Pentagon chief reaffirms US' CVID goal, resolve to keep USFK troop level

US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Thursday reaffirmed Washington's goal for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the peninsula, and its will to keep the current American troop level in South Korea.The Pentagon chief made the remarks at the start of his talks with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo in Seoul."US commitment to the Republic of Korea remains ironclad and the US will continue to use a full range of diplomatic and military capabilities to uphold th

June 28, 2018

USFK command dismisses concern over end to allies’ regular training exercise

A top US commander in South Korea on Wednesday dismissed concerns that the decision to suspend an upcoming large-scale joint exercise would lead to the end of training exercises that the allies’ forces have conducted regularly. During his speech at the Ministry of National Defense, USFK Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks said halting the scheduled Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise would serve to build trust with North Korea by reducing “unnecessary irritation.”  (Yonhap)The general stressed that such m

June 27, 2018

S. Korea, US begin new round of talks on sharing defense cost

South Korea and the United States held another round of negotiations in Seoul on sharing the cost of maintaining American troops here amid their beefed-up cooperation over North Korea's denuclearization.The allies opened the fourth session of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks at the Korean National Diplomatic Academy building in southern Seoul. It will continue through Wednesday.At the start of the talks, Seoul's chief negotiator Chang Won-sam and his US counterpart Timothy Betts voiced

June 26, 2018

S. Korea chooses Boeing's P-8 patrol aircraft for naval procurement project

South Korea decided Monday to purchase US defense company Boeing's P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in a $1.7 billion project, Seoul's military acquisition agency has said.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that Seoul's defense project promotion committee convened to make the decision to purchase the aircraft through a government-to-government "foreign military sale" program."(We have decided) to purchase the latest maritime patrol aircraft for conducting patrol, search and

June 25, 2018

S. Korean, US defense officials agree to strengthen cooperation over peninsula peace

Top defense officials of South Korea and the United States agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation in facilitating ongoing diplomacy to achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula, Seoul's defense ministry said.South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo held talks with Adm. Philip Davidson, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, in Seoul amid a flurry of the allies' talks with the communist state aimed at Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament."Minister Song and Adm. Davidson shared the view

June 25, 2018

South Korea, US defense chiefs to discuss details of joint drills next week

　South Korean and US defense chiefs will hold talks in Seoul next week to discuss the future of the allies’ joint military drills following the suspension of the scheduled Freedom Guardian exercise, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. 　The meeting between Defense Minister Song Yong-moo and his US counterpart Jim Mattis will take place Thursday during the Pentagon chief’s one-day trip to South Korea, according the ministry. 　Scheduled to visit China ahead of his visit to Seoul, Mattis will meet w

June 21, 2018

Korea, US to hold talks on sharing defense cost

South Korea and the United States will have another round of negotiations next week on sharing the cost of maintaining American troops in Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.The allies plan to hold the fourth session of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday.The previous ones took place in Honolulu in March, on Jeju Island in April and in Washington DC last month.The two sides plan to have "in-depth consultations" to fine-tune their positions on the

June 21, 2018

USFK headquarters to leave Seoul next week

 The headquarters of United States Forces Korea will be moved to a sprawling army garrison located south of Seoul next week, marking a new chapter in the US military presence here amid a flurry of speculation over the troop’s future roles. 　According to the Ministry of National Defense and USFK, the opening ceremony of the new USFK headquarters building in Camp Humphreys will be held on June 29. Located in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, Camp Humphreys is the la

June 21, 2018

Mattis to visit Seoul next week for talks with S. Korean minister

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Seoul next week on the North Korea issue, Seoul's defense ministry announced Thursday.Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is scheduled to visit here for a meeting with Defense Minister Song Young-moo slated for Thursday afternoon, according to the ministry's spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo.At a press briefing, she said that they will discuss "various ways related to follow-up measures to North Korea-US (summit) talks and South-Nor

June 21, 2018

Suspension of scheduled joint drill feeds speculation over other regular exercises

With South Korea and the US canceling a large-scale joint military drill slated for August, speculation is rising over the prospect of other training drills scheduled to follow the suspended Freedom Guardian exercise. 　In the past years when North Korea conducted nuclear and missile tests, a series of bilateral and trilateral military exercises took place even after the scheduled command-post Freedom Guardian exercises ended. 　While the allies’ militaries have stressed that no decision has been

June 20, 2018

Korea halts its own military drill amid dialogue mood

South Korea's military has put off its own simulation-based exercise, scheduled for next week, in order to help maintain the momentum of talks with North Korea, a defense official said Wednesday.The annual command-post practice, called Taegeuk, was scheduled to begin next Tuesday for a three-day run."We have decided to postpone it," the official said, requesting anonymity. "We will review ways to conduct it at the most appropriate time and in the optimal manner."South Korean soldiers take part i

June 20, 2018

NK’s progress on denuclearization pivotal to whether joint military drills remain suspended

With South Korea and the United States declaring the halt of their joint military exercise scheduled for August, debate has emerged over the decision’s impact on the nuclear negotiation with North Korea.  　The Ministry of National Defense and Pentagon announced Tuesday that they suspended “all planning” for the Freedom Guardian exercise following US President Donald Trump’s pledge to end “expensive and provocative” war games. 　While Trump’s announcement took South Korea by surprise and sparked c

June 19, 2018

USFK commander says security is 'temporary' condition

Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander of US forces in South Korea, called for continued efforts to "advance" defense capabilities on Tuesday, just hours after Seoul and Washington announced their decision to suspend a major combined exercise slated for August."Security is a temporary condition," Brooks, the commander of the US Forces Korea, told a defense forum in Seoul."If you are not attending to your security and continuing to advance your capabilities, then you'll be in danger and your security

June 19, 2018

Parties have mixed reactions to allies' suspension of military drills

The ruling Democratic Party said Tuesday that it "deeply" respects South Korea and the United States' decision to suspend their joint military drills slated for August, calling the move a proper step for peace.But the main opposition Liberty Korea Party stressed the need for North Korea to show sincerity in dismantling its nuclear programs, saying that the allies should resume exercises at any time if Pyongyang reneges on its promise to denuclearize.Seoul and Washington announced earlier in the

June 19, 2018

Pentagon: US suspends all planning for Aug. military exercise with S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States military has suspended all planning for joint military exercises with South Korea scheduled for August, the Pentagon said Monday.   The decision is in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's offer during his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week. (Yonhap-AP)   "Consistent with President Trump's commitment and in concert with our Republic of Korea ally, the United States military has suspended all planning for this August's defensive 'warg

June 19, 2018

South Korea, US suspend scheduled military exercise

South Korea and the United States have agreed to suspend their joint military drill slated for August, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, following US President Donald Trump’s pledge to end “war games” with South Korea after his summit with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un last week. In a text message sent to reporters, the Ministry of National Defense said the allies forces have decided to suspend "all plans" for the upcoming computer-simulated Freedom Guardian exercise. Describing the susp

June 19, 2018

S. Korea, US likely to announce suspension of combined military drills this week: source

South Korea and the United States are expected to announce their decision to suspend large-scale combined military exercises this week amid dialogue with North Korea, a government source here said Sunday.In the announcement, the allies are likely to include a "snapback" clause, the source said, hinting that the exercises would resume should the communist regime fail to deliver on its denuclearization commitment.After his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesda

June 17, 2018

S. Korea proposes movement of NK long-range artillery away from border: sources

South Korea proposed that North Korea move its long-range artillery away from the heavily fortified border in an effort to reduce tensions during last week's rare cross-border military talks, government sources here said Sunday.During Thursday's general-grade meeting, the first in more than a decade, Seoul made a series of suggestions, including relocating the artillery pieces to areas 30 to 40 kilometers away from the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas, the insiders said.The tw

June 17, 2018

South Korea, US to announce whether to suspend joint drills

South Korea and the US will decide whether to freeze the allies’ joint military exercises in the near future after close consultation, the presidential office said Friday.The possibility of the suspension of the military exercises is growing after US President Donald Trump said the US would halt “war games” after a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, and the South Korean President Moon Jae-in signaled his support.　“Nothing has been decided yet, but (we) will announ

June 15, 2018

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, US discuss combined military drills

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States have had in-depth" discussions over the allies' combined military exercises, following US President Donald Trump's recent remarks that he will stop "provocative war games," Seoul's defense ministry said Friday.Defense Minister Song Young-moo and his US counterpart James Mattis held 30-minute telephone talks from 7:30 p.m. (Korea time) on Thursday to exchange views over the exercises, including the summertime Ulchi Freedom Guardian.After his

June 15, 2018