Korea to send 12th team of soldiers to UAE in military ties

South Korea plans to send more than 130 soldiers to the United Arab Emirates Friday to replace a similar number of service members tasked with boosting bilateral military cooperation, the defense ministry said.The 139-strong unit, composed of the Navy's UDT/SEAL and other special operation forces, will carry out the duty of helping train the Middle Eastern country's special forces and protect South Korean residents there in case of an emergency, the ministry said in a statement. In this photo ta

March 10, 2017

FM Yun vows no policy change after Park's impeachment

South Korea's foreign minister called for diplomats stationed overseas on Friday to do their utmost in assuring host countries that there will be no change in policy direction even after the president was impeached, the ministry said.(Yonhap)Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se made the appeal in a telegram sent to diplomats working at the country's overseas missions after the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Park Geun-hye over a massive influence-peddling scandal.The court ruling immedia

March 10, 2017

Seoul rejects Beijing's proposal to halt joint drills with US

South Korea's military said Thursday the joint annual exercises with the United States will continue as planned one day after China requested a halt. On Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed that North Korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities in return for a halt in the war drills by Seoul and Washington. Defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun (Yonhap)In response, Moon Sang-gyun, spokesman for South Korea's defense ministry, said in a press briefing, "The joint exercise

March 9, 2017

White House: THAAD 'critical' to S. Korea's defense

The US THAAD missile defense system being installed in South Korea is "critical" to defending the Asian ally from North Korean threats, the White House said Wednesday."We're very troubled by the launch of missiles that have occurred from North Korea. I think that's why the THAAD missile system that we've started to deploy into South Korea is so important," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said at a regular briefing."We're continuing to work with the government of South Korea to make sure

March 9, 2017

Acting president renews vow to carry out THAAD deployment

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday reiterated Seoul's determination to press ahead with the installation of a US missile defense system to the peninsula despite strong objections from China and liberal opposition parties.During a joint commissioning ceremony of major military academies, Hwang underscored the need to install a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in the South to cope with North Korea's possible nuclear provocations.Acting President

March 8, 2017

THAAD radar system to be delivered this month: source

The powerful "X-band" radar, a core part of the advanced US missile defense system being deployed in South Korea, will be delivered within this month, a military official said Wednesday.On Monday night, two missile launchers and other equipment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul."X-band" radar (Yonhap)"The radar system for THAAD will be delivered within this month to undergo an operational test," the official tol

March 8, 2017

Korea begins THAAD deployment: military

In a surprise move, South Korea and the United States began deploying the highly controversial anti-missile system here, just hours after North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles that it said were aimed at US bases in Japan. The allies confirmed Tuesday that two launchers of the US’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system arrived in South Korea’s Osan Air Base late Monday via the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. They are the first batch of the missile defense system designed to enhan

March 7, 2017

US missile systems form shield against N. Korean threats

A US missile defense system being deployed here is expected to enhance the capabilities of Seoul and Washington to counter Pyongyang's escalating missile threats, though it may not be a panacea, officials and experts here said Tuesday.The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system will form an effective multiple-interception system at the terminal phase when it goes together with the PAC-3 system, they said. THAAD is designed to intercept short and mid-range missiles which have a range of up to

March 7, 2017

S. Korea reiterates nuke-free stance amid talk of redeploying US nukes to Korea

South Korea will stick to its policy of keeping the Korean Peninsula free of any nuclear weapons, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid growing talk of the US' possible deployment of its tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea to tackle North Korea's nuclear threats."I am aware that the various opinions are laid out amid North Korea's ever-increasing nuclear threats," ministry spokesman Cho Jung-hyuck said in a press briefing, referring to a recent US news report that the Donald Trump administ

March 7, 2017

Annual excavation of war dead to begin next week

The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that its annual excavation work for the remains of South Korean soldiers who fell during the 1950-53 Korean War will kick off in Gapyeong, east of Seoul, next Monday.This year's excavation will continue through Nov. 10 in fiercely contested areas during the war, the ministry said. (Yonhap)Some 100,000 soldiers will participate in the eight-month project with a goal of excavating about 700 remains of soldiers killed during the war and identifying them

March 7, 2017

US begins THAAD deployment in Korea

The United States has begun the process of deploying an advanced missile defense system to South Korea, the US and South Korean militaries said Tuesday, a day after North Korea test-fired four ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan.Seoul and Washington have said the system is purely defensive and poses no threat to other countries in the region. But China has explicitly opposed it, saying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system's powerful radars could be used against it.Parts of THAAD

March 7, 2017

Seoul to push for tougher sanctions on NK missiles

The South Korean government and the ruling party agreed on the need to push for more "effective" sanctions to counter North Korea's persistent provocations Tuesday, a day after Pyongyang fired off four ballistic missiles into the East Sea.The government and the Liberty Korea Party also agreed to closely communicate with Washington through the two-plus-two consultative institution, a key dialogue channel involving top defense and diplomatic officials, the party's policy chief Lee Hyun-jae told re

March 7, 2017

S. Korea capable of fending off NK missiles: defense minister

Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Monday that South Korea is capable of defending itself from any missiles launched by North Korea, after Pyongyang fired four projectiles earlier in the day.During his meeting with lawmakers, Han said North Korean missiles targeting the (southern part of) Korean Peninsula can be blocked with the South's defense systems under development, such as long-range surface-to-air missiles, mid-range surface-to-air missiles, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batte

March 6, 2017

Possibility of US redeploying tactical nukes in South Korea fuels fresh controversy

The possibility of the United States redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on South Korean soil to counter North Korea’s evolving military threat is expected to fuel a fresh debate on national defense, sources said Sunday.The debate comes as the weekend issue of the New York Times reported that in the most recent meeting of US President Donald Trump’s national security deputies, discussion took place on the option of basing tactical nukes on the Korean Peninsula.The news outlet said the exchange

March 5, 2017

S. Korea, US hold training to counter NK weapons of mass destruction

South Korea and the United States conducted a joint exercise last month to seize and destroy North Korean weapons of mass destruction, according to the US military.More than 400 soldiers, including 200 Korean Army soldiers, took part in the Warrior Strike 5 exercise at a live fire complex in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, from Feb. 14-17, the US 2nd Infantry Division's Web page showed. In this photo taken during a joint exercise to counter WMDs held last month in Pocheon, just north of S

March 3, 2017

THAAD to be installed as planned: acting president

South Korea will push forward with the installation of an advanced US missile defense system despite objections raised by China, Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Friday"The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery is a vital defense measure to meet national security needs and protect people's lives from North Korea's nuke and missile threats. I reiterate that it will not affect any other third country," Hwang said. "As China's protest against the deploy

March 3, 2017

F-35B stealth fighter to join S. Korea-US joint drill: sources

The US Air Force's F-35B stealth fighter will take part in the ongoing Foal Eagle joint exercise with South Korea to hone its precision strike capabilities, military officials familiar with the matter said Thursday. The F-35B Lightening II fighter is expected to carry out ground attack maneuvers during the two-month-long exercise between Seoul and Washington, the officials told Yonhap News Agency asking not to be identified.  In this photo taken on Oct. 25, 2016, and provided by the US Departmen

March 2, 2017

S. Korea, Finland defense chiefs to hold talks on ties, deals

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Finland held talks in Seoul on Thursday to enhance bilateral defense relations, military officials said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Finnish counterpart Jussi Niinistö discussed measures to promote military exchanges and defense industry cooperation, the defense ministry said in a statement. Finnish counterpart Jussi Niinistö (Defense Ministry)Han briefed Niinistö on threats posed by the North's nuclear and missile programs, the statement said."He as

March 2, 2017

Allies’ security chiefs vow prompt THAAD deployment

The security chiefs of South Korea and the US on Wednesday vowed to accelerate bilateral efforts to station an advanced US missile defense system here, as the allies kicked off a joint annual military exercise designed to defend against North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations. During their first phone call, National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster reaffirmed the need to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here “without a

March 1, 2017