Koreas holding military talks to discuss easing tensions

PANMUNJEOM -- South and North Korea are holding their first high-level military talks in more than 10 years Thursday to discuss ways to ease cross-border tensions. The meeting started at 10 a.m. on the northern side of the truce village of Panmunjom, according to Seoul's defense ministry.These were the first such talks since the two sides met in December 2007.South Korea's five-member delegation is led by Major General Kim Do-gyun. The North's delegation is led by Lieutenant General An Ik-san, w

June 14, 2018

Trump’s remark on stopping ‘war games’ sparks controversy

 Controversy continued to escalate Wednesday over US President Donald Trump’s remark on halting joint military drills with South Korea, fueling concern about his security commitment to long-standing allies in the region.It is still unclear what Trump meant and intended by stopping “war games” -- whether the announcement aims to suspend semiannual large-scale exercises or whether it is just another gambit to put pressure on South Korea to pay more for stationing US troops. Whatever purpose he may

June 13, 2018

North Korea notifies South Korea of delegation to June 14 military talks

North Korea on Tuesday informed South Korea of its delegation for upcoming inter-Korean military talks scheduled for Thursday, amid heightened expectations for the easing of cross-border tensions following a series of cross-border summits. 　Led by Army Lt. Gen Ahn Ik-san, a total of five delegates will attend the general-level military talks scheduled to take place at Panmungak, a North Korean building inside the truce village of Panmunjeom, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said,　The announcement

June 12, 2018

[Newsmaker] Talk of peace stalls Korea's defense reform drive

When the leaders of North Korea and the United States meet in Singapore next week for a historic summit, people around the world will hold their breath in hopes of a peace deal to end a decades-old global security threat.For young men in South Korea, there's another reason, associated with their careers and personal lives, to wish for the success of the meeting between the North's leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump: conscription.A chatting app message spread recently that read, "We'd

June 7, 2018

[Newsmaker]Debate emerges over future role of USFK

Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, the US has stationed large-scale troops in South Korea. Though the level of troops has fluctuated over time, the US forces in South Korea have played a crucial role in deterring provocations from North Korea.　Now, the future of the USFK is being questioned amid speculation that the issue could be raised during the US-North Korea summit on June 12, prompting debate over what role the troops would play in the event of a diplomatic breakthrough between Washi

June 4, 2018

Ministry says it will exert 'restraint' in promoting S. Korea-US drills amid peace efforts

South Korea's defense ministry said Monday that it would exercise "restraint" in promoting its planned annual military drills with the United States, apparently not to hamper ongoing efforts for denuclearization and lasting peace on the peninsula.Its remarks are in line with the position shared by Defense Minister Song Yong-moo and his US counterpart James Mattis to keep the allies' regular combined military exercises low-key to maintain the peace mood. Max Thunder aerial drills (Yonhap)"(Exerci

June 4, 2018

S. Korean defense minister in Singapore for security forum

SINGAPORE -- Asia's key defense forum will open in Singapore on Friday night at a time when regional security faces a potential turning point.The North Korea issue is expected to dominate this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, although the communist nation is not joining it.The annual dialogue comes amid cautious optimism about a historic breakthrough in efforts to denuclearize North Korea, formally end the 1950-53 Korean War and introduce a peace treaty.A summit between the North's leader Kim Jong-un

June 1, 2018

Military to revise rules to give female soldiers equal opportunities

The defense ministry will revise personnel regulations to remove discrimination against female soldiers, a ministry official said Friday.The revision will require female officers to serve as company commanders at least twice -- the same as male soldiers -- rather than once, as currently stipulated."It is compulsory for male soldiers to take up the position of company leader twice," the official said. "The difference in the number of times female soldiers need to serve as a company commander may

June 1, 2018

NK remains ‘most imminent threat’: US ambassador nominee to S. Korea

Despite high hopes that a planned US-North Korea summit will resolve decades-old animosities and a nuclear standoff, Pyongyang remains the “most imminent” threat to Washington, the outgoing head of US Pacific Command said. 　During his change of command ceremony Wednesday, Adm. Harry Harris, who is expected to become the next US ambassador to South Korea, also noted that China’s pursuit of hegemony in Asia would pose the “biggest long-term challenge” to the US and its allies in the region. 　“Nort

May 31, 2018

Top military officials of S. Korea, US, Japan hold talks

Top military officials of South Korea, the United States and Japan have held talks over joint efforts to ensure regional peace and stability, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday.Seoul's JCS Chairman Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo and his US and Japanese counterparts, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford and Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, attended the meeting at the US Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii on Tuesday (local time).Outgoing PACOM chief Adm. Harry Harris and his successor, Adm. Philip Davidson, also jo

May 30, 2018

S. Korea pays more for US troop presence than Japan: scholar

South Korea's annual spending for the upkeep of the US Forces Korea appears to be greater than what Japan pays for the American troop presence on its soil, a government researcher said Thursday.Yu Jun-hyung, associate research fellow at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, released the analysis as Seoul and Washington are in talks over the former's share of the cost for maintaining some 28,500 US troops here as a deterrent against the North's aggression.He put Seoul's expenditure

May 24, 2018

Flight training part of S. Korea-US air exercise to end

The flight training session of the annual South Korea-US air exercise is set to end Thursday, a military source said, raising hopes for the resumption of high-level inter-Korean dialogue suspended by Pyongyang in protest at what it called an invasion rehearsal.The two-week Max Thunder exercise is to officially end on Friday, but the air training segment will be finished a day earlier, with an evaluation session involving the allies' air force personnel scheduled for the last day of the exercise,

May 24, 2018

Suspended Inter-Korean talks to resume after US-South Korea air drill ends: Moon

　With North Korea eventually accepting a list of South Korean journalists to cover the shutdown of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, expectation is growing that suspended inter-Korean talks will resume after a South Korea-US air drill ends Friday.  　Following a summit between President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that President Moon expects the two Koreas to resume suspended meetings after the end of the ongoing Max Thunder exercise. 　North Korea a

May 23, 2018

S. Korea pays 73 percent for defense cost-sharing: civic group

South Korea shoulders over 70 percent of the cost of stationing US troops here, a progressive civic group claimed Tuesday, suggesting its cost-sharing was higher than the estimates by the governments in Seoul and Washington.Citing its analysis of the two government’s defense budgets, Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea said as of 2016 South Korea contributed 72.6 percent to the stationing cost, well over the official government figure of 42 percent. Under the current cost-sharing agr

May 22, 2018

Military to incorporate unmanned combat systems with units amid population decline

The South Korean military will look to incorporate unmanned combat systems into manned units starting as early as 2024 amid a shrinking population, defense ministry sources said Tuesday.The sources said the military studied the effects of forming units mixed with personnel and unmanned weapons earlier this year and reported the findings to Defense Minster Song Young-moo.According to the sources, the Joint Chiefs of Staff oversaw the yearlong research, with participation from the Army, Navy and A

May 22, 2018

Ministry dismisses speculation about possible scaling-back of drills with US

South Korea's defense ministry on Monday dismissed growing speculation that Seoul and Washington could scale back their regular summertime military exercise to avoid provoking North Korea. Last week, Pyongyang abruptly suspended high-level inter-Korean talks, taking issue with the ongoing Max Thunder air drills between Seoul and Washington, which it slammed as a "rehearsal for invasion.""There is no change in our stance regarding the combined exercise that is annual and defensive in nature," Cho

May 21, 2018

US affirms no plan to change USFK size, role

The United States has reaffirmed that it has no plan to change the size of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea, a Seoul official said Friday, amid the growing talk of a potential drawdown in line with ongoing peace efforts.The reaffirmation came at the allies' third round of negotiations on sharing the cost for the upkeep of American forces that have served in the South as a major deterrent against North Korean aggression."While reaffirming its firm security commitment on the Korean Peninsula, the

May 18, 2018

History of US troops in Korea gains new attention amid talk of their future

A resurgent debate over the future of US Forces Korea is bringing a renewed attention to the history of American troops here that now serve as a key guarantor of security for South Korea.The US troop presence in Korea dates back to 1888, when a small military advisory group of interpreters set foot here after the 1882 Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States of America and Corea (Korea) initiated the countries' exchanges.A larger US military contingent was dispatched to Korea in Se

May 18, 2018

Defense chief apologizes to Gwangju uprising victims, vows to probe sexual assault allegations

 　Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Monday pledged to resolve questions surrounding the military’s helicopter shootings and sexual assault allegations against civilians during the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju in 1980. 　During a meeting with the survivors of pro-democracy movement in Gwangju, Song said that the military would address its every wrongdoing during the former President Chun Doo-hwan‘s crackdown of the pro-democracy movement.    　Song’s remark came after the allegation that the

May 14, 2018

Navy launches second amphibious assault ship

BUSAN -- South Korea’s military on Monday celebrated the launch of its second amphibious assault vessel, pledging to ratchet up efforts to defend against maritime challenges in surrounding waters. 　Named after South Korea’s southernmost island, the 14,500-ton Marado vessel made its first public debut at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction, a shipbuilder located in Yeongdo, Busan.　　Defense Minister Song Young-moo hosted the launch ceremony, which was attended by top military br

May 14, 2018