Carl Vinson enters Busan to join annual drills

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier on Wednesday arrived at South Korea's southern port of Busan to participate in the ongoing joint exercises by Seoul and Washington in the latest show of force against North Korea, the US military said.The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is anchored at the port of Busan on March 15, 2017. (Yonhap)The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier plans to conduct bilateral exercises with forces from the South Korean Navy in the waters around the Korean Peninsula during the

March 15, 2017

S. Korea's security chief to discuss NK threats, alliance with US counterpart

South Korea's presidential security advisor said Wednesday he will hold talks with his US counterpart this week over North Korea's growing military threats and ways to further strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance.Kim Kwan-jin, the chief of the National Security Office, made the remarks shortly before departing for Washington for talks with H.R. McMaster, the US national security adviser. Kim will stay in the US capital for two days and return home on Friday. Kim Kwan-jin, the chief of the Na

March 15, 2017

USS Carl Vinson to arrive at South Korea for joint drills

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is to arrive at South Korea on Wednesday to participate in the allies’ annual military exercise as an extended deterrence measure against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, the US military said Tuesday. USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, including its flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Carrier Air Wing 2 and USS Wayne E. Meyer destroyer, will make a port call at a naval base in Busan, according to US Naval Forces Korea. USS

March 14, 2017

Gov't reorganizes public security ministry to better respond to NK threats

South Korea has reorganized the public security ministry to beef up its emergency response capability, officials said Tuesday, in the wake of North Korea's recent missile provocations and its apparent use of a lethal chemical agent to kill its leader's half brother.The Ministry of Public Safety and Security has elevated the status of its emergency civil defense policy division by putting it under the vice minister's office and created a crisis management support team tasked with preparing agains

March 14, 2017

Army special forces conduct exercise on N. Korean terrorist attacks

South Korean Army commandos conducted an exercise Tuesday to simulate fending off North Korean terrorist attacks.About 200 special operations forces joined the one-day drill in the compound of the Army's 2nd Operational Command in Daegu, 302 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Army.A total of 18 military helicopters were mobilized, practicing quickly transporting backup forces to battle fields or strategically relocating combat forces.Under a scenario of the North Korean military carryin

March 14, 2017

Joint military drills with US to bolster defense: minister

South Korea's defense minister on Tuesday stressed the importance of joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, saying that they will help bolster the South's defensive power, ministry officials said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo made the remark during his visit to the command post of South Korea-US Combined Forces Command as the allies kicked off their military drills on March 1.Defense Minister Han Min-koo visits the Marine Corps Command in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on Feb. 20, 2017

March 14, 2017

Acting president orders vigilance against NK provocations

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn ordered troops Tuesday to be on guard against North Korea's possible provocations in the wake of President Park Geun-hye's ouster.Hwang made the remark during a visit to the wartime command post of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where South Korea-US military drills are under way. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)It marked his first on-site inspection since the Constitutional Court ruled to dismiss Park over a corruption scand

March 14, 2017

Korea, US, Japan begin missile warning exercise

South Korea, Japan and the United States began a missile warning drill meant to enhance trilateral cooperation in detecting and tracing North Korean missiles, the South Korean Navy said Tuesday.During the simulation exercise in the sea between South Korea and Japan, three Aegis-equipped destroyers -- Sejongdaewang from South Korea, Curtis Wilbur from the US and Kirishima from Japan -- will detect and trace a mock hostile target fired as if by the North, according to the Navy.The three countries

March 14, 2017

USS Carl Vinson to visit Korea for joint drills

The US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson plans to arrive in South Korea this week for joint military drills in the country, the US military said Monday, in the latest show of force against North Korea.The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, which will lead the Carl Vinson Strike Group, is set to make a port call in Busan, about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Wednesday to participate in the allies' annual drills.USFK Commander Vincent K. Brooks (far left) and Seoul's JCS Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin (4

March 14, 2017

US to deploy Gray Eagle drone in S. Korea to bolster defense against NK threats: State Department

The US plan to deploy a military drone in South Korea is part of efforts to bolster defenses for the Asian ally and American interests against North Korean threats in addition to the THAAD missile defense system, the State Department said Monday.State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner made the remark, confirming Yonhap News Agency's report that the US Army plans to permanently station a Gray Eagle unmanned aerial system company at Gunsan Air Base in South Korea to enhance its strike capabil

March 14, 2017

THAAD deployment unrelated to political situation in Korea: State Department official

The United States believes the ongoing deployment of the THAAD missile defense system has nothing to do with the political situation in South Korea because it's a "very utterly reasonable step" against North Korean threats, a senior State Department official said Monday.Acting Assistant Secretary Susan Thornton made the remark during a Foreign Press Center briefing previewing Secretary of State Rex Tilleron's upcoming trip to Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing as South Korea prepares to elect a new leader

March 14, 2017

THAAD, ‘decapitation’ raid add to allies’ new drills

South Korea and the US launched their annual Key Resolve military exercise Monday, which involves scenarios for the employment of US anti-missile assets and special warfare forces tasked with removing North Korea’s leadership in a contingency. For the first time, the allies are expected to apply an operational guideline to use the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery during the initial phase of the computer-based drill to intercept incoming ballistic missiles from the North. Fighter jets,

March 13, 2017

Boeing wins 5-year contract to sustain Korea's F-15K fleet

Boeing has won a five-year contract to continue to provide maintenance services for South Korea's F-15K aircraft, the US aircraft company said Monday.Boeing has been sustaining the Korean Air Force's F-15K fleet since 2012, the St. Louis-based aircraft maker said in a statement released on Sunday (US time)."This approach guarantees materials and technical support required for aircraft maintenance over many years while managing costs," Tim Buerk, director of Boeing's F-15 sustainment in the Far E

March 13, 2017

US to deploy unmanned attack aircraft to Korea: source

The United States will deploy an unmanned attack aircraft to its military unit in South Korea to enhance its strike capabilities against ground targets in North Korea, a military official said Monday. "The US Army has begun the process to dispatch a squadron, which will operate the Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft, to a US unit in Gunsan (274 kilometers south of Seoul)," the official told Yonhap News Agency asking not to be identified.Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft (Yonhap)Escalating nuclear and missi

March 13, 2017

Air Force drilling to counter N. Korean provocations

South Korea's Air Force said Monday that they are conducting a weeklong air combat exercise this week to practice their readiness against possible provocations from North Korea and their counterattack operations.Some 50 Air Force assets, including the F-15K and FA-50 fighters, and 500 airmen from 15 Air Force units are mobilized for the drill which began last Friday, the Air Force said in a statement.Air Force fighters participating in a drill. (Yonhap)The "Soaring Eagle" exercise, which runs th

March 13, 2017

Top Korea, US military officials visit Carl Vinson aircraft

Top South Korean and US military officials on Sunday visited an aircraft carrier taking part in the ongoing joint military exercises, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. JCS Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin and Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of US forces in South Korea, visited the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during the annual drill. "The aircraft carrier group's participation in the Foal Eagle exercise shows that US strategic assets could be deployed at any time to the K

March 13, 2017

Allies to hold annual Key Resolve exercise

South Korea and the United States will begin the Key Resolve joint military exercise Monday amid heightening tensions following the North's recent missile test and the killing of its leader's half brother, the defense ministry said.The computer-simulated command post exercise will be held until March 24.During the period the ministry plans to heighten the level of alertness against the North's possible provocations. The allies are also conducting Foal Eagle, a field training exercise involving g

March 12, 2017

Korea plans to study how to use drones for 'swarming warfare'

The South Korean Army plans to study ways to introduce "swarming warfare" in its tactical operations, which uses scores of drones equipped with high explosive bombs, a military official here said Sunday. "We're planning to make a full-fledged research on applying military swarming, which is already in operational use in the United States, China and Russia, to our ground and naval operations," the official said. A group of 300 drones flies at a military festival at South Korea's military headquar

March 12, 2017

Defense chief calls for vigilance following Park's ouster

South Korea's top military officials on Friday called for vigilance against any possible North Korean provocations following the Constitutional Court's ruling to remove President Park Geun-hye from office. In a video conference with military commanders, Defense Minister Han Min-koo told them to maintain watertight vigilance against the North, the defense ministry said in a statement. In this photo, taken on March 10, 2017, and provided by the defense ministry, Defense Minister Han Min-koo holds

March 10, 2017

THAAD deployment won't be affected by Park's ouster

South Korea's military on Friday vowed to push ahead with the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system "as quickly as possible," unaffected by the political crisis following the ouster of President Park Geun-hye.Currently, Seoul and Washington plan to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea in a couple of months. (Yonhap)As the Constitutional Court approved the president's impeachment, the allies are expected to advance the deployment before a presidentia

March 10, 2017