Seoul seeks to buy 10 Israeli radars

South Korea is revving up efforts to address vulnerabilities in its air defense, which were brought to the fore following the recent discovery of three crashed drones, presumably from North Korea.Seoul authorities are seeking to introduce 10 Israeli-made RPS-42 low-altitude radars. South Korea and the U.S. are also reportedly considering including anti-drone measures in their joint operational plans.The moves came after President Park Geun-hye chided the military this week for failing to detect

April 9, 2014

Korea pushes to buy 10 low-altitude radars from Israel

South Korea is pushing to buy about 10 low-altitude radars from Israel to better detect small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and thereby counter threats posed by North Korean drones, military officials said Wednesday. The military has been hastily preparing measures to step up its surveillance capability, in the wake of the discovery of three small UAVs near the tensely guarded border with North Korea in recent weeks.  The suspected North Korean drones equipped with cameras, which contained pho

April 9, 2014

Calls rise for disciplinary action against military

Calls are rising for disciplinary action against military leaders responsible for failing to block apparent North Korean drone activities, which have revealed vulnerabilities in the country’s air defense.Ruling and opposition party lawmakers alike denounced the military for its ill-preparedness after three drones, presumably from the communist state and used for espionage purposes, were found in both eastern and western frontline areas.“The Defense Ministry should carry out an internal inspectio

April 8, 2014

[Photo News] Drone race

April 8, 2014

President chides military for weak drone defense

President Park Geun-hye on Monday blasted the South Korean military’s inability to detect and block North Korean drones, calling for a stepped-up security posture.Her criticism came as Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin convened a meeting of the top military brass to enhance air defense, which critics argue proved “porous” after the discovery of three drones, presumably from the North.“The drones appeared to have carried out their reconnaissance missions in all directions of our country, and our mili

April 7, 2014

[Graphic News] North Korea’s low-tech drones pose new military threat

The recent discovery of three drones, presumably from North Korea, is drawing keen attention to the types of unmanned aerial vehicles the communist state has and their military capabilities.Pyongyang is known to have begun developing military drones in the 1990s as they could serve as a lethal yet low-cost weapons system.Seoul officials believe that the North has imported a series of drones, which were made in China, Russia and other nations, and modified them to serve for its specific military

April 7, 2014

Third suspected N.K. drone found

The South Korean military on Sunday discovered another small drone, presumably from North Korea, on a mountain in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, some 130 kilometers from the inter-Korean border.The sky-blue, triangle-shaped drone is the same as the one found in Paju last month. A wild-ginseng digger first found the drone on Oct. 4 last year and reported it to the military authorities last Friday, the Defense Ministry said.  Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin plans to convene a meeting of top military co

April 6, 2014

[Graphic News] Seoul beefs up missile power amid growing N.K. threat

The South Korean military succeeded last month in test-firing a new ballistic missile with a range of 500 km, enough to strike any military target in North Korea. South Korea plans to deploy it next year.The development came after Seoul and Washington agreed in October 2012 to revise their bilateral pact to allow the South to develop ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800 kilometers, up from the previous 300 km.Seoul’s Defense Ministry revealed the test result last Friday, as security conc

April 6, 2014

Military steps up air defense

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Friday the military would step up its air defense to counteract North Korean spy drones that have become a new security threat here this week. “We are working on preparing counteractions (against drones), taking into account that Pyongyang’s drones could potentially carry out suicide-bombing operations upon further development,” Kim said in an interpellation session held at the National Assembly.The defense minister said that the unmanned aerial vehicles do not

April 4, 2014

Lack of drone defense raises ire

Criticism is mounting over the South Korean military’s ill-preparedness against North Korea’s drone-based military activities after a drone was found to have flown over the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae and filmed its facilities. The military authorities found two suspicious drones, one in Paju close to the Demilitarized Zone and the other on the border island of Baenyeongdo, last Monday and this Monday, respectively. Seoul has tentatively concluded that the two were from

April 3, 2014

USFK chief warns of N.K. surprise attack, fallout from U.S. budget cuts

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) ― The North Korean regime is so dangerous that it can attack South Korea with “little or no warning,” the top U.S. military commander on the peninsula said Wednesday after the two Koreas exchanged artillery shells across their western sea border this week.Speaking before a congressional committee, Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, leader of the U.S. Forces Korea, also voiced concerns about a possible impact to crisis management in Korea from the Pentagon’s budget cuts.“The Kim Jo

April 3, 2014

‘Crashed drones are from North Korea’

Seoul officials said Wednesday that North Korea was “highly likely” to have deployed the two crashed drones recently discovered in South Korea’s frontline regions. After the drones were found on the border island of Baengnyeongdo on Monday and in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, a week earlier, speculation rose that the communist state might have deployed them for espionage activities.Amid growing criticism of a “porous” air defense, Seoul is considering quickly introducing radars capable of detecting o

April 2, 2014

[Newsmaker] Drones emerging as core military assets

Unmanned aerial vehicles are emerging as core military assets for intelligence gathering, surveillance and combat missions with many countries pursuing low-risk and less costly weapons systems.The recent discovery of two crashed drones, presumably from North Korea, has drawn keen attention to the aircraft’s military capabilities and prompted calls for South Korea to strengthen its defense against Pyongyang’s drone-based military activities. In the development of combat drones, the U.S. is ahead

April 2, 2014