S. Korea's defense technology 9th in world

Defense technologies of South Korea were assessed to be the world's ninth most advanced as of last year, and about 80 percent of the US levels, a state-run military research agency said Tuesday.According to the triennial report published by the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, the comparative level of South Korea's overall defense technology remained at the world's ninth, tied with Italy, among 16 major countries.  (Yonhap)The United States topped the list, followed by France, Russia,

April 16, 2019

[Feature] Fear of biological agent strikes Busan as US troops continue biosurveillance project

Civic groups and Busan residents have taken to the street expressing fear of possible biological agent experiment, in the aftermath of renewed allegations that US troops stationed in South Korea are coducting such tests at the city’s port.Every morning, dozens of residents and activists gather to block the entrance to the Pier 8 military storage center for US Forces Korea in Busan’s Nam district, to stop the US soldiers from going to work.At night they hold candlelight vigils, carrying signs tha

April 15, 2019

Japanese military attache visits S. Korea's defense ministry: source

A Japanese military attache visited South Korea's defense ministry on Thursday to discuss the agenda for annual trilateral security talks among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo slated for next month, a ministry official said.Toru Nakashima of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force visited the ministry compound in Seoul to prepare for the planned Defense Trilateral Talks, a working-level meeting set to be held in Seoul. The exact date for the DTT has yet to be officially announced. (Yonhap)The first v

April 11, 2019

Korea’s F-35A procurement unaffected by crash in Japan: ministry

Following the recent crash of an F-35A in Japan, countries who also deploy the stealth fighter jet manufactured by US-based Lockheed Martin have raised concerns regarding its safety and functioning.According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, an F-35A fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean close to northern Japan on Tuesday evening. The wreckage from the warplane’s tail was found and recovered from the sea late Tuesday night.  Japan Coast Guard vessel and a US military aircraft conduct rescue

April 11, 2019

Pyongyang denounces Seoul’s introduction of stealth fighters as breach of military pact

A North Korean propaganda website denounced Seoul’s deployment of stealth fighter jets Sunday, calling it a breach of the inter-Korean military agreement that could lead to “catastrophic outcomes.” In a statement titled, “What the introduction of high-tech weapons show,” Pyongyang’s Uriminzokkiri said it was a betrayal for South Korea to deploy the two F-35A jets, which arrived at a key air base of the South’s Air Force on March 29. Stealth fighter jet F-35A lands on the Air Force base in Cheong

April 8, 2019

South Korea replaces Army, Air Force, Marine Corps chiefs

South Korea replaced the chiefs of staff for its Army, Air Force and Marine Corps in a regular reshuffle on Monday, as the military seeks to maintain robust readiness and to support the peace efforts amid ongoing talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.Lt. Gen. Suh Wook, chief director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was tapped as the new Army chief of staff to replace Gen. Kim Yong-woo, who has led the Army since August 2017, the Defense Ministry said. Suh, a graduate of K

April 8, 2019

Army introduces new forensic probe system targeting drone crimes

South Korea's Army has recently established a new forensic investigation system to counter the illicit use of commercial drones for infiltrating and filming military installations, officials said Monday.The armed service's Central Investigation Group introduced the system for the detailed analysis of crimes and accidents involving drones. It has also started to use military drones to investigate accidents on steep cliffs and other dangerous locations. (Yonhap)The forensic system is designed to a

April 8, 2019

S. Korea's parliament ratifies defense cost deal with US

South Korea's National Assembly on Friday ratified the country's accord with the United States that calls for an 8.2 percent hike in its share of the cost of stationing American troops here.At a plenary session, lawmakers passed a related motion in a 139-33 vote, with 22 abstaining.Under the one-year contract signed in March, Seoul will pay 1.04 trillion won ($915 million) in 2019 for the operation of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea, up from 960 billion won the previous year. The National As

April 5, 2019

NK restoring satellite launch site to gain leverage in negotiations: defense agencies

North Korea’s move to restore a satellite launching site appears to be aimed at using it as leverage in nuclear negotiations, defense authorities said.Seoul’s Defense Intelligence Agency and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command said that North Korea was working on rebuilding the Tongchang-ri site even before the second summit between Washington and Pyongyang on Feb. 28, according to Rep. Lee Hye-hoon of the Bareunmirae Party, who leads the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee.  (Yonh

April 4, 2019

S. Korea to begin its own excavation of war remains in DMZ

South Korea will launch an independent excavation of Korean War remains in the Demilitarized Zone on Monday, with Pyongyang unresponsive to its call to work together as agreed, Seoul's defense ministry said.Under last year's bilateral military accord aimed at reducing tensions and building trust, Seoul and Pyongyang had planned to carry out the joint project on Arrowhead Ridge, a notorious battle site during the 1950-53 conflict, from April through October. (Yonhap)But the North has yet to acced

April 1, 2019

Two F-35A stealth fighters arrive in South Korea for first time

The South Korean Air Force took over two F-35A fighter jets from the United States at a key base Friday, acquiring fighter jets with stealth capabilities for the first time. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration here said the two fighters took off from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona on Wednesday and arrived at the air base in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, at 2:35 p.m. F-35A (DAPA)After the fighter jets are completely combat deployed in April or May, South Korea would join the li

March 29, 2019

S. Korea, US tentatively agree to seek joint use of US-controlled wartime command bunker: sources

South Korea and the United States have tentatively agreed to push for the joint use of a key US-controlled wartime command bunker complex on the peninsula in a move likely to incur a new financial burden on Seoul, informed sources here said Wednesday.The allies have been discussing how to manage CP Tango, or Command Post Theater Air Naval Ground Operations, in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, during their talks on the Status of Forces Agreement governing the legal status of some 28,500 American tr

March 27, 2019

Pyongyang’s silence sheds doubt on inter-Korean military talks

Propspects that two Koreas will hold military talks this month are fading, as the North appears to have pulled back on all inter-Korean cooperation plans following the breakdown of its second summit with the United States last month. The Ministry of National Defense here said Sunday it recently proposed to hold military talks with the North via a communications line, but it had not received confirmation. Seoul has been pushing to hold military talks before the end of this month, as the implement

March 24, 2019

S. Korea honors victims of N. Korean attacks in 2002, 2010

The South Korean government held an annual ceremony Friday to commemorate more than 50 victims of North Korea's naval and artillery attacks in 2002 and 2010.Addressing the West Sea Defense Day event at the national cemetery in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon underlined a budding peace mood on the peninsula driven by inter-Korean summits last year. The West Sea is South Korea's name for the Yellow Sea. (Yonhap)He said the waters near the Yellow Sea border, where

March 22, 2019

Monday's unintentional missile launch attributable to maintenance

An Air Force investigation team said Thursday that this week's unintentional launch, and mid-air explosion, of an anti-aircraft guided missile was caused by a mistake during a routine maintenance check.The Cheongung medium-range surface-to-air missile exploded in midair near an Air Force base in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Monday after being unintentionally fired off. No one was injured in the blast. (Yonhap)The Air Force said that two mechanics mistakenly left an operational

March 21, 2019

Medium-range missile accidentally launches, explodes in air

A surface-to-air missile was accidentally launched from an air base in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Monday and exploded in the air, South Korea’s Air Force said.The medium-range Cheongung M-SAM, also known as the Cheolmae-2, was “abnormally” launched at 10:38 a.m. during maintenance work and automatically exploded in the air, the Air Force said in a statement.  (Yonhap)According to the statement, for safety reasons the missile was designed to self-destruct in abnormal situations. No damage or ca

March 18, 2019

S. Korea, US defense chiefs to meet in Washington next month

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Washington early next month over the security situation on the peninsula and joint peace efforts, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday.The talks between, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, are likely to touch on such pending issues as the allies' combined military exercises later this year and the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control.  (Yonhap)"(The ministr

March 18, 2019

S. Korea, US defense chiefs to meet later this month

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Thursday that he and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo plan to meet later this month.The two would be meeting for the first time since Shanahan took office this year upon the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis."The minister of defense for South Korea ... will come see me at the end of this month," Shanahan said at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.(AP)He said the two will discuss "progress and the findin

March 15, 2019

Korean Navy’s Cheonghae Unit celebrates decade of contribution to global peace

The Cheonghae Unit of the Navy celebrated its decadelong contributions to global peace Wednesday, standing as the very first maritime unit including warships to be deployed overseas.Having set sail from Jinhae Naval Base here on March 13, 2009, the Navy contingent has conducted anti-piracy operations, several rescue operations and has escorted tens of thousands of South Korean and foreign vessels in areas around the Gulf of Aden. “The Cheonghae Unit has carried out operations to counter piracy a

March 12, 2019

S. Korea, US to wrap up new alliance exercise

South Korea and the United States will wrap up their new, weeklong combined defense exercise on Tuesday, amid worries that the apparent downsizing of their springtime drills could hurt military readiness.The allies launched the Dong Maeng command post exercise on Monday last week, replacing the Key Resolve exercise to support ongoing diplomacy to denuclearize North Korea and foster lasting peace on the divided peninsula. Dong Maeng is the Korean word for alliance. (AFP-Yonhap)The computer simula

March 12, 2019