Korean defense firms vigilant against hacking: ministry

South Korean defense firms are stepping up efforts to fight hacking, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday, following a news report that North Korea stole secret information on submarine-based missile launch technology from a company here.Among 99 defense firms in the South, around 70 percent are preparing to separate their internal networks from outside web services, the ministry's spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said, citing data compiled in early July."The remaining companies are also making

Sept. 26, 2017

Korea's military to buy more advanced trainer jets

South Korea's military has decided to purchase more T-50 advanced trainer jets from a local producer, the nation's arms agency said Monday.The decision was made at the 105th session of the weapons procurement committee, presided over by Defense Minister Song Young-moo, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.The panel did not specify the model or number of planes to be bought, only saying it will be a "domestic purchase" program.It strongly indicates that the T-50 Golden Eagl

Sept. 25, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Seoul not as vulnerable as it seems’

   For most South Koreans, war with North Korea is something unfathomable. Regardless of its outcome, they are convinced any armed conflict here would end with millions of casualties and the complete devastation of the South’s flourishing economy. 　Such worries are shaped by the notion that Seoul and its surrounding provinces, home to some 25 million Koreans and well within the range of the communist North’s artillery and ballistic missiles, would be reduced to ashes if attacked. 　Although Seoul

Sept. 25, 2017

Korea, US to hold defense talks this week

South Korea and the United States will hold working-level defense talks in Seoul later this week on North Korea and pending alliance issues, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.The two-day Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue meeting, the 12th of its kind, is to open Thursday at the ministry's building in Seoul. This image representing South Korea-US defense talks was provided by Yonhap News TV. (Yonhap)The two sides plan to discuss a range of security issues including policy coordinati

Sept. 25, 2017

Korean National Defense University relocation done: ministry

The relocation of South Korea's state defense university to a city south of Seoul has been completed after a decade of administrative and construction works, the defense ministry said Monday.Defense Minister Song Young-moo plans to host a ceremony Tuesday to mark the end of the Korean National Defense University's 62-year-long presence in Seoul and the opening of the new campus in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province.More than 600 dignitaries and others are expected to attend the event to be held

Sept. 25, 2017

Korean military to share anti-chemical expertise with OPCW members

South Korea's military unit tasked with chemical, biological and radiological defense said Monday it will offer international training this week in partnership with a relevant global agency.Fifteen delegates from a dozen Asian member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will join the five-day program to open here later in the day, according to the CBR Defense Command.The countries include Nepal, Pakistan, Iran and the Philippines, it added. This file photo shows for

Sept. 25, 2017

Moon convenes NSC meeting to curb additional provocations by N. Korea

President Moon Jae-in convened a National Security Council meeting on Sunday to monitor North Korea and review South Korea's countermeasures for potential provocations by the communist country, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.President Moon Jae-in. YonhapThe plenary NSC meeting was held in the evening for more than two hours and brought together Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, the chiefs of the unification, defense, and home ministries as well as the presidential chief of staff, Moon's ch

Sept. 24, 2017

Defense industry's job creation stays low: report

The South Korean defense industry's job creation remains much lower than that in the United States and Israel despite Seoul's large defense spending, a report said Sunday.South Korea's defense spending accounts for approximately 10 percent of its overall budget, but the industry takes up a mere 0.9 percent of total manufacturing jobs, according to the report by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a visit to the defense ministry on May 17, 2

Sept. 24, 2017

Army general arrested on bribery charges

South Korea's military court issued a warrant for the arrest of Army Gen. Park Chan-ju accused of receiving bribes from a civilian firm seeking favors in a base-related project during his service as the commanding general of the 2nd Operational Command. (Yonhap)Park was removed from the commanding post last month amid fierce public criticism over his alleged abuse of power and human rights violations against "housekeeping soldiers," who were assigned to serve at his residence.ABMilitary prosecut

Sept. 21, 2017

US-based artillery unit comes to South Korea for firing drill

The United States military on Thursday deployed an artillery unit to South Korea and conducted a live-fire exercise, showcasing the ability to rapidly deploy its units in the event of contingency on the Korean Peninsula. According to the 8th Army in Seoul, its components and the US-based 18th Field Artillery Brigade conducted the joint training in Daecheon, South Chungcheong Province. The artillery brigade departed on Wednesday from its base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.Titled as “Emergency Dep

Sept. 21, 2017

US-based artillery unit holds firing drills in Korea

A US-based agile Army artillery unit conducted a live-fire exercise along the west coast of South Korea on Thursday, demonstrating its precision-strike capability in rapid deployment, US Forces Korea said.The USFK's Eighth Army said it staged the joint training in Daecheon, South Chungcheong Province, with the 18th Field Artillery Brigade based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.The Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise focused on honing the artillery unit's ability to deploy forces to the peninsul

Sept. 21, 2017

Korean defense minister visits DMZ

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Thursday inspected the front-line vigilance of the country's troops and ordered them to retaliate swiftly against any attacks.Song visited a guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone, along with Rep. Kim Young-woo, chairman of the National Assembly's committee on national defense, according to his ministry.  South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo (2nd from R) and Rep. Kim Young-woo Kim (L), chairman of the National Assembly`s committee on nati

Sept. 21, 2017

Korea's military postpones launch of reserve force command

South Korea's defense ministry has delayed the creation of an Army command tasked with mobilizing reserve forces, officials said Thursday.The move is in line with the Moon Jae-in administration's wider plan to reform the nation's 625,000-strong troops confronting North Korea's 1.1 million armed forces.Early this year, the ministry announced a plan to establish the new unit, named the Mobilization Force Command. It was reported to then Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, who was in charge of state af

Sept. 21, 2017

Korea, China hold high-level military talks amid THAAD row

Senior South Korean and Chinese military officials held bilateral talks here on Wednesday amid drawn-out diplomatic standoffs between the neighboring countries, South Korea's Army said.The half-an-hour meeting between Gen. Kim Yong-woo, the South Korean Army chief of staff, and Lt. Gen. You Haitao, deputy commander of the Chinese Army, took place on the sidelines of the 10th Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference underway in Seoul.You is leading China's delegation to the biennial conference. He is the

Sept. 20, 2017

Chinook choppers bought from USFK workable through 2030: military

South Korean military officials on Wednesday defended its purchase of more than a dozen 47-D Chinook helicopters from the US Forces Korea in 2014, amid brewing controversy over the decision by the former Park Geun-hye administration.The military bought 14 “outdated” Chinook choppers for 150 billion won ($130 million), according to Rep. Lee Chul-hee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.He said the helicopters were half a century old and it was even difficult to get new components. An undated f

Sept. 20, 2017

Korea denies report on agreement with US on nuclear-powered submarines

South Korea has no immediate plans to build nuclear-powered submarines nor has it discussed the issue with the United States, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.A South Korean newspaper reported that the allies have already reached an agreement on the issue and that it will soon be announced. Cheong Wa Dae (Yonhap)"The report about an agreement between South Korea and the US about nuclear-propelled submarines is not true, and no agreement of any sort has been

Sept. 20, 2017

Army chiefs of S. Korea, US, Japan discuss N. Korea

The top army officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan exchanged their views on North Korea on Tuesday at a meeting held on the sidelines of the 10th Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference, South Korea's Army said.Gen. Kim Yong-woo, the South Korean Army chief of staff, met with his American and Japanese counterpart -- Gen. Mark A. Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki -- in Seoul."(They) assessed the security conditions on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's nuclear and missile provocati

Sept. 19, 2017

Cabinet to approve measure giving male soldiers daily child care time

The Cabinet approved a measure Tuesday that would allow male soldiers, in addition to their female counterparts, to take an hour off every day for child care if they have very young children.Under the current law, only female soldiers are allowed to use the daily child care time if they have babies younger than 12 months old. But the Cabinet approved an enforcement ordinance giving the benefit to male soldiers too. (Yonhap)In addition, the measure also calls for giving both male and female soldi

Sept. 19, 2017

Vehicle paradropped from C-130 plane in training

A 2-ton military vehicle was unloaded from a C-130 Hercules transport plane flying over the southern region and landed at a targeted zone safely in air-drop training on Tuesday, South Korea's Air Force said.The 5th Tactical Airlift Wing staged the exercise in the vicinity of Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province, to hone its capability of delivering heavy equipment using cargo parachutes to areas where land transportation is restricted.The drill started with the unit's aerial delivery rigging team

Sept. 19, 2017

F-22s, F-35s to join Seoul air show: ministry

The US plans to send F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jets to the Seoul air show to be held next month, South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday.The Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition, or Seoul ADEX, will open Oct. 17 for a six-day run at Seoul Air Base, just south of the capital. More than 400 defense firms from 33 countries plan to participate in the biennial event, a combination of flying demonstrations, trade fair and expo, said the ministry. It is expect

Sept. 19, 2017