti-Huawei campaign

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris on Friday renewed concerns over the security of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless network amid Washington's apparent campaign against Chinese telecom titan Huawei.The United States has recently been prodding its allies and other partner countries to stop using Huawei products on security grounds amid growing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. "We are naturally concerned about the security implications of how the 5G network will be insta

June 7, 2019

Seoul, Washington agree to appoint S. Korean general to lead joint command

Seoul and Washington have agreed to appoint a South Korean four-star general to lead the envisioned future joint command and relocate its headquarters from Seoul to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan met in Seoul to discuss the pending issues and vowed to closely cooperate to back the on-going diplomatic efforts on the denuclearization of North Korea. During the 60-minute t

June 3, 2019

‘Recovering war remains a race against time’

The recovery project to return the remains of fallen heroes of the Korean War to their bereaved families is a race against time, as the war generation is aging, the chief of the division in charge of DNA analysis at the Defense Ministry told The Korea Herald.While South Korea is actively carrying out work across the country to recover war remains -- recently expanding the area up to the Demilitarized Zone bordering North Korea -- identifying and returning remains to families continues to make sl

June 2, 2019

[From the Scene] DMZ uncovered: Traces of Korean War left untouched on Arrowhead Ridge

CHEORWON, Gangwon Province -- A helmet with six bullet holes, a canteen pierced 23 times and a rifle with a round of ammunition left in the chamber. On Tuesday, those traces of the Korean War were found just where the war had left them, on the untouched highland of Arrowhead Ridge inside the Demilitarized Zone.The scene is where more than 300 young South Korean, French and American soldiers died fighting the North Korean and Chinese forces. The other side is believed to have lost some 3,000 sold

June 2, 2019

S. Korean, Japanese defense ministers hold first one-on-one talks since radar row

The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan held one-on-one talks Saturday in Singapore for the first time since military relations between the two countries soured over a radar row in December.The meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya took place on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.Defense ties between Seoul and Tokyo have been strained since December when Japan claimed that a S

June 1, 2019

Shangri-La Dialogue opens in Singapore amid pressing security challenges

One of Asia's biggest annual security meetings opened in Singapore on Friday as major players in the region grapple with complex security challenges, including stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea.  The 18th Asia Security Summit, better known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, brought defense chiefs and top-level military officers from 38 countries across the world together for discussion sessions, as well as bilateral and multilateral talks, according to its organizer, the Internationa

May 31, 2019

No change in Seoul-Washington shared stance on NK missile tests: minister

South Korea's defense minister insisted Friday that the official stance of Seoul and Washington remains the same on the North Korean missiles fired earlier this month, despite the US defense chief's characterization of the launches as a violation of UN sanctions.The remark by Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo indicates that South Korea still has not conclusively determined whether or not the short-range missiles, fired on May 9, were ballistic missiles banned under UN Security Council resolution

May 31, 2019