Did NK steal S. Korean missile design?

When North Korea held a military parade earlier this month just as athletes from around the world gathered in PyeongChang to celebrate the Olympics, attention was on whether Pyongyang would showcase a new intercontinental ballistic missile to the world. The international community was quite relieved to see little evidence of new ICBMs at what was described as a low-profile parade -- though North Korea showcased ICBM-class Hwasong 14 and 15, which it successfully test-fired last year. However, th

Feb. 21, 2018

US prepares to evacuate civilians in case of war in Korea: report

The US military is working on continued improvements to its operation plan to evacuate American civilians in case of a war on the Korean Peninsula, Voice of America reported Wednesday.The US Forces Korea and US Army Pacific are conducting noncombatant evacuation drills on a regular basis to check on the strategic and tactical aspects of the operation, such as designating places of assembly in Korea, said Col. Christopher Garver, a spokesman for US Army Pacific in Hawaii, according to the US broa

Feb. 21, 2018

Pentagon to release details on resumption of allied drills after Olympics

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon said Tuesday that details on currently suspended South Korea-US military exercises will be released after the Olympics end next month.South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said earlier in the day that the allies will announce the dates of the exercises once both the Olympics and Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, are over on March 18. The announcement will come before April, he added."The United States and the Republic of Korea deconflicted the start of ou

Feb. 21, 2018

Army says it will create ‘dronbot unit’

　Faced with North Korea’s sophisticated missile and nuclear capabilities, the South Korean Army came up with its own solutions to better counter the evolving military threat: drones and robots.　During a meeting with lawmakers Tuesday, the Army said it will create “dronbot” battle units for surveillance and combat mission at Ground Operations Command scheduled to be established this year. 　Assigned to division-level units and above, the dronbot units would help the military’s contingency efforts

Feb. 20, 2018

S. Korean military to press ahead with joint drills with US this year

South Korea's defense ministry affirmed Tuesday that the country's troops will conduct combined command-post drills with the United States this year despite Olympics-driven rapprochement with North Korea.The allies will hold the Key Resolve and the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises in order to develop their so-called 4D Operational Concept to detect, disrupt, destroy and defend against North Korean missile threats, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the National Assembly.But it

Feb. 20, 2018

Seoul said to have softened anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts during Olympics

South Korea appears to be toning down its loudspeaker-based propaganda broadcasts against North Korea in light of cross-border relations improved on the occasion of the PyeongChang Olympics, informed lawmakers and officials said Sunday.The two Koreas are known to have long resorted to propaganda broadcasts using loudspeakers installed near the heavily fortified border to condemn each other's political and social systems.As part of its psychological warfare campaign, the South Korean military has

Feb. 18, 2018

Marine Corps commander inspects defense posture at front-line islands in West Sea

The commandant of South Korea's Marine Corps inspected the defense posture at two of the front-line islands near North Korea on Friday.Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo visited Maldo and Udo. Jin checked troops' readiness for wintertime contingency operations and offered words of encouragement to soldiers stationed at the islands along the inter-Korean maritime border, according to the Marine Corps.  Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo visited Maldo and Udo and checked troops' readiness for wintertime contingency operation

Feb. 16, 2018

South Korea gears up for military talks with NK

With North Korea’s high-level delegation having returned home after waging a peace offensive during the PyeongChang Olympics, South Korea is preparing to continue the momentum for an inter-Korean thaw by resuming long-stalled military talks. Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said that the resumption of military talks is crucial to easing cross-border tensions that have been lessened since the North Korean participation in the Winter Olympics. “In order to move forward with e

Feb. 14, 2018

S. Korea: N. Korea holds key to military talks

South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday it's still waiting for North Korea's response to its months-old offer of military talks, maintaining its strategic ambiguity about the future of joint war games with the United States."We are making preparations" for the talks, although no specific schedule has been set yet, the ministry's spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo said at a press briefing.She added the inter-Korean military hotline is in normal operation, but there's no communication on the agreed-up

Feb. 13, 2018

Korea to abolish guardhouse system, appellate court

The Ministry of National Defense on Monday announced a judicial reform plan focused on abolishing the military appellate court and the guardhouse system."The government has devised the military judicial reform plan with an aim to accommodate growing calls for innovation and to substantially guarantee conscripts' constitutional rights and human rights," the ministry said, adding the plan will be put into action as part of its wider military reform scheme.Under the plan, the Seoul High Court will

Feb. 12, 2018

Defense chief makes first-ever apology for military's bloody crackdown on 1980 Gwangju uprising

South Korea's defense minister offered an official apology Friday for the military's brutal use of force against pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju in 1980."As the minister of national defense, I offer a sincere apology and (words of) comfort to Gwangju citizens that our military has left suffering in the process of the May 18 Democratization Movement 38 years ago," Song Young-moo said in a statement.It came two days after the ministry's special fact-finding team announced the results of five m

Feb. 9, 2018

Panel confirms Army helicopters fired at protestors during Gwangju uprising

The South Korean government confirmed Wednesday that the military had ordered its helicopters to shoot toward protestors during a democratic uprising in 1980, marking a step forward in finding out the military’s involvement during the most violent crackdown on civilian protestors in South Korea’s modern history.According to the government committee investigating the massacre committed during the Gwnangju democratization movement, fighter jets and Marines were also put on alert for dispatch to th

Feb. 7, 2018

South Korean aircraft catches fire after skidding off runway at Singapore air show

A South Korean aerobatic aircraft participating in the 2018 Singapore Airshow caught fire after skidding off a runway Tuesday, leaving the aircraft’s pilot with a minor injury and causing the Air Force to halt its scheduled flying performance. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, an aircraft from South Korea‘s Black Eagles aerobatic team skidded off the runway and crashed into the grass verge at the side of Changi Airport‘s Runway 1 and caught fire, Channel News Asia reported.

Feb. 6, 2018

US nuclear review reaffirms commitment to extended deterrence

South Korea sees the United States' latest review of its nuclear posture as a reaffirmation of its commitment to providing extended nuclear deterrence for its allies in the face of increasing threats from North Korea, a foreign ministry official said Sunday.On Friday, the US Department of Defense unveiled its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which placed emphasis on the development of new weapons such as "low-yield" nuclear warheads and the mobilization of nuclear-capable radar-evading fighters. (Y

Feb. 4, 2018

Korea to send troops to Cobra Gold training in Thailand

Hundreds of South Korean troops will be deployed to Thailand this month for an annual international exercise, the Navy here said Friday.A combat unit of more than 430 sailors and Marines will leave for the Southeast Asian nation later in the day to join the Cobra Gold drills slated for Feb. 13-23, it said. The soldiers are scheduled to arrive there Saturday on the 4,900-ton Cheonjaebong landing ship.Cobra Gold is an Asia-Pacific military exercise co-organized by the US and Thai militaries with a

Feb. 2, 2018

S. Korea, US hold joint combat training

South Korea and the United States pressed ahead with a regular joint military exercise this week amid renewed inter-Korean exchanges ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a defense official here said Thursday.The four-day Warrior Strike drill involved American troops, including those from the 2nd Infantry Division, stationed in Korea, as well as some South Korean soldiers. It ended earlier in the day with no related announcement by either side, according to the official, who spoke on conditi

Feb. 1, 2018

Korea's Navy gets new anti-submarine warfare frigate

South Korea's Navy on Thursday received a brand-new guided missile frigate with strong anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the country's arms agency said.The 2,800-ton Daegu ship features stealth design and uses a hybrid electric drive propulsion system, which reduces noise and enables rapid maneuvers when necessary, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.It's also equipped with a towed array sonar system and Hong Sang Eo long-range anti-submarine torpedos. South Korean Nav

Feb. 1, 2018

NK could be ‘wiped out off map’ if it uses nuclear weapon against allies: defense minister

 　South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Monday delivered a stern warning against North Korea’s nuclear and missile program, saying its use of nuclear weapons would cause the reclusive state to be “wiped out off the map.” 　However, the minister expressed skepticism over the prospect of North Korea attacking the US or South Korea with a nuclear-tipped missile, describing Pyongyang’s nuclear threat as more of a propaganda strategy than a viable option. 　During a Q&A session with his offic

Jan. 29, 2018

Defense Minister says NK's use of nuke would be 'suicidal'

South Korea's top defense official voiced doubt Monday that North Korea will use its nuclear weapons, saying that such an act would be "suicidal.""The North Korean regime will probably be removed from the map if it uses developed nuclear weapons against South Korea or the United States," Defense Minister Song Young-moo said at a security forum in Singapore, which was webcast live.He dismissed the Kim Jong-un regime's talk of a nuclear strike as a "propaganda" strategy, not something that will ac

Jan. 29, 2018

Mattis says Korea talks can't distract from denuclearization

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that Olympics talks between North and South Korea should not distract from the internationally agreed goal of denuclearizing the North. Mattis spoke during a photo session with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at US Pacific Command headquarters. Mattis welcomed the North-South talks but said a campaign of diplomatic pressure will continue unabated. He said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should get the message that his nuclear and missile p

Jan. 28, 2018