US defense bill calls for further bolstering alliance with Korea, including through THAAD deployment

The Senate-proposed US defense budget bill for next year calls for further strengthening the alliance with South Korea, including through the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system, congressional records showed Tuesday.The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, which was introduced by Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Monday, has a section devoted to the "importance of alliance" between the US and the South. (Yonhap)In the section, th

July 12, 2017

Korean Navy receives new advanced submarine

South Korea's Navy took over a new 1,800-ton submarine Monday aimed at beefing up its underwater warfare capability against North Korea, a state arms procurement agency said.The delivery ceremony of the Yu Gwan-sun submarine was held at the shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. on Geoje Island near the country's southeastern port city of Busan, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.The submarine, named after the Korean independence fighter Yu Gwan-sun (19

July 10, 2017

Korea's military holds precision-strike drills

In yet another show of force against North Korea, South Korea's Navy and Air Force conducted joint live-fire drills in the East Sea on Thursday, officials said.The exercise involved the 3,200-ton Yang Manchun destroyer, the 2,500-ton Chungbuk frigate, 13 other warships, the P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and Lynx multi-role planes, as well as FA-5, F-4E and KF-16 tactical fighter jets. (Yonhap)They launched various types of guided missiles, including the Harpoon, Haeseong-I and AGM-65

July 6, 2017

Allies respond with massive joint drill

South Korea and the United States conducted a massive joint missile exercise here Wednesday in a show of force after North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test a day earlier. The allies fired a barrage of missiles in the East Sea, including the US Army Tactical Missile System and South Korea’s Hyunmoo-2A, a ballistic missile with a range of 300 kilometers, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  South Korean and US troops hold a joint missile drill along the east coast of the Korean

July 5, 2017

Korea, US hold missile drills as NK claims key ICBM technology

South Korea and the United States staged a massive combined ballistic missile exercise Wednesday, sending a warning message to North Korea, the allies' militaries said, a day after the communist country claimed a successful long-range missile test.They fired a barrage of missiles, including the South's Hyunmoo-2A and the US Eighth Army's ATACMS, into the East Sea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.The Hyunmoo-2A is a ballistic missile with a range of 300 kilometers, and the ATACMS, or the A

July 5, 2017

[News Focus] Will OPCON transfer take place earlier than expected?

In peacetime, South Korea is in charge of its military forces. But when a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, the US is to take control of both South Korean military forces and the Americans stationed here.During his campaign, President Moon Jae-in had pledged to speed up the transfer of the wartime operation control, or OPCON, delayed by his predecessor. He has just got a major boost for the plan: US President Donald Trump’s consent. During their summit last week, Moon and Trump agreed to w

July 3, 2017

Multiple human remains unearthed at construction site

(Yonhap)Six human skeletons were found at a construction site for a parking lot in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Thursday. Five skeletons were unearthed 1.6 meters beneath a gingko tree aged around 50 years old, while another was found a meter away from the tree.Sokcho Police said the remains might belong to those who died during the Korean War, as the skeletons appear to have been buried some 50 to 60 years ago.  (Yonhap)Characteristics of the skeletons also suggested that some of the deceased were

June 29, 2017

Cracks found on Surion military helicopter's airframe: arms agency

South Korea's Army has resumed the operation of more than 60 Surion multiple-purpose choppers after grounding them for nearly three weeks for new cracks found on the airframe, a state arms procurement agency said Thursday.The Army's central joint technology committee made the decision earlier this week to permit the continued service of the indigenous rotorcraft in accordance with its analysis of the cause and flight stability, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. A file

June 29, 2017

Korea's ruling party leader to attend memorial for Helmut Kohl

South Korea's ruling party leader will attend a memorial for late former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl this week, the foreign ministry said Thursday.Kohl, who played a key role in German unification in 1990, died on June 16 at the age of 87. He served as chancellor for West Germany and the first chancellor of unified Germany from 1982-1998. Democratic Party leader Choo Mi-ae (Yonhap)Democratic Party leader Choo Mi-ae will join the European Ceremony of Honor to be held at the European Parliament

June 29, 2017

Moon says reducing military drills not an option, at least for now

AIR FORCE ONE -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday said reducing his country's joint military exercises with the United States was not an option for now, though it may be considered following what he called irreversible and verifiable steps by North Korea to denuclearize."First of all, the official position we have now is that North Korea's nuclear freeze and reduction of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States cannot be linked," Moon said."That has been

June 29, 2017

Korean Navy to have four new NLL patrol ships

South Korea's Navy announced a plan Wednesday to replace its naval patrol ships operating near the tense inter-Korean sea border with upgraded ones.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the country's arms procurement agency, said it has signed a 256-billion-won ($223 million) agreement with Hanjin Heavy Industries, a local shipyard, for four 200-ton high-speed patrol boats. An image of a Gumdoksuri-class high-speed patrol boat (Defense Acquisition Program Administration)The Gumdoksuri

June 28, 2017

Korea set to mass-produce new self-propelled 105 mm howitzer

South Korea said Wednesday it has completed the development of an upgraded 105 mm howitzer featuring increased agility and automated firing control.The self-propelled artillery system combines the existing 105 mm towed howitzer with a five-ton truck as its bed. The new self-propelled 105 mm howitzer (DAPA)The 105 mm howitzer with a range of around 11 kilometers is known for reliability, speed and accuracy.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the country's arms procurement agency, laun

June 28, 2017

Navy to commemorate 2002 naval skirmish with N. Korea

South Korea's Navy said Wednesday it plans to appoint the fathers of six sailors killed in the 2002 inter-Korean naval skirmish as "honorary captains" of the six warships named after the fallen soldiers.It's a symbolic measure to honor and commemorate the sacrifice of the sailors during the incident, called the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, which occurred just south of the Northern Limit Line, in the Yellow Sea. South Korean Army soldiers pay their respects to the six sailors killed in the 2002 i

June 28, 2017

Six KF-16 jets returning home after Alaska drills

Six South Korean fighter jets are flying back home Tuesday after participating in a multinational air combat training exercise led by Pacific Air Forces, the nation's Air Force said.The KF-16s took off earlier in the day from Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, where the annual RED FLAG-Alaska training was staged. South Korea`s KF-16 fighter jets fly over the Pacific with aerial refueling support from the US Air Force`s KC-135 Stratotanker on June 3, 2017, in this photo provided by South Korea`s A

June 27, 2017

Korea begins prototype production of light armed chopper

South Korea said Tuesday it has started to assemble the first prototype of a light armed helicopter with the goal of conducting a test flight in 2019.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the country's arms procurement agency, launched the development project in June 2015 to replace the aging 500MD and AH-1S choppers in partnership with Korea Aerospace Industries. A model of South Korea`s new light armed helicopter in a photo provided by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (

June 27, 2017

Nothing decided over THAAD environmental test: defense ministry

South Korea's defense ministry said Sunday it is reviewing ways to conduct an environmental survey for the US anti-missile system being deployed on its soil, but nothing specific has been decided. "The ministry is in talks with related government agencies over ways to adequately carry out an environmental assessment on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, and nothing at this stage has been decided yet," it said in a statement.  (Yonhap)The release came in response to some local media reports

June 25, 2017

THAAD deployment was ‘transparent’: US military

The US military in South Korea said Friday that the deployment process of the US advanced missile defense system in South Korea was “transparent,” in response to President Moon Jae-in’s claim that the process was mysteriously accelerated. In an email to The Korea Herald, the United States Forces Korea said that the US was fully transparent with the Korean government throughout the process, highlighting that Washington trusts South Korea’s official stance that the THAAD deployment was an alliance

June 25, 2017

THAAD controversy looms over Moon-Trump summit

The deepening controversy over the now suspended deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in South Korea will likely be one of the major issues to be discussed between their leaders when they meet in Washington later this month, experts said Sunday.South Korean President Moon Jae-in is to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday and Friday (local time) in their first face-to-face talk since they both took office. (Yonhap)The summit takes place amid growing worries that th

June 25, 2017