S. Korea military on high alert after Kim Jong-nam's death

South Korea's military is staying on high alert to counter any provocations by North Korea following the murder of the estranged half brother of the North's leader Kim Jong-un a week ago, the defense ministry said Monday."The North Korean military is conducting its regular winter drills and there is no unusual movement in the North. But because there can be a provocation at any time, we are fully prepared against all contingencies," Roh Jae-cheon, a spokesman for Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff, s

Feb. 20, 2017

Acting president calls for protection of high-profile NK defectors

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday called for the protection of high-profile North Korean defectors after the murder of the half brother of the communist state's leader Kim Jong-un earlier this week.Hwang made the call during a regular meeting of ministers over a series of pending issues, such as Pyongyang's potential provocations, the spread of foot-and-mouth disease and the country's rising jobless rate.This photo, taken on Feb. 9, 2017, shows Acting Pr

Feb. 17, 2017

S. Korea military on high readiness after death of NK leader's brother

South Korea's military said Thursday that it takes the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother very seriously and is maintaining a high level of readiness to deal with all threats to national security.In a press briefing, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it hasn't detected any unusual movement in North Korea following the suspected murder of Kim's estranged half-brother Jong-nam in Malaysia on Monday.  Kim Jong-nam, the elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yo

Feb. 16, 2017

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US to discuss NK nukes in Germany

Top diplomats of South Korea and the United States will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss their coordinated approach to North Korea and its nuclear weapons program.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is to have talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later in the day on the sidelines of the Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting that will be held until Friday in Bonn, Germany, according to the ministry.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (L) and Chinese Foreign Minister W

Feb. 16, 2017

Top diplomat to draw attention to gravity of NK threat in Germany meetings

South Korea's top diplomat said Wednesday that he will work to raise the awareness of the gravity and urgency of North Korea's nuclear threats during international events to be held in Germany this week.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is to leave for Bonn where a foreign ministers' meeting of a group of 20 countries will kick off on Thursday for a two-day run. He will also attend the Munich Security Conference that follows later in the week.   Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)Yun is seeking t

Feb. 15, 2017

US Navy ship makes a port call in Busan

An advanced US Navy ship that tracks and monitors ballistic missiles arrived in South Korea's southern port city of Busan on Wednesday, the Seoul military said. The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen pulled into port three days after North Korea test-fired a newly developed intermediate-range ballistic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine which is more powerful and harder to detect than a liquid-fueled rocket.This photo taken on Feb. 15, 2017, shows the The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25) anchored in

Feb. 15, 2017

Assassination, missile test highlight need of THAAD deployment: Bareun lawmaker

Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party said Wednesday the assassination of the North Korean leader's half brother should be a wake-up call about the regime's unpredictable nature. Yoo, a potential presidential candidate, said South Korea should be ready and resolved to deal with the dangerous enemy, calling for an expanded deployment of an advanced US missile shield in the country.Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Feb. 15, 2017. (

Feb. 15, 2017

Lawmaker calls for revision to anti-missile defense systems

A senior South Korean lawmaker on Tuesday called for a revision to the missile defense system sought by the country by the mid-2020s as North Korean missiles will likely become harder to detect before launch. The upcoming "kill chain" strike system and the Korean Air and Missile Defense system are both designed to detect and destroy incoming missiles in the shortest possible time. In this captured image from North Korea's state-owned Korean Central News Agency, the Pukguksong-2 missile flies aft

Feb. 15, 2017

Acting president to hold top security meeting over death of NK leader's half brother

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will hold a National Security Council meeting to discuss the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, his office said.The NSC Standing Committee session, which is to begin at 8:50 a.m., will bring together top security and diplomatic officials, including the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and unification, and the head of the National Intelligence Service. Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap

Feb. 15, 2017

Parties urge gov't to beef up security after murder of NK leader's half brother

South Korean parties on Wednesday expressed concerns over the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, urging the government to keep vigilant on possible provocations by the North.Sources said Kim Jong-nam, the 45-year-old eldest son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was killed after being poisoned in Malaysia on Monday. This undated file photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Red

Feb. 15, 2017

S. Korea hails UNSC‘s prompt condemnation of N. Korean missile launch

South Korea on Tuesday welcomed the United Nations Security Council's prompt and strong response to North Korea's weekend missile test, saying it renewed international vigilance against North Korean provocations."(South Korea) appreciates the prompt and concerted issuance of a strong condemnation of North Korea's provocation by all UNSC member countries including China and Russia," Cho June-hyuck, spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press briefing.  The ministry spokesman Cho

Feb. 14, 2017

Korean naval unit to join EU counter-piracy operation next month

Korea's Cheonghae Unit will take part in a counter-piracy military operation led by the European Union for the first time next month, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The naval unit, currently stationed in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen, will partner with EU forces to prevent acts of piracy and armed robbery in the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. Korea's Cheonghae Unit (Yonhap)The Korean unit's participation in the international counter-piracy operatio

Feb. 14, 2017

US to send strategic assets to military drill with S. Korea

The United States will send its strategic assets to a joint military exercise with South Korea next month as North Korea has escalated tensions with its latest missile launch, military officials said Tuesday. "The two sides have agreed to send such weapons as the F-22 stealth fighter and a nuclear-powered submarine to the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises in March," a defense official familiar with the matter told Yonhap News Agency.  In this photo taken on Feb. 17, 2016, an F-22 stealth figh

Feb. 14, 2017

S. Korea, US, Japan hold video conference after NK missile launch

Senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan vowed Tuesday to strengthen intelligence sharing to better counter North Korea's growing missile threats, the defense ministry said.In an hour-long video conference from 7:30 a.m., the US also reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of its key Asian allies, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. (Yonhap)The first trilateral talks since Donald Trump became president on Jan. 20 came after North Korea test-fired

Feb. 14, 2017

[Graphic News] New North Korean missile

North Korea says it has successfully completed the launch of a new type of strategic weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.The Pukguksong-2, a medium long-range ballistic missile, was test-fired Sunday under the supervision of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency. It was propelled by a solid fuel engine and was an upgraded, extended-range version of the Pukguksong-1, a submarine-launched ballistic missile that was tested successful

Feb. 13, 2017

NK makes strides in ballistic missile capabilities: experts

With its test of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, North Korea appears to be making progress in its efforts to refine its ballistic missile technologies and secure various delivery methods for nuclear weapons, Seoul officials and analysts said Monday. The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said that through Sunday’s launch, the country succeeded in test-firing the Pukguksong-2 -- a surface-to-surface medium- and long-range ballistic missile -- and proving rocket technology th

Feb. 13, 2017

Defense chief orders tightened vigilance after NK missile launch

South Korea's defense chief ordered the military to tighten vigilance against a possible North Korean provocation on Monday, one day after its latest missile test, the defense ministry said. Defense Minister Han Min-koo visited the Aviation Operations Command in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, to inspect the ongoing deployment of AH-64D Apache heavy attack helicopters, the ministry said in a statement. This photo provided by the defense ministry shows Defense Minister Han Min-koo (C) visit

Feb. 13, 2017

Korea to join maritime exercise in Thailand

In this photo taken Feb. 14, 2016, and provided by the Marine Corps, Marines from South Korea, the US and Thailand jointly conduct an infiltration exercise on a shore in Thailand. (Yonhap)Korea will join a multinational maritime military exercise led by the United States and Thailand in the Southeast Asian country this week, the Navy said Monday.In the annual Cobra Gold drills, headed by the US Pacific Command and the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, the combined forces practice landing in

Feb. 13, 2017

S. Korean mechanized troops stage frozen river crossing drill

South Korea's mechanized troops staged a large-scale river crossing drill to highlight their ability to strike the North even under adverse weather conditions, the Army said Sunday.Units of the 11th mechanized division conducted a frozen fording exercise near Hongcheon, 102 kilometers east of Seoul, on Thursday, it said. In this photo provided by South Korea's military, K-200 armored personnel carriers cross a river near Hongcheon. (Yonhap)"The maneuver was carried out by the troops to check the

Feb. 12, 2017