S. Korea, U.S. to hold cyber-security talks

Defense officials of South Korea and the United States plan to hold annual cyber-security talks that are expected to focus on how better to cope with hacking attacks from North Korea, sources said Wednesday.The two allies established the Korea-U.S. National Defense Cyber Cooperation Working Group (CCWG) and held its first meeting in Seoul in February last year. A second meeting of the working group will take place in Washington in a couple of months, the sources said.This year's meeting, which c

Jan. 29, 2015

Army colonel arrested on rape charges

The Army said Tuesday that military police had arrested an incumbent brigade commander on charges of sexually assaulting a female noncommissioned officer.The colonel, 47, in charge of a unit in Gangwon Province, is alleged to have sexually assaulted the NCO, 21, at his military residence on several occasions in the past two months. The colonel argues that the sexual relationship took place based on “mutual consent,” while the NCO says she was sexually assaulted. The names of the colonel and alle

Jan. 27, 2015

S. Korea conducts live-fire drill near tense sea border

The South Korean military carried out a live-fire exercise near the tensely guarded inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday to check and further boost its preparedness against possible provocations by North Korea, officers said.The one-hour firing drill, which took place on the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea, "involved K-9 self-propelled howitzers and Vulcan guns, among others," a military officer said on condition of anonymity."More than 600 rounds were fired t

Jan. 27, 2015

Budget hampers procurement plans: Defense Ministry

Several military procurement projects, including one to acquire four aerial refueling tankers, are expected to be delayed or canceled due to budgetary constraints, as Seoul seeks to readjust its mid-term defense improvement plan, a source said Sunday.The Defense Ministry has been drafting the defense plan for 2016-2020, which will be finalized next month. Following a legal revision, the ministry took over responsibility for drawing up the plan starting this year. Until last year, the Defense Acq

Jan. 25, 2015

Navy sailor injured in shell explosion

A Navy sailor was in critical condition after being hit by a shell accidently fired from a malfunctioning 76 mm-caliber cannon on a guided missile warship in West Sea on Wednesday, military officials said Thursday.The 21-year-old seaman of the 2nd Fleet Command, identified only by his surname Oh, was in a coma after the shell hit the side of his head, they said. Oh was standing on the deck near the cannon as other sailors tried to remove the shells loaded in the flawed system for safety reasons.

Jan. 22, 2015

Defense Ministry blasted for late response to Japan’s Dokdo claim

South Korea’s Defense Ministry came under fire Wednesday for a belated response to Tokyo’s repeated claims of sovereignty over the easternmost islets of Dokdo in a Korean-language summary of its annual defense whitepaper.In the morning, the ministry called in a defense attache from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest Japan’s description of the islets as part of its territory on a map, after the embassy delivered 57 copies of the whitepaper last Friday. It was the first time that the summary

Jan. 21, 2015

Nuclear watchdog steps up measures against cyberattacks

South Korea's nuclear watchdog said Wednesday it will strengthen its ability to fight cyberattacks and expand the size of its cybersecurity staff to deal with safety concerns following recent hackings.In an annual policy briefing to the president, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it will form a task force against such attacks and increase the number of people on its cybersecurity staff from the current three to 30."We will establish an anti-nuclear disaster training system to stre

Jan. 21, 2015

Agency forfeited profit from college exam: lawmaker

An opposition lawmaker Tuesday accused a state-run agency of knowingly giving up profits from its copyrights to the annual college entrance exam. Rep. Park Hong-keun of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy on Tuesday accused a state-run agency of failing to collect royalties that could amount to billions of won. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, in charge of preparing questions for the exam, known here as Suneung, has never exercised its copyrights over the exam questions, Pa

Jan. 20, 2015

Korea to enhance hi-tech war systems

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Monday unveiled a new defense vision based on information and communication technologies, and other cutting-edge digital platforms to better counter evolving North Korean threats and other security challenges. During its New Year’s policy briefing to President Park Geun-hye, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said the ministry would push to incorporate into military operations innovative technologies such as ICT, big data solutions and the Internet of Things, under th

Jan. 19, 2015

S. Korea to begin spy satellite project this year

South Korea plans to develop military reconnaissance satellites and deploy five units by 2022 as part of efforts to beef up defense capabilities to better deter North Korea's evolving security threats, military officers said Monday.The plan is part of the defense ministry's policy goals for this year, which are focused on building a robust defense posture under the new paradigm of pursuing "a creative defense system" by maximizing advanced information technology. "The state arms procurement agen

Jan. 19, 2015

S. Korean military mulls giving soldiers more free evening time

The South Korean defense ministry is contemplating giving longer free evening time to soldiers as part of efforts to reform a rigid and outdated military culture, military officials said Sunday.According to the plan, free time for soldiers will be extended to four hours from the 1 1/2 hours they receive on average, according to the officials. Currently, the amount of spare time for soldiers is not fixed and depends largely on their unit."We are going over measures to give the soldiers four hours

Jan. 18, 2015

S. Korea, U.S. launch joint military division

South Korea and the United States have officially launched a combined staff of their wartime joint division to be tasked with military operations in case of war, military officers here said Friday.In September, the allies agreed to establish a combined wartime division of their allied troops in early 2015 to enhance their joint defense posture and "tactical-level" combat capabilities to better deter a belligerent North Korea. "Thirty South Korean officers were dispatched to the joint staff offic

Jan. 16, 2015

Seoul vows retaliation against N.K. provocation over leaflets

Seoul’s Defense Ministry warned of “stern retaliation” against any North Korean provocations Wednesday, amid reports that the North had completed drills to “devastate” South Korean border areas from which balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets were floated.“Should North Korea mount provocations on the pretext of our civic groups’ spreading of anti-North Korea leaflets, we will sternly retaliate against not only the origin of the provocation, but also forces supporting it and its commanders, a

Jan. 14, 2015

Korea, U.S. to conduct military drills in March

South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a large-scale joint military exercise in early March, a source here said Tuesday, despite North Korea’s recent calls for halting joint drills this year.Last week, Pyongyang sent a message to Washington expressing its will to temporarily suspend nuclear tests if the U.S. halts its joint military exercises with South Korea this year, though the U.S. effectively spurned the offer.The military source said Key Resolve, one of the two major annual co

Jan. 13, 2015

Defense Ministry integrity rated lowest in decade

The integrity level for the Defense Ministry dipped to its lowest point in 2013 in nearly a decade due to a series of corruption cases, according to the ministry’s 2014 compilation of defense statistics released on Tuesday.In a state integrity survey, the ministry scored 7.12 points in 2013, with 10 being the highest level.From 2008-2012, during the Lee Myung-bak administration, the ministry scored between 8.15 and 8.98, while from 2004-2007, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, it scored bet

Jan. 13, 2015

S. Korea, U.S. to conduct annual military drills in March

South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a large-scale joint military exercise in early March, a source here said Tuesday, despite North Korea's recent calls for halting joint drills this year.Last week, Pyongyang sent a message to Washington expressing its will to temporarily suspend nuclear tests if the U.S. halts its joint military exercises with South Korea this year, though the U.S. effectively spurned the offer.The military source said Key Resolve, one of the two major annual co

Jan. 13, 2015

Military bolsters coastal monitoring system

South Korea’s military procurement agency said Monday that it had completed the deployment of an integrated monitoring system to reinforce the defense of vulnerable areas along the country’s eastern, western and southern coasts. Before deploying the 250 or so pieces of coastal monitoring equipment including thermal observation devices, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration carried out consultations with some 2,000 local residents about the deployment over the past 18 months, officials s

Jan. 12, 2015