The South Korean military opened an investigation into the indigenously developed military helicopter Surion after some of the fleet had cracked windshields and other cracking problems, the defense procurement agency said Monday."Some of the (locally operational) 40 or so Surions have shown problems on their airframes," Kim Si-cheol, spokesman at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), said in a press briefing earlier in the day.Currently, the DAPA is consulting the chopper's prod

May 9, 2016

Some 10 buoys that North Korea installed last year to apparently identify the western inter-Korean sea border were washed away, a government source said Sunday, amid constant concerns that the communist state would violate the maritime boundary.There are no signs yet of the North trying to reinstall the buoys -- with a diameter of less than 1 meter each - after it put in place a monitoring device on a deserted island some 12 kilometers northeast of the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, t

May 8, 2016

The South Korean Army said Thursday that overweight officers will be subject to disadvantages in promotions starting this year, as part of efforts to stress physical fitness and increase combat power.Under the new system, all Army officers whose body mass index exceeds 30 will receive negative marks and the results will be reflected in screenings for promotions.BMI is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters. A BMI greater than 30 is regarded

May 5, 2016

South Korea and Australia agreed Wednesday to enhance bilateral collaboration in military supplies and armament maintenance during talks in Canberra, the defense ministry here said.The agreement was reached during annual bilateral talks in the Australian capital earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of National Defense.The two sides also concurred on the need to establish a joint working group to share results of their innovation measures on the defense supply sector and to expand cooper

May 4, 2016

South Korea and the United States plan to hold an annual high-level defense meeting in Washington next week to build up their deterrence plan against North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, the Ministry of National Defense here said Wednesday.The two-day Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue will kick off on Monday and bring together South Korea's Defense Deputy Minister for policy Yoo Jeh-seung and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear, along with Abraham Denmark, deputy a

May 4, 2016

South Korea and the United States discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in disaster control and anti-terrorism efforts amid a spike in worldwide safety concerns, the government said Wednesday.Seoul said Minister of Public Safety and Security Park In-yong met Reginald Brothers, undersecretary for science and technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and discussed follow-up measures to an agreement reached in March.The two sides concurred during a weeklong disaster and security ma

May 4, 2016

South Korea's future military buildup will focus on countering North Korea's asymmetric military power, a shift from the current conventional warfare-focused armament, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Wednesday.The military "will have a paradigm shift in a way that military armament against North Korean asymmetric threats such as nuclear weapons and missiles is secured foremost," Han said in a lecture given at a forum held by cable news broadcasting station Channel A.South Korea has so far focu

May 4, 2016

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday urged the military to beef up readiness against possible North Korean provocations amid speculation that the regime could carry out another nuclear test later this week."The military should thoroughly be ready for any kind of North Korean provocation to ensure the safety of the people," Hwang said during a Cabinet meeting in Seoul.The remarks come as the North may opt to detonate its fifth nuclear weapon or launch a missile ahead of the country's rare ruli

May 3, 2016

South Korea and the United States have teamed up to develop advanced technology using artificial intelligence to counter cyber threats, a ministry said Monday.The allies reached the deal when Reginald Brothers, under secretary for science and technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, visited here, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.The two sides "intend to explore areas of mutual value and benefit, which may lead to joint activities aimed at enhancing ope

May 2, 2016

South Korea and the United States are set to end their two monthlong joint military exercises this week, but tensions are expected to go up further as North Korea is seen as preparing for another nuclear test, officials said Friday."The Foal Eagle exercise will officially wrap up its schedule tomorrow although its outdoor training programs are all to end today," a military official said. The last day of the exercise on Saturday will be assigned to breaking up camps and withdrawing assembled mili

April 29, 2016

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Thursday called for members of a regional security conference, led by Russia and China, to play a "special role" in preventing North Korea from conducting another nuclear test. There have been signs that North Korea may conduct its fifth nuclear test ahead of its rare party congress early next month, in order to build credential for the North Korean leader's twin pursuit of economic development and nuclear weapons. "The eyes of the world are now on N

April 28, 2016

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday warned against North Korea's additional nuclear test, stressing that South Korea would never condone any provocative acts that would destabilize regional security.During a Cabinet meeting, she ordered the government to maintain robust preparedness to ensure national security. Her warning came amid signs of the communist regime preparing for yet another nuclear test at its northeastern Punggye-ri site."Ahead of its seventh party congress, Pyongyang has been pre

April 28, 2016

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Wednesday it is "certainly possible" for North Korea to undertake a nuclear or missile test ahead of a key meeting of the Workers' Party next week."We can anticipate that there'll be more to come," Blinken said of North Korean provocations during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "It's certainly possible in advance of the Korean Workers' Party congress, which is to take place on May the 6th, that the regime will do something else -- an

April 28, 2016

U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Wednesday that American allies should pay more for U.S. defense support or defend themselves on their own.Trump made the remark during a major foreign policy speech, a day after he won all of the five primaries at stake on Tuesday and moved a step closer to clinching the nomination.The real-estate tycoon has long made the case for making allies shoulder more of the costs necessary for American troop presence and defense support, but Wed

April 28, 2016

North Korea is preparing to launch a large-scale artillery drill on a replica of the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in a move to fan cross-border tension in the runup to a rare congress of its ruling party, the military here said Wednesday.About 30 artillery pieces have been brought to a training range just outside Pyongyang where the replica of Cheong Wa Dae was set up in early April, a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said. "The North is likely to conduct an actual exercise in th

April 27, 2016

North Korea said Wednesday the United States will face a nuclear strike unless it changes its hostile policy toward the communist country. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary that the U.S. must make the strategic decision to either give up its hostile policy toward North Korea or find itself subject to a nuclear strike."Our patient proposals were completely denied by the United Sates," said the newspaper, adding the North has so far made various

April 27, 2016

The United States will look at "other options" to increase pressure on North Korea and strengthen defense of allies if Pyongyang conducts yet another nuclear test, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday.South Korean President Park Geun-hye said earlier Tuesday that the North has "completed preparations for a fifth nuclear test and it is in a situation in which it can carry out the test at any time. She also warned of stronger sanctions against Pyongyang."We're going to look at other options a

April 27, 2016