WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The United States government is working to sell hundreds of advanced, medium-range, air-to-air missiles to South Korea, according to a Pentagon agency.The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Friday it has notified Congress of the possible sale to South Korea of 260 AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, as well as related parts, training and logistical support.The estimated cost is $452 million, it added.“The proposed sale will provide the ROK

July 21, 2013

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Friday they proposed reviewing the transfer of wartime operational control during their talks with the U.S. counterparts since May.“We shared our thoughts with the U.S. Forces Korea commander in early May and conveyed the same message to U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel,” said Defense Ministry deputy spokesman Colonel Wee Yong-sub.Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin further explained to Hagel in their meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in June, but used the wor

July 19, 2013

Another delay in South Korea’s retaking of wartime operational control from the U.S. may serve mutual strategic interests to maintain stability amid North Korea’s increasing nuclear threats, observers said Thursday.Seoul has recently asked Washington to reassess the timing of the OPCON transfer, slated for December 2015, as security conditions on the peninsula have deteriorated in recent years with Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development.Concerns have grown that Seoul might not be able to ac

July 19, 2013

The Pentagon's top military officer said Thursday there are "some setbacks" in efforts to get South Korea ready for the takeover of wartime operational control(OPCON) of its troops by the agreed-upon date of Dec. 1, 2015.But Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said he still supports the OPCON transition as scheduled."From a military perspective, the timing of the transfer of wartime OPCON is appropriate," he said in a written answer submitted to the Senate

July 19, 2013

Tax officials and prosecutors have launched an investigation into suspicions that assets of former President Chun Doo-hwan might be concealed in diverse insurance products under the names of his family members, relatives and close aides, industry sources said Thursday.The probe is part of intensifying efforts by the government to find concealed assets of the former president who was ordered by a court in 1997 to return to the state coffers the 220 billion won ($196.8 million) he was found to hav

July 18, 2013

The Defense Ministry said Thursday it would abolish its controversial promotion squad of celebrity conscripts following a series of cases of indiscipline that have undermined troop morale and public trust.The squad has been under criticism since a TV program showed several stars-turned-soldiers drinking, leaving their designated accommodation without notice, and visiting an adult massage parlor after performing in a provincial concert last month.The incident reignited controversy over slack disc

July 18, 2013

Seoul recently asked Washington to discuss the timing of the transfer of wartime operational control with North Korea’s escalated nuclear threats as a “crucial condition,” the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.“Consultations are underway between the allies after we proposed as a crucial condition that we check the preparations for the OPCON transfer with North Korea’s nuclear issue that worsened earlier this year,” the ministry said in a press release.The release came after a news report said that

July 17, 2013

South Korea is pushing to more than double next year’s budget for aid projects in Laos as part of efforts to boost bilateral cooperation in dealing with North Korean defectors, government sources here said Monday.Seoul’s foreign ministry has asked the finance ministry to earmark 4.84 billion won ($4.3 million) in official development assistance to the Southeast Asian country, more than twice the 2.04 billion won set aside for this year. The budget aims to launch diverse projects, including educa

July 15, 2013

The state arms procurer said Monday it will deploy a new tactical communications system for Army units to improve their effective interchange between battalions. The digital data transmission SPIDER system is over 40 times faster than the analog voice communications system, which has been currently operated by Army battalions, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said.The state procurement agency last year selected WooriByul, a local communications manufacturer, for the upgrade project

July 15, 2013

The number of soldiers and officers who gamble online in the barracks has soared more than 15 times over the past two years, prompting the military to come up with a set of measures to tackle the problem, military officials said Sunday.A total of some 230 enlisted troops and low-rank officers have been detected for having logged onto online gambling sites on base this year, up sharply from 18 last year and 15 in 2011, according to the officials.Given the uptrend, the figure is expected to rise f

July 14, 2013

South Korea and the United States will hold a meeting in Washington, D.C. this week to strengthen cooperation on cyber security and other online policy issues that are expected to include how to cope with cyber terrorism by North Korea.The meeting, set for Monday, will be the second of its kind after the first session last year. Choi Sung-joo, the ambassador for international security, will represent South Korea at the talks and his U.S. counterpart will be Christopher Painter, the coordinator f

July 14, 2013

The nation’s top court on Friday upheld the heavy prison term for a middle-aged defendant in a rare murder case in which the victim’s body remained unfound. The 42-year-old man, surnamed Park, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for burying his 37-year-old business partner alive during a quarrel over money. The victim was last seen sometime in 2008. The absence of the corpse was a big challenge for prosecutors.Charges were filed against Park based on testimony from witnesses and circumstantial e

July 11, 2013

Police said Thursday that they will launch a full-fledged investigation into allegations that a detained local construction contractor hired women to provide sexual favors to a number of high-profile figures in return for business benefits.On Wednesday night, the 52-year-old construction contractor, surnamed Yoon, was put under detention immediately after a Seoul court approved the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant for the businessman who has been at the center of a massive sex scandal

July 11, 2013

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a two-day visit to hold talks with his South Korean counterpart, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.The top bureaucrat at the ministry met Seoul’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun to discuss issues of mutual interest.“Saiki came here to exchange greetings with Kim upon his taking the position late last month,” a Seoul ministry official said.Their meeting came amid soured Seoul-Tokyo relations after Japanese politic

July 11, 2013