State ordered to compensate Pyeongtaek for clean-up costs near US base

The government has been ordered to pay 870 million won ($778,800) to the city of Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, for the cost of purifying the soil near a US base there, a court ruled Monday.  The Seoul Central District Court upheld the city's claim against the central government, ruling that the state should pay its expenses for cleaning the soil near Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, as mandated in the Status of Forces Agreement with the US.SOFA mandates that the South Korean government is responsible

Nov. 6, 2017

Korea discusses defense cooperation with Middle East nations

Defense Minister Song Young-moo has discussed cooperation with three Middle East Nations in which South Korean troops are based, the government said Sunday.The ministry said Song met with Oman Defense Minister Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi in Muscat on Saturday (local time), with other military leaders from Oman also in attendance.South Korea's Cheonghae Unit, deployed in the Gulf of Aden to counter attacks from pirates, is based in in the country.According to the South Korean minist

Nov. 5, 2017

S. Korean FM meets with USFK commander to discuss NK

The South Korean foreign minister met with the chief of the United States Forces Korea on Friday to exchange views on North Korea and security issues ahead of the upcoming summit of the two nations' leaders.  From left: Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Foreign Ministry)Kang Kyung-wha held a disclosed meeting with Gen. Vincent Brooks at her office in Seoul, four days before US President Donald Trump embarks on his two-day trip to Seoul.

Nov. 3, 2017

Trump to highlight alliance with trip to US base, parliamentary speech in Korea

US President Donald Trump is set to arrive here next week on a visit that is widely expected to highlight the strength and importance of the alliance with South Korea, an official from the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.The US leader will begin his two-day visit to South Korea on Tuesday with a trip to the newly renovated US military base, Camp Humphreys, in Pyeongtaek, 40 kilometers south of Seoul, according to Nam Gwan-pyo, deputy director from the presidential Nati

Nov. 3, 2017

Credible military capabilities should back up diplomatic actions to rein in NK: USFK commander

Credible military capabilities should be in place to back up diplomatic and economic sanctions to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the chief of the United States Forces Korea said Friday."The military is in support of these diplomatic and economic actions that are intended to create sufficient pressure to cause (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un to stop and reverse what it is he is doing so far," Gen. Vincent Brooks said in his lecture to a group of retired and sitting South Kor

Nov. 3, 2017

S. Korea, US leaders to discuss military options against NK: McMaster

WASHINGTON -- Military options against North Korea will be on the table when the US and South Korean leaders meet next week, a top US official said Thursday."It would be irresponsible not to talk about the potential for military efforts within the alliance," H.R. McMaster, national security adviser to US President Donald Trump, said."The reason why that topic must be on the agenda is because of the behavior of this rogue regime and the threat that (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un poses," he sai

Nov. 3, 2017

US flies B-1B bombers over Korea ahead of Trump's Asia trip

The United States flew two B-1B bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, its Air Force said, ahead of US President Donald Trump's planned visit to Asia.The pair of bombers conducted sequenced bilateral missions with South Korean fighters and Japanese fighters, the US Pacific Air Forces said in a statement. (Yonhap)"The two B-1B Lancers took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and transited south of Korea and west of Japan to integrate with Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) fi

Nov. 3, 2017

Korea's anti-aircraft guided missile proves accuracy in firing contest

Two Cheongung anti-aircraft guided missiles flew around 40 kilometers and hit a mock target accurately in its first live-fire mission since the South Korea-made system was deployed, the Air Force said Thursday.The Cheongung medium-range surface-to-air missile was among the weapons systems mobilized for a firing contest hosted by the Air Defense Artillery Command. The others were the mid-range Patriot system, short-range Mistral missiles and Vulcan cannons.More than 300 troops of 10 units under t

Nov. 2, 2017

Korean president calls for enhanced military cooperation with NATO

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for increased cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also stressing the need for the two sides to work together to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue."I appreciate and agree with the fact you stressed that the North Korean nuclear issue must be resolved through diplomatic means," the president said while meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at his presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.Moon noted hi

Nov. 2, 2017

Korea launches new 4,900-ton landing ship

South Korea launched and christened its newest Navy landing ship Thursday, the state arms procurement agency said.It is the fourth vessel built in the LST-II program designed to replace the smaller amphibious landing ships currently in operation. The 2,600-ton Go Jun Bong-class, or LST-I, landing ship has a single helipad that is used just for take-off and landing. The 4,900-ton Cheon Wang Bong-class ship, on the other hand, has two helipads and can accommodate choppers, mechanized landing craft

Nov. 2, 2017

Opposition party calls THAAD deal with China 'humiliating diplomacy'

The minor opposition Bareun Party criticized the government Wednesday for reaching what it calls a "humiliating" deal with China to end the row over South Korea's hosting of the US THAAD missile defense system.South Korea and China announced the deal Tuesday, ending more than a year of tensions sparked by Seoul's decision to host a THAAD battery to better defend against North Korea. China strongly protested the decision and took a series of economic retaliatory measures.In Tuesday's agreement, t

Nov. 1, 2017

Moon says Korea will neither develop nor possess nuclear arms

South Korea will neither develop nor possess nuclear arms, President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday, amid conservative opposition parties' call to redeploy US tactical nuclear weapons.Moon also renewed his call on North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions."In accordance with the declaration of denuclearization jointly announced by the South and the North, a nuclear-armed North Korea can neither be tolerated nor accepted. We too will not develop or possess nukes," the president said in his second

Nov. 1, 2017

Korean defense chief to visit Middle East

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo will leave for the Middle East later Wednesday to inspect the nation's troops deployed there, his ministry announced.Song is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Lebanon to meet the troops from Friday till Sunday.It will be his first trip to the region since taking office in July. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo visiting a front-line unit. (Yonhap)He plans to "eat and sleep" with the South Korean soldiers to experience th

Nov. 1, 2017

Trump not to visit Korean demilitarized zone: senior official

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump will not visit the Korean demilitarized zone when he travels to South Korea next week, a senior US government official said Tuesday.Speculation had been rife that Trump may visit the de facto border between the two Koreas to send a message to Pyongyang amid its nuclear and ballistic missile threats.But the official cited scheduling issues and said the president will instead visit a major US military base during his Nov. 7-8 trip to South Korea."The preside

Nov. 1, 2017

[Focus] Korea, China agree to disagree on THAAD

 　After months of a diplomatic spat, South Korea and China are finally in a mood to patch things up. But their detente cleverly circumvents the main point of their contention -- THAAD -- leaving many to wonder what will happen to the US missile defense system in South Korea that China has so strongly opposed. 　　Seoul and Beijing said Tuesday they agreed to talk through military channels about the disputed deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system here. 　While ther

Oct. 31, 2017

Korean, Chinese militaries likely to restore dialogue channels

As South Korea and China agreed Tuesday to mend ties strained by their row over the THAAD missile defense system, the question of how soon they will restart their military consultation channels has arisen."Currently, there's no official dialogue channel with the Chinese defense authorities," a South Korean defense ministry official said. "(We) are considering various ways to establish it."The neighboring countries had regular consultations on military issues before their ties soured amid dispute

Oct. 31, 2017

US reassures allies of full ‘extended deterrence’ against N. Korea’s threats

The top military officers of South Korea, the US and Japan have reaffirmed their close cooperation in dealing firmly with North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, according to a joint statement issued Monday.Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo and Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano -- in Hawaii on Sunday (local time).A press release said, "(The military heads) called u

Oct. 30, 2017

Korea not mulling any more THAAD deployments: foreign minister

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told lawmakers Monday South Korea is not considering any additional deployment of a US missile defense system called THAAD.She also reiterated that the country won't participate in the US-led missile defense networks."We are not considering any additional THAAD deployment," Kang told a parliamentary audit of the foreign ministry in Seoul.The US military has installed a THAAD battery that includes six missile launchers in the southeastern town of Seongju.The move c

Oct. 30, 2017

Bill submitted for parliamentary audit of CFC

An opposition lawmaker said Monday he has proposed a bill to the National Assembly aiming to have the Korea-US Combined Forces Command undergo parliamentary audit, criticizing the bilateral organization for failing to share critical information with the legislative body in Seoul. Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the People’s Party said the legislative proposal was submitted on Friday to mandate the CFC commander -- assumed by a US four-star general -- testify before South Korean legislators about security a

Oct. 30, 2017

Korean Navy to get new 230-ton border patrol ship

A new high-speed patrol boat will be delivered to South Korea's Navy on Monday, the first of several 230-ton vessels to replace aging ones in operation near the tense inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea, the country's arms agency said.The Navy will receive the new 230-ton patrol killer medium rocket ship in a ceremony to be held at Busan shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.It will be deployed to western front-line waters near the

Oct. 30, 2017