Tokyo nears goal of collective self-defense

Tokyo’s push for collective self-defense is picking up pace as it is poised to announce its stance toward the reinterpretation of its war-renouncing constitution this week to attain its long-cherished security goal.The announcement is expected to further unnerve South Korea and China, the major victims of Japan’s past militarism, as the pursuit of collective self-defense ― the use of force to support allies under attack ― comes without Tokyo fully recognizing its wartime atrocities.Japanese Prim

May 12, 2014

Seoul finds ‘smoking gun’ proving N.K. sent drones

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that its probe team had secured the “smoking gun” confirming that the three crashed drones, discovered in frontline areas in March and April, came from North Korea.Announcing the result of its investigation, the investigation team, consisting of South Korean and U.S. experts, presented its analysis of photos and mission data from the drones’ cameras and memory chips, which revealed that they took off from the North and were programmed to return to the North

May 8, 2014

Seoul finds smoking gun for N.K. responsibility for drones

 Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that its probe team had secured the “smoking gun” confirming that the three crashed drones, discovered in frontline areas in March and April, came from North Korea.Announcing the result of its probe, the investigation team, consisting of South Korean and U.S. experts, presented its analysis of photos and mission data from the drones’ cameras and memory chips, which revealed that they took off from the North and were programmed to return to the North.“Analy

May 8, 2014

Strategic rivalries escalate in East Asia

As U.S. President Barack Obama completes his four-nation Asian tour to promote the diplomatic, economic and security aspects of the U.S. “rebalancing” toward the Asia-Pacific, the region continues to grapple with strategic uncertainties. While reactions to China’s cumulative rise on the global stage have varied, but virtually none of the regional actors are comfortable with its increasing military capabilities and more assertive policies, particularly in the deepening territorial disputes over s

April 28, 2014

Obama warns N.K. of U.S. military might

U.S. President Barack Obama warned Saturday that Washington was prepared to use military force to defend its allies, while ratcheting up pressure on North Korea to renounce its nuclear ambitions.During his visit to Yongsan Garrison, the U.S. military headquarters in central Seoul, he also underscored that the South Korea-U.S. alliance would not waver with “each bout of Pyongyang’s attention-seeking.”His strongly worded speech came as the communist state has warned of a “new form” of nuclear test

April 27, 2014

Park, Obama pay joint visit to Combined Forces Command

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama paid a joint visit to the command center for joint military operations between the two allies on Saturday in a symbolic move underscoring their unity in deterring North Korea.It marks the first time for the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. to make a joint visit to the Combined Forces Command (CFC) since it was established in 1978. During the visit, the two leaders received a briefing on the countries' readiness against threa

April 26, 2014

Japan says ready to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force to help rescue efforts

Japan is ready to dispatch its Maritime Self-Defense Force and coast guard to assist the search-and-rescue operation for the sunken ferry Sewol, Japanese Defense Minister Isunori Onodera said Friday.“We have not been asked by (the Korean government), but once requested, we are ready to make a speedy move,” Onodera told reporters, Kyodo News reported. The statement came after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged his Cabinet members earlier in the day to “make sure to give a swift response whe

April 18, 2014

[Graphic News] Global military spending drops in 2013 led by U.S. cut

Global arms investment in 2013 fell by 1.9 percent from the year before, mainly due to a sharp drop in military spending by the United States, a Swedish arms watchdog said Monday. According to the annual report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, countries worldwide spent $1.7 trillion on boosting their militaries. The annual budget of the U.S. came first with $640 billion, but was 7.8 percent less than the year before.With the exception of the U.S., however, the world saw a

April 15, 2014

Seoul affirms crashed drones came from N.K.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Friday that the three drones, recently found in frontline regions, were “definitely” from North Korea, citing circumstantial evidence including their filming of South Korean military facilities.Announcing the interim result of their probe, the ministry also said that it would form a scientific investigation team with civilian experts from Korea and the U.S. to confirm Pyongyang’s responsibility for sending the drones.“Based on circumstantial evidence, the drones wer

April 11, 2014

Defense Ministry flounders over N.K. drone commotion

For security authorities, prudence and restraint are the most crucial virtues ― particularly when they are dealing with an unpredictable, provocative adversary like North Korea.But this week, South Korea’s Defense Ministry seemed to have forgotten those virtues as it struggled to mitigate the criticism over its failure to detect three drones, presumably from the communist state.The ministry on Tuesday revealed a series of key reconnaissance assets including its unmanned aerial vehicles, which it

April 10, 2014