Defense chief orders immediate retaliation to NK provocations

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday instructed troops not to hesitate to take retaliatory actions in the event of a North Korea attack.Inspecting a coastline guard post of the Army's 32nd Infantry Division, Han stressed the need for "perfect" combat posture both on the front lines and in the rear.  South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a visit to an Army command post in this file photo provided by his ministry. (Yonhap)"There shouldn't be any disorder even by

March 29, 2017

Korea to send replacement peacekeeping troops to Lebanon

Hundreds of South Korean troops will be dispatched to Lebanon next month to join the UN-led peacekeeping operations, the Army said Wednesday.South Korea has stationed the Dongmyeong Unit there since 2007 as part of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon. Dongmyeong means light from east.South Korean soldiers to be dispatched to Lebanon salute during a send-off ceremony in this file photo. (Yonhap)As South Korea's longest-serving military unit abroad, Dongmyeong is tasked with surveillance and patrol o

March 29, 2017

NK inches closer to testing nukes

North Korea might have dispatched a fresh batch of devices needed to initiate a nuclear test and analyze data from the explosion, a US think tank said Wednesday, fueling speculation that the communist regime has inched closer to conducting another nuclear test. Analysis of commercial satellite imagery at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site by 38 North, a blog run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, showed three to four vehicles or trailers at the entrance to the North Portal, whe

March 29, 2017

US Stryker team participates in joint drills in Korea

Thousands of US rapid response troops, including the Stryker team, are taking part in a joint exercise in South Korea, the US military said Wednesday, as tensions run high on the peninsula amid North Korea's saber-rattling.The Army's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team has been deployed here for the ongoing Foal Eagle exercise after the Cobra Gold training in Thailand, according to the US Pacific CommandThe Stryker unit, code-named Task Force Ghost, is a motorized infantry force known for increased

March 29, 2017

S. Korea, US practice destroying N. Korean chemical weapons

South Korea and the United States recently conducted a joint exercise on destroying North Korean chemical weapons, officials said Sunday.The US Forces Korea said the two nations practiced removing the lethal nerve agent sarin at a shooting range in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, on Tuesday and Wednesday. South Korean and US troops take part in a joint exercise on destroying North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles facilities in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)During the exercise,

March 26, 2017

US Aegis destroyer visits Jeju naval base for first time

SEOGUIPO -- A US Aegis destroyer visited South Korea's naval base on the southern resort island of Jeju on Saturday, becoming the first foreign warship to visit the base since it opened in February last year, officials said.The 8,400-ton USS Stethem arrived at the base at around 9:50 a.m. for a two-day stay, after participating in the Foal Eagle joint military drills with South Korea in the East Sea from March 17-21, according to the officials. An Aegis-equipped US destroyer USS Stethem enters S

March 25, 2017

Think tank proposes defense budget increase to deter N. Korea

South Korea's state-run think tank on diplomacy on Saturday called for a temporary hike in the nation's defense budget to secure sufficient deterrence against North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Yun Duk-min, chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, proposed in a website post that the Seoul government increase its defense budget by about 3 trillion won ($2.8 billion) annually for the time being in order to establish reliable deterrents against the North's nuclear threats. Yun Duk-mi

March 25, 2017

US stealth fighters carry out precision bombing drill in Korea

Several F-35B stealth fighter jets conducted bombing practice on the Korean Peninsula earlier this week in support of joint training between South Korean and US marines, military authorities and sources said Saturday.The US Marine Corps F-35 Lightning II aircraft are known to have returned to Japan after the Korea Marine Exercise Program as part of the allies' annual joint combined defense drills. The US Marine Corps F-35 Lightning II aircraft in a photo provided by the US Forces Korea. (Yonhap)

March 25, 2017

US fighter's fuel tanks fall on Saemangeum lake

A US Air Force fighter in training in the skies over South Korea's southwestern coast jettisoned two fuel tanks due to an emergency earlier this week, US military officials said Friday.The fuel tanks fell on a fresh water lake at the Saemangeum Reclaimed Land in Gunsan, about 274 kilometers south of Seoul, but no casualties were reported, said the officials. F-16 fighter (Yonhap file photo)The incident occurred at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, when an F-16 fighter belonging to the US Air Force's 8th F

March 24, 2017

Korean military under political attack over NK missile info

South Korea's defense ministry came under fire Thursday for its alleged failure to disclose information promptly on North Korea's missile launch the previous day, which apparently ended in failure.The news on the secretive communist nation's missile firing was first released by a Japanese news outlet. Kyodo news service, quoting an unnamed government source, reported late Wednesday morning that the North seemed to have tested "several missiles" probably from its east cost. It cited the possibili

March 23, 2017

Korea, France to discuss military partnership this week

South Korea and France will hold senior-level military talks this week on ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation on regional and global security issues, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.Wee Seung-ho, deputy minister for policy, plans to attend the South Korea-France National Defense Strategic Dialogue in Paris from Thursday till Sunday, it added. His French counterpart will be Philippe Errera, director of strategic affairs of its defense ministry.South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo

March 23, 2017

S. Korea vigilant against N. Korea's ICBM, nuke test

North Korea is highly likely to fire more missiles in the coming weeks as its military prepares to wrap up months of winter training, defense officials and experts here said Thursday."Chances are high that North Korea may soon take additional provocative steps," a senior defense ministry official said on background. "A key concern is whether it will test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile or conduct a nuclear test." This undated file photo shows North Korea launching a ballistic missile.

March 23, 2017

B-1B bomber holds attack drill in Korea

A US strategic bomber trained with South Korean fighter jets Wednesday over the peninsula, sending a strong warning message to North Korea, according to the allies.They said the B-1B conducted an immediate deployment and simulation-based bombing drill in case of any emergency on the peninsula. Initially, two B-1Bs were scheduled to be deployed but there was a "mechanical" problem with one, an informed source said. A B-1B bomber in a photo provided by the US Air Force. (Yonhap)Flying over the isl

March 22, 2017

US nuclear submarine joins combined exercise in Korea

A fast-attack nuclear-powered US submarine has joined an annual combined military exercise in South Korea in the latest show of force against North Korea, a defense source here said Tuesday."The US Navy's USS Columbus (SSN-762) is participating in the Foal Eagle exercise," the official said. USS Columbus, a US nuclear-powered submarine (Yonhap)It is the third high-profile strategic defense asset of the US to be deployed here for the drill after aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and two B-IB bombe

March 21, 2017

Korean military says hacking threats growing

Hacking attempts on the South Korean military's computer networks have markedly increased this month amid strained ties with China and North Korea's continued belligerence, the defense authorities said Tuesday."Recently, attempts to breach (our) cyber networks have somewhat increased," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press briefing.But there has been no actual damage, he added.He did not elaborate on the source of the cyberthreats he mentioned.Another

March 21, 2017

Defense minister declares no retreat on national security issues

South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo stressed Monday there will be no "compromise or concession" on issues directly related to national security when inspecting the ongoing annual combined military training with the United States.In contemporary wars, he said, it's important to secure the capability of sustaining fighting if necessary through the rapid deployment of additional troops and stable logistical support, he said. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a visit to

March 20, 2017

Carl Vinson arrives in Busan for joint military drills

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived at a port in Busan on Wednesday to take part in the annual military drills by Seoul and Washington in a naval show of force against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier made a port call at a naval base in South Korea’s Fleet Command, along with the Carrier Air Wing 2 and USS Wayne E. Meyer destroyer, which constitute Carrier Strike Group 1. The group left San Diego on Jan. 5 and arrived in the

March 15, 2017

THAAD is for self-defense solely aimed at NK missiles: official

The ongoing deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea is a self-defense measure aimed solely at North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, a senior foreign ministry official here said Wednesday.South Korea and the US recently started the process of installing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.They said that it is aimed at better coping with the North's missile threats, but China has voiced strong objection claiming that the shield equipped with a strong radar could be u

March 15, 2017

S. Korea, US Marine Corps chiefs call for vigilance against N. Korea WMDs

Marine Corps officials from South Korea and the United States on Wednesday called on troops to stay vigilant against  threats of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction.South Korean Marine Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Lee Sang-hoon and Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, visited the 6th brigade on Baengnyeong Island near the western maritime border with North Korea, to check military readiness against the North and discuss countermeasures, the

March 15, 2017