South Korea, U.S., Japan to sign info-sharing pact on North Korean nukes

South Korea, the United States and Japan will sign a pact next week on sharing their military intelligence about North Korea's nuclear and missile programs in the face of Pyongyang's evolving security threats, officials here said Friday.   The three counties have been discussing the signing of a memorandum of understanding on sharing military secrets since May when they agreed on the need for such an agreement during their defense ministers' talks in Singapore. The conclusion comes two years aft

Dec. 26, 2014

North Korea expands its air force

North Korea has increased the number of its air force troops by 10,000, while reducing that of army soldiers by the same amount, a South Korean government data showed Thursday.   The total number of the North's armed forces stood at 1.19 million as of the end of 2013, according to the defense ministry's update of its assessment of the communist nation's military power.   "There seems to be no change in the general size of the North Korean military. But it transferred some aviation units in the a

Dec. 25, 2014

S. Korean relief troops return home after mission in Philippines

South Korean relief troops stationed in the Philippines have returned home after completing their one-year mission to help rebuild the country hit hard by a typhoon last year, the Army said Tuesday.The 297 service personnel of the Araw Unit returned home on Monday from Tacloban after providing medical services and working to prevent the outbreak of epidemics in the city since December last year that was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan the previous month.Their initial six-month mission was extended

Dec. 23, 2014

Presidential jet to be fitted with anti-missile gear

South Korea's presidential jet will be fitted with anti-missile gear by 2016 under a new project expected to cost more than 30 billion won (US$27 million), government and military officials said Sunday.Under a renewed contract with the nation's flagship carrier, Korean Air Lines Co., a Boeing 747-400 aircraft will be on lease to the presidential office until 2020."Until now, the presidential jet hasn't had its own antimissile gear, but the new jet is expected to be fitted with such gear as the m

Dec. 21, 2014

‘Progress on info-sharing pact between Korea, U.S., Japan’

South Korea, the United States and Japan have produced significant progress on a pact on sharing their military intelligence to better deal with threats from North Korea, Seoul’s defense ministry said.Still, the three have yet to reach a final consensus on the issue, the ministry said, denying a report by Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper that the allies will sign the deal within this year.In May, the three nations agreed to begin discussing the matter, stressing “the importance of sharing

Dec. 18, 2014

Techwin signs howitzer export deal with Poland

South Korean defense firm Samsung Techwin on Wednesday signed a $310-million contract with Poland’s state-run firm Huta Stalowa Wola to deliver 120 indigenous K-9 self-propelled howitzers from next year through 2022.Under the contract, the first batch of 24 K-9s will be delivered to Poland through 2017, and the rest will be manufactured in Poland. It was the first K-9 export deal since 2001 when Samsung Techwin signed a contract to export 350 K-9s to Turkey.Samsung Techwin CEO Kim Chul-kyo signe

Dec. 18, 2014

Progress made on military info-sharing pact between S. Korea,

South Korea, the United States and Japan have produced significant progress on a pact on sharing their military intelligence to better deal with threats from North Korea, Seoul's defense ministry said.  Still, the three have yet to reach a final consensus on the issue, the ministry said, denying a report by Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper that the allies will sign the deal within this year.  In May, the three nations agreed to begin discussing the matter, stressing "the importance of shar

Dec. 18, 2014

Auditors demand disciplinary action against Navy chief

State auditors demanded Wednesday that the Defense Ministry take disciplinary action against Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Hwang Ki-chul in connection with a corruption scandal concerning the acquisition of a salvage ship.The Board of Audit and Inspection said that Hwang was “negligent” in reviewing the documents related to the purchase of a part for the 3,500-ton ship, Tongyeong, while working as a senior procurement official in 2009. Hwang has been suspected of having given preferential treat

Dec. 17, 2014

S. Korea pushes to switch fighter jet contractor to Lockheed

South Korea began the official process Wednesday of changing the contractor for its project to upgrade the country's aging fleet of F-16 fighter jets amid controversy over the contractor's demands for a higher price, Seoul's arms procurement agency said.   The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it presented its plan to change the contractor from London-based BAE Systems to American defense firm Lockheed Martin at its monthly defense project committee meeting presided over by

Dec. 17, 2014

S. Korean relief troops in Philippines set to return home

South Korean relief troops stationed in the Philippines will return home next week after wrapping up their one-year mission to rebuild the country in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the military here said Tuesday.   A total of 520 troops, mostly engineers and medics, were dispatched to Tacloban after the typhoon in November last year to help restore communities, provide medical services and prevent the outbreak of epidemics.  Their initial six-month mission was extended for six months in June. 

Dec. 16, 2014

USFK likely to broaden operational scope

The Pentagon’s new defense innovation initiative indicates that U.S. Forces Korea may go beyond its current mission of deterring North Korea to undertake a larger regional and global security role, analysts said Monday.Capitalizing on new operational concepts backed by innovative, high-tech military assets, the USFK, largely a static force, is likely to be transformed into a force that is more versatile, expeditionary and easily deployable to any conflict outside the peninsula, they said.Last mo

Dec. 15, 2014

Warrants sought for military officers over salvage ship project

Arrest warrants have been sought for two military officers on charges of taking bribes from a local company that supplied faulty parts to a Navy rescue and salvage ship, a pan-governmental investigation team said Sunday.The joint team of prosecutors, military officers and government officials said it has asked a military court to issue the arrest warrants for the two officials of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.The two officers -- a Navy captain and a Navy commander identified onl

Dec. 14, 2014

U.S. House passes bill on missile defense cooperation

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) ― The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that calls for greater missile defense cooperation with South Korea and Japan against threats from North Korea.The legislation, H.R.3979, calls for the secretary of defense to conduct an assessment to identify opportunities for increasing missile defense cooperation with the two allies and evaluate options for enhanced short-range missile, rocket, and artillery defense capabilities to address threats from the Korean Penins

Dec. 10, 2014

S. Korea adds 260 people to list of Korean War abductees

A South Korean government panel has confirmed 260 more people were abducted by North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, the unification ministry said Wednesday.The official number of South Korean citizens forcibly taken to the communist North during the war has jumped to 3,635, it said.The newly-recognized abductees include Han Nam-soo, who fought hard against Japan's colonial rule of Korea from 1910-45, said the ministry. The decision by the panel, chaired by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, wa

Dec. 10, 2014

Defense Ministry may raise mental health requirements in conscription health check

The Defense Ministry is pushing changes in standards in draft exemptions for people with a history of mental illness, a ministry official said Sunday.“We’re working on revising the standards on a large scale in evaluating the depth of mental diseases during physical exam for conscription,” the official said. “In particular, we’re aggressively pushing for measures to lower the minimum history of hospital treatment in judging the level of mental disorders.”Currently, those who have received hospit

Dec. 7, 2014

Defense ministry considers easing standards for exempting the mentally ill from conscription

The defense ministry is pushing changes in standards in draft exemptions for people with a history of mental illness, a ministry official said Sunday."We're working on revising the standards on a large scale in evaluating the depth of mental diseases during physical exam for conscription," the official said. "In particular, we're aggressively pushing for measures to lower the minimum history of hospital treatment in judging the level of mental disorders."Currently, those who have received hospit

Dec. 7, 2014

No N. Korean tunnels found near Seoul: military

South Korea's military has detected no signs of underground tunnels allegedly dug by North Korea in two areas near Seoul, officials said Friday, vowing stern action against those who make false claims.Several conservative civic groups have claimed that they have found 12 underground tunnels -- six in the northern city of Yangju and another six in nearby Namyangju -- dug by the North to infiltrate the South."In order to dissipate suspicions, the military scoured the areas for four days from Monda

Dec. 5, 2014