Korea guarded about allied exercise plans amid Trump-Kim summit preparations

South Korea's defense ministry maintained a cautious approach Thursday toward springtime joint exercises with the United States amid preparations for a second summit between Washington and Pyongyang.Seoul and Washington have been discussing how to proceed with their combined exercises, counting on their potential impact on ongoing diplomacy for Pyongyang's denuclearization and peace on the divided peninsula. (AFP)The Seoul-based conservative daily Chosun Ilbo reported that the two-week Key Resol

Feb. 7, 2019

Korea, US nearing deal on defense cost sharing: lawmaker

South Korea and the United States may conclude their drawn-out negotiations on defense cost sharing as early as Thursday, a ruling party lawmaker said, adding Seoul's share will likely be set at around 1 trillion won ($889 million)."The defense cost sharing negotiations have entered their final stage," Rep. Lee Soo-hyuck of the ruling Democratic Party told reporters. (Yonhap)"(The sides) have agreed to set the amount only for this year, and are in the process of narrowing their differences to ar

Feb. 7, 2019

S. Korea-US joint military exercise schedule to be announced: sources

South Korea and the United States are currently discussing when to announce the dates of their scheduled joint military exercises, Seoul's defense sources said Tuesday.The two countries have already decided on the schedule and scope of their combined exercises that are scheduled for the first half of this year, they said. (Yonhap)"(The two sides) finished arbitration on the method of S.Korea-US military exercises slated for the first half of the year," said a defense ministry source who asked no

Feb. 5, 2019

Military allows soldiers to leave barracks twice a month

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Friday implemented a new policy allowing conscripted soldiers to leave their barracks for personal affairs up to twice a month.All able-bodied Koreans between 18 and 38 years old are required to serve military service for 21 to 24 months. Conscripts are prohibited from leaving their barracks unless they are granted vacation authorized by the military. (Yonhap)The ministry eased the restriction from Friday, allowing soldiers to leave their barracks after work fro

Feb. 1, 2019

Top Korean, US military leaders vow to maintain strong defense posture

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and his US counterparts vowed to maintain a strong defense posture Friday. According to South Korea's military, Park held separate phone conversations with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford and Philip Davidson, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, to reaffirm their alliance and cooperation. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki (Ministry of National Defense)“Korean and US military authorit

Feb. 1, 2019

[News Focus] Will US wade into Seoul-Tokyo military dispute?

As the Seoul-Tokyo spat over Japanese warplanes’ flights over South Korean Navy ships continues, eyes have turned to the possible intervention of the US in the escalating dispute between its two core allies in Asia. While the US has been maintaining its silence on the issue, Harry Harris, the US ambassador to Korea, made an unannounced visit to the Ministry of National Defense to speak with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Monday.  (Yonhap)The Defense Ministry said the ambassador’s visit was

Jan. 30, 2019

S. Korean defense chief meets US Ambassador Harris

South Korea‘s Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo met Harry Harris, Washington’s top envoy here, Monday to discuss a range of pending issues, Jeong‘s ministry said.　The ambassador’s unannounced visit to the Ministry of National Defense came amid a deadlock in the allies‘ negotiations over Seoul’s share of the cost of stationing U.S. troops in Korea.Harry Harris (Yonhap)　They might also have discussed the issue of a recent military spat between Seoul and Tokyo, America‘s two core Asian allies, over

Jan. 28, 2019

[Graphic News] S. Korea 3rd-largest importer of US weapons

　South Korea bought US weapons worth a total of $6.73 billion from 2008 to 2017, becoming the third-largest importer of arms produced by its ally, according to an annual analysis of the defense market.　According to the 2018 Global Defense Market Yearbook by the state-run Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, Saudi Arabia topped the list of importers of US weapons, followed by Australia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.　In the decade starting 2008, Saudi Arabia imported $10.63 billi

Jan. 27, 2019

Ministry demands Japan's 'evidence' to refute its low-altitude flyby claim

South Korea's defense ministry called on Japan on Friday to offer clear evidence to back up its rebuttal of Seoul's claim over its warplane's "threatening" low-altitude flyby earlier this week.On Thursday, the ministry released five photos of the flyby to substantiate its assertion that the Japanese P-3 maritime patrol plane buzzed Korea's 4,500-ton destroyer Daejoyeong at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and just 540 meters away in international waters south of the peninsula Wednesday.According t

Jan. 25, 2019

Ministry demands Japan's 'evidence' to refute its low-altitude flyby claim

South Korea's defense ministry called on Japan on Friday to offer clear evidence to back up its rebuttal of Seoul's claim over its warplane's "threatening" low-altitude flyby earlier this week.On Thursday, the ministry released five photos of the flyby to substantiate its assertion that the Japanese P-3 maritime patrol plane buzzed Korea's 4,500-ton destroyer Daejoyeong at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and just 540 meters away in international waters south of the peninsula Wednesday. (Yonhap)Ac

Jan. 25, 2019

Moon dismisses reports of detailed demand from Trump on cost sharing

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday dismissed recent reports that US President Donald Trump has named a specific price for keeping US troops in South Korea, saying the leaders simply do not speak in such a manner."Not just President Trump but no leader of any country in the world speaks in such a manner," the president was quoted as saying."Such reports can be an insult to President Trump," he added, according to his spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.Moon's remarks follow news reports that claime

Jan. 25, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seoul focuses on military elements in friction over Japanese warplanes

Seoul is focusing on the military aspects of inappropriate actions by Japanese military planes, in an apparent move to avoid the matter being politicized by Tokyo, following another close-proximity flight by a Japanese patrol plane. On Wednesday, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense revealed that Japan’s P-3 patrol plane flew at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and 540 meters away from South Korean destroyer Daejoyeong in international waters near Ieodo, a submerged rock near Jeju Island. Military

Jan. 24, 2019

Korea's military condemns Japanese warplane's 'provocative' close-range flight

South Korea's military on Wednesday strongly condemned a Japanese warplane's low-altitude flight close to a South Korean warship, calling it a "provocative act."At 2:03 p.m., the Maritime Self-Defense Force's patrol plane flew close to the Navy ship at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters just 540 meters away near Ieodo, a submerged rock south of Korea's southern island of Jeju, it said. (Yonhap)"This low-altitude, close-range flight toward the ship of a partner country again today is a clearly provoc

Jan. 23, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korea calls on Japan to halt 'inappropriate' media campaign over radar dispute

South Korea's defense ministry on Monday renewed its calls for Japan to stop an "inappropriate media campaign" over a military radar dispute, with Tokyo poised to reveal fresh evidence that is likely to aggravate tensions.Japan's defense ministry plans to announce its "final view" on the dispute later in the day and disclose a recording of a sound made when its maritime patrol aircraft detected radar signals, to back up its claim that a South Korean warship directed its fire-control radar at the

Jan. 21, 2019

[Graphic News] S. Korea to increase defense spending

　South Korea will increase defense spending by an average of 7.5 percent each year over the next five years, the Defense Ministry said.　The ministry announced its defense blueprint for the 2019-2023 period, when it intends to spend 270.7 trillion won ($241 billion) -- 94.1 trillion won on improving defense capabilities and the rest on managing troops, equipment and facilities.  　Under the plan, the ministry seeks to increase the country’s defense budget, which stands at 46.7 trillion won this ye

Jan. 20, 2019

S. Korea's Marine chief to visit Okinawa for alliance talks with US next week

South Korea's Marine Corps Commandant Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo will visit Okinawa, Japan, next week for talks with top US military officials over cooperation in strengthening the bilateral alliance, his office said Friday.At the invitation of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, Jun will embark on a six-day trip on Monday to attend a high-level meeting of the allies' Combined Marine Component Command and meet separately with senior US military leaders. (Yonhap)"During his visit, the allies will discu

Jan. 18, 2019

US Missile Defense Review says North Korea poses ‘extraordinary threat’

North Korea poses an “extraordinary threat” to the United States and its allies, and the US should remain “vigilant,” a US Pentagon report said on Thursday (US time).The US Department of Defense unveiled its new defense strategy in the 2019 Missile Defense Review, highlighting the need to add new technologies to the space-based missile defense system in order to protect the country from external threats. (Screen captured of the Missile Defense Review)The report is the first Missile Defense Revie

Jan. 18, 2019

[Newsmaker] Seoul-Tokyo radar tussle spreads to YouTube

While the ongoing clash between Seoul and Tokyo over a recent radar incident at sea shows no signs of abating, it has also triggered controversy on YouTube, with the defense ministries of the two countries explaining their positions on the online platform. Japan was the first to take the issue to YouTube, uploading a 13-minute video of the incident to its YouTube channel on Dec. 28 with subtitles in Japanese and English to reinforce its accusations against South Korea. The video was shot from th

Jan. 17, 2019

Seoul-Takyo radar row continues, despite talks

The end does not seem near for the ongoing radar row between Seoul and Tokyo, as the two governments continue to clash after a recent general-level meeting. The radar row erupted last month when Japan claimed that South Korea’s naval warship had locked its weapons-targeting radar onto its warplane. Korea has rejected the allegation and maintains it was on a humanitarian rescue mission of a North Korean fishing boat adrift in the overlapping exclusive economic zones of South Korea and Japan. The

Jan. 17, 2019

Navy conducts winter rescue training at sea

Some 100 members of the Navy’s Sea Salvage and Rescue Unit have been jumping into freezing sea waters since Monday, as the unit began its annual winter training at the southern port city of Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province. 　This year’s program is focused on adapting to the cold sea water and overcoming challenges they may face in the sea, according to the Navy. (Yonhap)During the five-day training, the SSU conducts various exercises, including scuba training in which divers explore the bottom

Jan. 17, 2019