Korean, US marines conduct joint winter drill

Hundreds of South Korean and US marines have teamed up for a winter training in the eastern mountainous region of PyeongChang, South Korea's Marine Corps said Tuesday.The three-week exercise began Dec. 4 at the Mount Hwangbyeong training camp as part of the Korea Marine Exercise Program.It involves more than 220 South Korean Marines and some 220 US Marines stationed in Okinawa, Japan. The two sides have staged such a combined winter drill since 2013, aiming to sharpen their combat skills in subf

Dec. 19, 2017

Trump's natl. security strategy reaffirms strong Seoul-Washington alliance: S. Korea

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's latest announcement of the country's national security strategy reaffirmed the strong alliance between Seoul and Washington.Trump vowed Monday to "take care of" North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile threats as he unveiled his administration's first national security strategy. He said that cooperation with US allies is critical to responding to such threats."The strategy reaffirmed that the US will double commitmen

Dec. 19, 2017

Korea conducts nuclear disaster drill

South Korea conducted a nationwide drill Tuesday to test its ability to respond to a nuclear crisis situation in Japan, a government commission said.Authorities examined the readiness to deal with possible radioactive materials coming in from nuclear power plants in the nearby island nation, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said. (Yonhap)The drill was based on the assumption of a massive earthquake hitting the Genkai Nuclear Plant and causing radioactive materials to be released into t

Dec. 19, 2017

Chinese warplanes infringe on KADIZ: military

Five Chinese military planes on Monday entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone, prompting South Korea's fighter jets to make an emergency sortie, Seoul's military said.The Chinese aircraft were detected infringing on the KADIZ from the southwest of Ieo Island at around 10:10 a.m. and flying out of the zone at 1:47 p.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff."Our military confirmed that they are military planes of China through the Air Force's Master Control and Reporting Center," it

Dec. 18, 2017

Missile expert named to lead state arms development body

A missile expert has been promoted to head South Korea's state arms development agency, filling the post left vacant for seven months, the Ministry of National Defense announced Monday.Nam Sae-kyu, who served as vice president of the Agency for Defense Development, has been picked to assume the job for a three-year tenure.Having joined the ADD in 1978, he led the development of the Hyunmoo ballistic missile system. He also worked as the chief of a guided weapon system team. Nam Sae-kyu, new pres

Dec. 18, 2017

S. Korean, US forces hold drill for removing North Korea's WMDs

South Korean and US forces conducted a joint training last week for infiltrating North Korea and removing weapons of mass destruction in case of conflict, military sources said.The "Warrior Strike" exercise was held at Camp Stanley, located north of Seoul, and other places from Tuesday to Friday, involving hundreds of soldiers from the two sides, they said.  Gen. Jung Kyung-doo (Yonhap)The US 2nd Infantry Division said on Facebook on Friday that Gen. Jung Kyung-doo, chairman of Joint Chiefs of S

Dec. 17, 2017

Panel proposes legislation to ensure military's political neutrality

A government-civilian committee on eradicating deep-rooted malpractices in South Korea's military proposed special legislation Thursday on forcing it to stay away from politics.It calls for heavy punishment against civil servants and defense officials seeking military intervention in political affairs.Military officials will also be required to reject any related order, instruction or request.It's among a set of measures suggested by the panel created by the Ministry of National Defense in Septe

Dec. 14, 2017

Ministry to discuss safety of residents near USFK range

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it will hold a town hall meeting with people who live close to a major US Forces Korea shooting range.The session, the first of its kind in four months, will be held at the city hall of Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, later in the day, and will be joined by Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk, Pocheon Mayor Kim Jong-chun and the US Eighth Army Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal. Around 50 residents also plan to attend. Suh will brief them on the results o

Dec. 14, 2017

Korea's Apache unit to hold 1st Stinger missile drill

Two AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters of South Korea each fired a Stinger air-to-air guided missile at a target drone 2.5 kilometers away, the Army said Wednesday.It was the first live-fire Stinger missile drill by the country's newborn Apache unit, conducted at the Daecheon range off the west coast of the peninsula earlier in the day.The two Apaches were mobilized, with two others on standby. They first detected the Outlaw G2 target vehicles with their fire control radar, and the pilots

Dec. 13, 2017

US, S. Korea 'discuss' military drills amid Olympic worries

The US military is reportedly in talks with South Korea on the timing of large-scale annual military exercises that always infuriate nuclear-armed Pyongyang and could coincide with next year's Winter Olympics.The Foal Eagle and Key Resolve drills usually start in late February or early March and involve tens of thousands of troops from the two allies, which say they are purely defensive.(Yonhap)The North, though, sees them as rehearsals for invasion, and they always ratchet up the already high t

Dec. 12, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Minister vows full military support for PyeongChang games

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said Tuesday the country's troops will make every effort to support the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.He stressed the role of the military for the successful hosting of a "Peace Olympics," inspecting an ad hoc military command center in PyeongChang two months ahead of the opening of the global sports event, according to his ministry.He ordered the military to maintain a firm defense posture so that the entire world can enjoy the festival witho

Dec. 12, 2017

Korea to hold chairmanship of next year's conference of members of chemical weapons ban treaty

BRUSSELS -- South Korea's top envoy in Amsterdam has been designated as the chairman of a conference of states that are members of a treaty banning chemical weapons to be held in The Hague in October next year, the South Korean Embassy said Tuesday.South Korean Ambassador to the Netherlands Lee Yun-young will take up the chairmanship of the 23rd conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention for one year after he is officially selected to the position at the meeting.The treaty, which entered into

Dec. 12, 2017

Allies advised to expand defense industry ties

The head of South Korea's state arms procurement agency said Tuesday closer defense industry ties with the United States will serve as the driving force of the bilateral alliance."Defense industry technology cooperation is a cornerstone to expand the base for the South Korea-US alliance and guarantee the interoperability of their combined operation," Jeon Jei-guk, chief of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said in a keynote speech at a forum in Washington, DC, according to his orga

Dec. 12, 2017

Govt. drops indemnity suit against residents over Jeju naval base

The South Korean government decided Tuesday to quit a lawsuit against residents on Jeju Island and activists for having obstructed the construction of a major naval base there.The government approved a related motion at the Cabinet meeting, effectively putting an end to a longtime conflict with the protesters and the local community.In March 2016, the Navy filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court to exercise its right to indemnity against 116 individuals and five entities.It cited lo

Dec. 12, 2017

Allies mulling deferring war games after Olympics: report

With the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics around the corner, South Korea and the US are considering postponing their annual military drills to avoid provoking North Korea ahead of the global sports event.  　Citing diplomatic sources, the Japanese broadcaster NHK reported Monday that the South Korean and the US governments have been in talks to defer the Key Resolve combined exercise, which North Korea regularly protests likening it to a war rehearsal, until after the games.　The O

Dec. 11, 2017

Military: No decision on next year's alliance exercise

South Korea's military said Monday it's premature to talk publicly about the reported likelihood of postponing annual war games with the United States to avoid the overlap with the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.The allies usually kick off the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises in late February or early March, which North Korea regards as a rehearsal for invasion and uses as a pretext for provocations.A dilemma for South Korea is that the drills will likely coincide with the PyeongChang

Dec. 11, 2017

Korea, US, Japan to hold anti-missile drill

South Korea said Monday it has started a joint missile tracking exercise with the United States and Japan amid speculation that North Korea may soon test a submarine-launched ballistic missile.The two-day drill is taking place in waters near the peninsula and Japan, the first trilateral military operation since the North's firing of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile in late November, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Yonhap)It involves South Korea's Seoae Ryu Seong Ryong A

Dec. 11, 2017

A glimpse into US forces in Japan on standby for contingencies in Korea

YOKOSUKA/OKINAWA/TOKYO -- In the morning of Nov. 29, 2018, hours after North Korea test-fired the Hwasong-15 ballistic missile toward Japan, the US naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, was calm with a tinge of uneasiness and tension in the air. It is home to the 7th Fleet, the US Navy’s largest forward-deployed armada. Led by its command ship USS Blue Ridge, an impressive collection of guided missile cruisers and destroyers were docked at the base, ready to scramble at any moment’s notic

Dec. 10, 2017

Gen. Brooks updates US leaders on security conditions in Korea

The top US military commander in South Korea traveled to Washington, D.C. and New York last week for briefings on North Korea and the allies' defense posture, his aides said Sunday amid growing attention to the Donald Trump administration's response to the communist regime's saber-rattling.The trip of Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, who commands the US Forces Korea, came days after the North's launch of theHwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, sparking considerable media speculation. Gen. Vince

Dec. 10, 2017

Moon calls for ‘overwhelming’ military capability against North Korea

　President Moon Jae-in urged the military to secure “overwhelming” capability to fend off North Korea’s growing military threat on Friday as South Korea’s Defense Ministry warned against another strategic provocations following its latest missile launch. 　The president also called for an “early and swift” transfer of wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea, suggesting the military should secure capability to lead combined operations in the event of contingency on the Ko

Dec. 8, 2017