Korea appoints top negotiator for defense cost sharing negotiations with US

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that it has appointed its top representative for the upcoming defense cost sharing negotiations with the United States.Chang Won-sam, the country's ambassador to Sri Lanka, was chosen as the top negotiator for talks aimed at renewing the current cost sharing deal for about 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea. He is known for his deep understanding of trade issues, the ministry said.  (Yonhap)The Status of Forces Agreement states that South Korea

Nov. 14, 2017

Korean Army tests missile firing from Apache helicopters

The South Korean Army carried out its first air-to-surface missile firing exercise using eight Apache attack helicopters on Monday. Each of the copters fired one Hellfire guided missile at a shooting range in the waters off the western coastal city of Gunsan, according to the Army.They flew 60 kilometers before firing and all exactly hit the targets on the sea, the Army said. The Army introduced 36 Apache helicopters produced by Boeing in May last year and deployed them in January.  (Yonhap)The

Nov. 13, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Neither wishful thinking nor empty threats will work on NK’

North Korea is defying every warning and sanction, experimenting with nukes and missiles in what appears to be the endgame of its decadeslong program to develop weapons of mass destruction. But two countries handling the North Korean crisis -- South Korea and the US -- are employing ill-advised strategies: One is too timid, only repeating unrealistic pacifist messages, while the other is inconsistent, often making empty threats, said Seoul’s former point man on the North.Chun Young-woo speaks du

Nov. 12, 2017

Korean warships train with three US aircraft carriers in East Sea

Three US aircraft carriers joined an ongoing exercise with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea on Sunday in an unprecedented show of force against a provocative North Korea.The three flattops -- USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt -- entered the South's military operation zone, called the Korea Theater of Operations, for the four-day maneuvers slated to end Tuesday.It marks the first time that the country's Navy has conducted a combined training with three US aircraft carr

Nov. 12, 2017

US, S. Korea start drills in show of force against N. Korea

The United States and South Korea on Saturday started joint naval exercises that will involve three US aircraft carriers in what military officials describe as a clear warning to North Korea.The four-day drills that began in waters off South Korea's eastern coast come as President Donald Trump continues a visit to Asia that has been dominated by discussions over the North Korean nuclear threat.The battle groups of the USS Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt and the Nimitz will successively ent

Nov. 11, 2017

S. Korea, US to kick off massive naval exercise involving 3 US aircraft carriers

South Korea and the United States will conduct a massive joint naval exercise involving three US aircraft carriers off the eastern coast Saturday in an unprecedented show of force aimed at deterring North Korea.It marks the first time for three US aircraft carriers to conduct joint exercises with South Korea's Navy. Mobilizing three aircraft carriers for a single exercise is also rare for the US military as well. The last such exercise took place in 2007 in waters off the US territory of Guam.Th

Nov. 11, 2017

Moon's chief of staff rejects speculation of unannounced deal with US

No unannounced deal was reached during this week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump, the presidential chief of staff said Friday, amid speculation the government could have committed to massive arms purchases from the US during the summit."There was no backside agreement whatsoever that can hurt our national interests," Moon's chief of staff Im Jong-seok said during a parliamentary steering committee meeting.  Presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok (YonhapAfte

Nov. 10, 2017

US wants S. Korea to introduce advanced reconnaissance assets: envoy

　The United States wants South Korea to adopt America‘s finest military equipment, such as Aegis radar systems and P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, to step up deterrence against North Korea, the acting US ambassador to South Korea said Thursday.　Marc Knapper also welcomed Seoul’s recent agreement with China to get ties back on track following their dispute over the deployment of the US missile defense system in South Korea.　He made the remarks during a news conference to explain the results

Nov. 9, 2017

Civilians to fill key defense ministry posts

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it has picked a retired lieutenant colonel as the chief of the ministry's policy office in a move toward civilian control of the military.Yeo Suk-joo, who left the Marine Corps in 2010, has become the first retired field-grade officer to take up the key ministry post which handles major pending issues, including a response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. It had usually been filled by former Army generals. Yeo Suk-joo, new policy chief at

Nov. 9, 2017

Defense chief discusses NK's cyber threats with US commander

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo met the head of US Cyber Command in Seoul on Thursday for discussions on North Korea, his ministry said.Song and Adm. Michael S. Rogers, who doubles as director of the National Security Agency, agreed on the importance of close coordination between the allies in the cybersecurity sector based on mutual trust and a close bond, according to the ministry.Song pointed out that the North's advancing cyber threat poses a "real" challenge to the alliance.  S

Nov. 9, 2017

Three US aircraft carriers set for joint drill near Korea

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- Three US aircraft carriers will soon conduct a rare combined exercise in the Western Pacific, the US military announced Thursday, as President Donald Trump is traveling to Asia.The three carriers -- USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt -- are also expected to train together with South Korea's Navy in the East Sea.They plan to stage "coordinated operations" in international waters from Saturday till next Tuesday, according to the 7th Fleet. (Yonhap)The flat

Nov. 9, 2017

Appeals court orders govt. to reveal rest of pollution results on US military base

An appellate court on Wednesday ruled that the government should disclose details of two additional surveys on water contamination near the US military base in Yongsan. The Seoul High Court upheld the lower court's ruling that ordered the Ministry of Environment to make the records available to the Lawyers' for a Democratic Society, more commonly known as Minbyun, which filed a suit against the government calling for the disclosure. Minbyun already won a prior suit against the ministry at the to

Nov. 8, 2017

[Video] What if Trump had made it to the DMZ

JOINT SECURITY AREA -- Since the Ronald Reagan administration, almost every US president who visited South Korea has gone to the Demilitarized Zone, the heavily fortified border dividing the two Koreas, to get a firsthand look at the division and lingering tension of the unfinished Korean War. 　Wearing bomber-style jackets, visiting commanders have often gazed through binoculars toward the barren strip of the northern land. There, they could visualize what it would be like if another war breaks

Nov. 8, 2017

No ‘fire and fury’: Trump softens tone on North Korea

Prior to Donald Trump’s first state visit to South Korea on Tuesday, concern was rampant here that the US president might make harsh remarks toward North Korea -- right at the doorstep of the rogue regime -- and escalate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula once again. 　But there were no threats of “totally destroying” North Korea with “fire and fury” during his first day in South Korea -- nor did the president use the derogatory nickname “Little Rocket Man” to mock North Korean leader Kim

Nov. 7, 2017

Nuclear submarines on Seoul's potential 'shopping' list

After Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump talked about South Korea’s possible purchase of advanced weapons, a potential “shopping” list has already surfaced. A senior Seoul official said it could include nuclear-propelled submarines. US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)“We have the greatest military equipment in the world and South Korea will be ordering billions of dollars of that equipment, which for them makes a lot of sense and for us means jobs and r

Nov. 7, 2017

S. Korea, US to sharply expand arms trade in summit deal

South Korea and US agreed Tuesday to bring their defense industry cooperation to an unprecedentedly high level, plus expand the rotational deployment of high-profile US military assets to and around the peninsula.The summit accord came in response to growing threats from North Korea amid the South's campaign to bolster its own defense capability.Reducing reliance on Washington in national security is key to Seoul's efforts to regain wartime operational control of its troops. (Yonhap)"(We) agreed

Nov. 7, 2017

Trump says Seoul's purchase of US military equipment will help reduce trade deficit

US President Donald Trump welcomed Seoul's planned purchase of US military equipment Tuesday, saying it will help narrow his country's trade deficit with South Korea.The remarks came at the start of an expanded summit with President Moon Jae-in, following their one-to-one talks.Trump said he had learned through his representatives that the "amount of equipment and things you will be ordering from the United States will substantially increase, and therefore bringing the trade deficit down, which

Nov. 7, 2017

Moon welcomes Trump at US base

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday welcomed the visiting US President Donald Trump at a main garrison for US troops stationed here, a surprise move intended to showcase the robust alliance amid North Korea’s persistent nuclear and missile threats. The leaders met at Camp Humphreys, a newly expanded US Army base located in the rural area of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, about 70 kilometer south of Seoul. The military compound is the first stop on Trump’s two-day visit to South Korea.

Nov. 7, 2017

Korea, Russia agree to expand maritime cooperation

South Korea and Russia agreed to expand cooperation in Russia‘s Far East by building up the underdeveloped region rich in natural resources, the maritime ministry said Monday. South Korean Oceans Minister Kim Young-choon held a meeting with Alexander Galushka, Minister for Development of the Russian Far East, to discuss ways to boost joint investment in the region and signed a memorandum of understanding on marine cooperation. Under the agreement, the two sides will jointly support investment in

Nov. 6, 2017

Korea, US, Australia to hold joint sea interdiction exercise

South Korea's Navy said Monday it will conduct a combined maritime training exercise with the US and Australia on interdicting the shipment of illicit weapons, mainly by North Korea.The two-day training operation is to start later in the day off the coast of Jeju Island. It is aimed at enhancing the countries' ability to operate jointly to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction and support the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Pyongyang, the Navy said. (Yonhap)It will

Nov. 6, 2017