Retired U.S. General Sharp urges S. Korea, U.S. to lead N. Korea to freedom

South Korea and the United States should take concrete steps to bring freedom to the people of North Korea, a retired U.S. Army commander said, offering a new approach to the communist nation undergoing a leadership change.“It is vital that South Korea and the U.S. reexamine our goals and objectives for North Korea and determine actions required to attain these goals,” retired Gen. Walter Sharp said Tuesday (local time) in a contribution posted on the Web site of Washington-based think tank Cent

Feb. 22, 2012

Drills in West Sea end without incident

South Korean military drills on Monday were conducted without incident despite fiery warnings from North Korea. Ahead of the drills, North Korea on Sunday issued a warning saying that it woul respond with a “merciless counterstrike.”Monday’s exercise involved South Korean Marine Corps units stationed on the islands near the northern limit line in the West Sea firing various weapons into South Korean waters. The Marine Corps’ exercise, which involved K-9 self-propelled guns, mortars, Vulcan anti-

Feb. 20, 2012

U.S. dismisses N.K.’s call for troop pullout

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The United States made clear Friday that North Korea’s demand for the pullout of American troops on the Korean Peninsula is not negotiable.“I think you know that we have said, for quite some time, that we are not prepared to accept preconditions for the resumption of talks,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing. “And that precondition in particular would be unacceptable.”Her comments came as the U.S. and North Korea are scheduled to ho

Feb. 19, 2012

S. Korea to hold live-fire drills despite N. Korea's harsh

SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said Sunday it will hold "routine" live-fire drills this week near the Yellow Sea border islands with North Korea, despite the North's warning of "merciless" retaliation if provoked. The South's military notified North Korea of the planned drills nea

Feb. 19, 2012

Defense minister backs Army commanders ordering deletion of pro-N.K. apps

SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Saturday he backs Army commanders who ordered officers in their units to delete smartphone applications considered pro-North Korea and critical of the government of President Lee Myung-bak.So far, the commanders of at least two Army units

Feb. 18, 2012

Israel’s decision to buy Italian trainer planes dampen T-50 sale efforts

Israel has decided to purchase 30 Italian-made trainer aircraft in its $1 billion procurement project, snubbing South Korea’s efforts to sell its homegrown planes overseas.Israeli defense officials told the media on Thursday that their government had reached a preliminary deal to buy the M-346 military training planes built by the Italian firm Alenia Aermacchi. Israeli officials, quoted in news reports, cited the suitability of the Italian jets to the direct needs of the Israeli air force, the c

Feb. 17, 2012

Lee suggests language education for soldiers

President Lee Myung-bak has floated the idea of establishing English-learning centers at military bases to prepare service members for job opportunities in the Middle East, an official said Friday.After a trip to the Middle East last week, Lee has repeatedly said he saw good business opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, countries with large amounts of oil money, and urged South Korean companies to take advantage of those opportunities.Referring to a construction boo

Feb. 17, 2012

Navy to get new unit for submarines by 2015

The South Korean military will establish a new submarine command within the Navy by 2015 as part of its efforts to strengthen its underwater operational capabilities. In a related development, the navies of South Korea and the U.S. will be holding a five-day joint anti-submarine drill from Feb. 20 in the West Sea. The exercise is aimed at increasing the allies’ ability to counter North Korean submarines and to familiarize the troops with a variety of drills.According to reports, the military has

Feb. 16, 2012

Defense Ministry to open language institute

The Ministry of National Defense will establish a language institution for training officers and non-commissioned officers in December.According to sources, the ministry plans to merge language-training institutions run by the different branches of the military to establish a military language institute.The new institution will instruct officers and non-commissioned officers who are scheduled to be sent overseas, in five languages including Chinese, English and French. Between 1,200 and 1,500 pe

Feb. 13, 2012

S. Korea seeks to build T-50 jet training center in Portugal

South Korea is seeking to build a pilot training center in Portugal that will be equipped with the Korean Aerospace Industries’ T-50 supersonic military jet trainer, a government source said Saturday.The defense ministry source, who declined to be identified, said Portugal was tapped as the primary negotiation partner for the International Military Flight Training Center Consortium last year. He said final negotiations are underway to sort out details that may lead to a memorandum of understandi

Feb. 12, 2012

S. Korean Marines take part in landing drill in Thailand

South Korean Marine Corps soldiers took part in a major landing drill as part of a multinational exercise in Thailand Friday, officials said.Marine officials said 115 Marines, along with eight amphibious assault vehicles, participated in the drill during the Cobra Gold exercise, along with dozens of troops from the U.S. and Thailand.The exercise will wrap up on Feb. 17.The South Korean troops simulated maritime and aerial attacks, officials said. The drill also involved a 2,600-ton South Korean

Feb. 10, 2012

Pyongyang‘s leadership change poses “even greater” security challenges: U.S. commander

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- The nominee to head U.S. troops in the Asia-Pacific area said Thursday that North Korea’s leadership change adds to regional security concerns on top of the possibility of the communist regime using weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).“In fact, with the uncertainties associated with the ongoing leadership transition, upcoming challenges on the Peninsula may be even greater,” Adm. Samuel Locklear said at a Senate confirmation hearing.If confirmed, he will replace Adm. R

Feb. 10, 2012

Defense ministry to restructure for stronger defense against weapons of mass destruction

The defense ministry is set to undergo restructuring to bolster the military’s defense against weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and cyber warfare, officials said Thursday.Under the proposed change, the ministry’s department of non-proliferation will be renamed the “department of WMD response,”　they said. Officials in that department will be tasked with forming defense policy against North Korea‘s potential WMD attacks and providing necessary guidelines, they added.The newly-named department wil

Feb. 9, 2012

S. Korea, U.S. to meet this week over defense technology security

South Korea and the U.S. are set to hold talks on defense technology security this week, officials said Thursday.The third annual Defense Technology Security Consultative Meeting (DTSCM) will be held on Hawaii from Thursday to Saturday, according to officials at the South‘s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).Kwon Oh-bong, the vice commissioner of the DAPA, and James Hursch, the director of the Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA) under the Defense Department, will rep

Feb. 9, 2012

Defense contractors made illegal profits with military maintenance

The state auditing agency and the defense ministry have uncovered major illegal profiteering schemes in military logistics and are investigating for further irregularities, a government source said Wednesday.The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) and the ministry launched a joint investigation into

Feb. 8, 2012

South Korea denies report on transfer of U.S. marines

South Korea on Tuesday denied a media report that some U.S. marines stationed in Japan may be redeployed to the South on a rotational basis, as Washington and Tokyo consider transferring thousands of American forces from Okinawa to other regions. An unspecified number of U.S. marines on Okinawa is likely to be transferred to South Korea under a plan whereby the U.S. redeploys some marines from the Japanese island to other nations, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported earlier in the day, citing a S

Feb. 7, 2012

Korea Military Academy and West Point to exchange faculty

The Korea Military Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point will introduce a professor-exchange program, official here said Tuesday.According to the Korean Army, the Korea Military Academy chief Lt. Gen. Park Jong-sun and West Point superintendent U.S. Army Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon agreed to the program in January, and the two institutions plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on the issue following approval from the U.S. Department of Defense. Park and Huntoon agreed to the pro

Feb. 7, 2012

‘U.S. needs military trade pact with Korea’

 The U.S. and Korea should consider a bilateral defense industry agreement styled after the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, former commander of the U.S. Forces Korea said.In an article published in the U.S. political and defense publication Defense News co-written with Monitor National Security associate partner John Prior, retired U.S. Army Gen. Walter Sharp said that a military FTA would facilitate cooperation between the two nations’ defense industries. Sharp served as the USFK commander for

Feb. 7, 2012