Obama: U.S. could ‘destroy Pyongyang’ but proximity to Seoul should be considered

U.S. President Barack Obama said the U.S. could "destroy North Korea with our arsenals," but its proximity to ally South Korea should be considered in addition to humanitarian costs associated with such action.Obama made the remark in an interview with CBS that aired Tuesday, talking about difficulties handling the communist regime that he described as "a massive challenge." Obama also called the North "erratic enough" and the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, "irresponsible enough that we don't wa

April 27, 2016

U.S. House committee calls for greater trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan

The U.S. House Armed Services Committee called for greater security cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan as it put forward a draft defense budget bill for next year on Monday."Japan and the Republic of Korea are both treaty allies and critically important security partners of the United States," the legislation said. "Japan and South Korea confront a range of shared challenges to their national security and to stability in the Asia-Pacific region, including the multitude

April 26, 2016

Outgoing USFK chief says vigilance needed against N.K.‘s 'persistent, proximate' threats

The South Korea-United States alliance must be vigilant against North Korea's "persistent and proximate" threats as the country is developing its ballistic missile capabilities and readying for a fifth nuclear test, the top American commander here said Monday in his farewell ceremony."Just these last few days, we have witnessed attempts to develop ballistic missile capabilities, as well as claims North Korea will do a fifth nuclear test soon," Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said in the South Korean Joi

April 25, 2016

One soldier killed, 6 others injured as military vehicle

A K-55 self-propelled artillery vehicle overturned in the southeastern South Korean city of Pohang on Monday, killing a service member and injuring six others with one in critical condition, military officials said. During the 10:15 a.m. accident, the Marine Corps vehicle veered off an unpaved road on a hill en route to a training ground in the city, located some 400 kilometers from the capital Seoul, and ditched 5 meters before overturning according to the officials.The vehicle, the last of 19

April 25, 2016

U.S. defense bill calls for assessing capabilities to quickly deploy forces to Korean Peninsula

The U.S. defense budget bill for next year calls for the government auditor to assess the U.S. Transportation Command's capabilities to rapidly deploy forces to the Korean Peninsula from the mainland U.S. and elsewhere.The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness included the assessment requirement in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (H.R. 4909), citing "new and increasingly threatening dynamics," according to congressional records."U.S. and Republic of Korea for

April 21, 2016

S. Korea picks Hanwha Thales for KF-X radar project

The South Korean military on Wednesday selected Hanwha Thales as its priority negotiation partner in development of the advanced radar for homegrown fighter jet project, officials said. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the state-run Agency for Defense Development chose the local supplier -- the defense affiliate of Hanwha Group -- as the preferred bidder for the Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. The radar will be for the Korean Fighter Experimental, or KF-X,

April 20, 2016

Military conducts drill to counter N.K. rear infiltration

The South Korean Army said Wednesday that it has completed its largest-ever drill to counter rear area infiltration by North Korean troops in the event of war.South Korea's 2nd Operations Command said that the military finished a three-day exercise earlier Wednesday, which focused on crushing a possible amphibious assault by North Korean troops along the country's western coast.The exercise involved 27 units from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, mobilizing more than 3,300 personnel and mili

April 20, 2016

Korea, U.S. conducting large-scale air defense drill

The South Korean and U.S. Air Forces are conducting their two-week-long regular aerial exercise in a bid to boost combined defense capabilities against North Korea, military officials said Wednesday.The allies will carry out the Max Thunder exercise, which kicked off last Friday and runs through April 29, according to the U.S. Air Force. It said the drills will involve more than 100 aircraft from the two sides.Max Thunder was officially launched in 2009 with an aim at fostering the allies' joint

April 20, 2016

Korea shoulders 'significant load' for American troop presence: incoming USFK commander

The incoming commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Tuesday South Korea has been shouldering a "significant load" of the costs for the stationing of American troops in the country, rejecting Donald Trump's claims that Seoul pays almost nothing.Gen. Vincent Brooks, nominated to succeed Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti as USFK commander, made the remark during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, noting that it would cost more to have the 28,500 troops stationed in the U.S. than in South Ko

April 20, 2016

Korea likely to pick engine maker for fighter jet project this month

South Korea plans to pick an engine provider for its indigenous fighter jet project as early as this month, an official at the country's sole aircraft maker said Tuesday.European engine maker Eurojet Turbo GmbH and U.S. company General Electric are vying to become the supplier for the engines of the next generation combat planes to be built under the Korean Fighter Experimental program, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. said."We are in talks with the two companies to select an engine provider for

April 19, 2016

Ministry, military join forces against North's potential EMP attack

South Korea's science ministry said Tuesday it has signed an agreement with the military to make joint efforts against a possible electromagnetic pulse attack from North Korea.The National Radio Research Agency inked the memorandum of understanding with the Army Engineer School, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.It calls for the two sides to share EMP test equipment, develop preventive technologies together and exchange relevant specialists.An EMP occurs when a nuclea

April 19, 2016

U.S. auditor points out software problems with F-35

The U.S. government auditor has urged the Defense Department to fix software problems associated with the F-35 fighter jet, saying the problems could result in taking the entire F-35 fleet offline.The Government Accountability Office said in a April 14 report that the Pentagon is aware of risks that could affect the F-25's Autonomic Logistics Information System, but does not have a plan to remedy the problems in a "holistic" manner.ALIS serves as the information infrastructure for the F-35, tran

April 19, 2016

Former U.S. official says world should seek 'interim freeze' on N.K. nukes

The international community should seek an "interim freeze" on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as a denuclearization deal with Pyongyang will not be possible for the foreseeable future, a former senior U.S. official said Friday. During a forum on the communist regime in Seoul, Robert Einhorn, former special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control at the U.S. State Department, also said that should Pyongyang accept the freeze, the world should be prepared for "parallel talks" on

April 15, 2016

Korea to set up anti-terrorism headquarters

Headquarters for an anti-terrorism council will be set up when terror attacks occur in South Korea, the government said Friday, as part of its ongoing effort to strengthen the country against terrorism.Under a revised bill, the headquarters will be created under an anti-terrorism council at the Prime Minister's Office to oversee planning and management of anti-terrorism measures, an official source said.The bill will go into effect on June 4, he said.The council will be headed by the prime minis

April 15, 2016

THAAD talks to pursue feasibility of deployment at 'earliest possible date': senior U.S. diplomat

The United States and South Korea are in formal discussions about the THAAD missile defense system with the aim of deploying the system at the "earliest possible date," a senior State Department official said.Frank Rose, assistant secretary of state for arms control, made the remark during a missile defense conference in London, saying THAAD will provide "an essential defensive capability" against North Korea's extended-range Scud and Rodong missiles."We also work closely with the Republic of Ko

April 14, 2016

Korea's military strength ranks 11th in world

South Korea ranks 11th in the world in terms of military strength, behind Japan at seventh and ahead of North Korea at 25th, according to an annual U.S. military power index.The South had a firepower index of 0.2824, right behind Italy's 0.2724, according to the Global Firepower (GFP) 2016, which takes over 50 factors into account to assess military power of countries.The smaller the index, the stronger a country's military power.South Korea's GFP ranked in ninth place in the 2014 index and seve

April 13, 2016

Military chief checks naval combat readiness

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called for increased naval combat readiness on Monday during his inspection of the Navy's combat commands, the JCS said.Gen. Lee Sun-jin's visits to the Navy's Fleet and Submarine Force Commands and the underwater demolition team came as North Korea has ratcheted up its belligerent anti-South rhetoric to an unusually high level. Over the last month, North Korea has threatened to launch nuclear attacks on South Korea and strike South Korea's presidential

April 11, 2016

Korea, U.S. begin 11-day naval drill along southern coast

South Korea and the United States kicked off an 11-day joint naval exercise along the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula on Monday to enhance their combined readiness to conduct search and rescue operations and other underwater missions, the Navy said.South Korea's Navy mobilized the 3,500-ton rescue vessel, Tongyeong, along with 12 specialized ship salvage unit personnel for the joint drill, which is part of the ongoing annual Foal Eagle field exercise. The U.S. side brought in the 3,300-to

April 11, 2016