S. Korea, US discuss NK cyber threats

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday agreed to continue coordination to cope with North Korean activities in the cyber realm, the foreign ministry said. Lee Tae-woo, the director-general for North Korean nuclear affairs, met his US counterpart, Jung Pak, along with around 60 diplomatic, security and intelligence officials from both countries, the ministry said. During the meeting, which marked the second of its kind since August, the two countries shared updates on the situation in whi

Nov. 16, 2022

[Herald Interview] In Taiwan crisis, S. Korea should focus on preventing a second front

WASHINGTON -- South Korea should concentrate on averting a second contingency on the Korean Peninsula in the event of China’s invasion of Taiwan, says Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution. “South Korea should make it clear to China that if China were to attack Taiwan, it could not consider business as usual,” O’Hanlon said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Nov. 2 at the Brookings Institutio

Nov. 16, 2022

[Herald Interview] S.Korea has to ‘take some risk’ to ensure deterrence on Taiwan

WASHINGTON -- South Korea has to “take on some risk” to contribute to deterring Chinese aggression against Taiwan as a US ally by reinforcing its own deterrence capabilities and readiness posture vis-a-vis North Korea and resilience against China’s coercive economic statecraft, Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson Institute, said. “One way to answer that question is to ask what didn’t South Korea do before the invasion happened?” Cronin answe

Nov. 16, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘US, S. Korea should optimize defense posture for deterrence, diplomacy’

WASHINGTON -- The US and South Korea should seek to optimize their combined defense posture and create room for diplomacy with North Korea, according to Frank Jannuzi, president of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and formerly US President Joe Biden’s longtime foreign policy aide in the Senate. Recalibrating strategy to enhance the alliance’s readiness is imperative to achieve the ultimate objective of maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula. “There’s some trut

Nov. 15, 2022

Military intel unit adds new areas of responsibilities for defense technology protection

A key South Korean military intelligence unit will be given additional areas of responsibilities, such as cybersecurity, to better protect the country's defense technologies, the defense ministry said Monday. The ministry put on public notice a revision to a decree governing the operation of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, as it has been striving to shield the arms industry from potential technology thefts, cyberattacks and other threats. Under the revision, the DCC will undertake

Nov. 14, 2022

[Herald Interview] Why and how should S. Korea, US retool alliance in face of China challenge?

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the US should move toward retooling their alliance to collectively counter the challenge from China, including in relation to Taiwan, according to Randall Schriver, a top Asia policy official in the Pentagon during the previous Donald Trump administration. Schriver took note of the alliance’s imperative to focus on countering escalating and existential North Korean threats and to preserve deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. But South Korea and the US should ex

Nov. 13, 2022

Government plans to install electromagnetic wave detectors near THAAD base next year

South Korea's defense ministry has selected a successful bidder in its project to acquire and install electromagnetic wave detectors around the THAAD missile defense base in a southeastern county, officials said Sunday. The ministry is to receive the delivery of eight electromagnetic wave detectors by April 28, 2023, under a promise made to residents in Seongju, 217 kilometers southeast of Seoul, home to an advanced US missile defense system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. Five

Nov. 13, 2022

S. Korean military presents bill to expand nuke, WMD threat response body

South Korea's military on Thursday presented a bill to expand its nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threat response center to better counter evolving military threats from North Korea, according to officials. The bill calls for the reorganization and expansion of the center under the Joint Chiefs of Staff into a larger directorate-level body, the Defense Ministry said. The JCS has recommended the plan as part of efforts to better deter and respond to various threats, including those f

Nov. 10, 2022

S. Korea to hold memorial event in Busan for UN war veterans

South Korea plans to host an annual ceremony this week to commemorate the sacrifices of fallen troops who fought under the UN flag during the 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans affairs ministry said Wednesday. The Turn Toward Busan ceremony will take place at the UN Memorial Cemetery in the southeastern port city of Busan on Friday, with the attendance of 114 bereaved families and war veterans from 15 countries invited by the ministry. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Veterans Affairs Minister Park Mi

Nov. 9, 2022

State-run arms developer to build new missile testing facility amid NK threats

South Korea's state-run defense research agency plans to construct a new testing facility for arms development as the country seeks to strengthen the "three-axis" deterrence system to counter North Korea's evolving threats, an informed source said Wednesday. The Agency for Defense Development is expected to build the facility at a location near its existing testing site in Taean, 109 kilometers south of Seoul, with an aim of completing the construction in 2026, according to t

Nov. 9, 2022

S. Korea to participate in Japan's fleet review for first time in seven years

TOKYO -- A South Korean naval vessel was set to take part in Japan's international fleet review on Sunday for the first time in seven years amid escalating nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. South Korea is one of 14 countries, including host Japan, the United States, Canada and Australia, to take part in the review set to take place in Sagami Bay off Kanagawa Prefecture, about 40 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. South Korea's 10,000-ton logistics support ship Soyang entered the port of

Nov. 6, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korea, US flesh out plans to enhance extended deterrence against N. Korean threats

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States on Thursday fleshed out their plans to enhance the viability of US extended deterrence against escalating North Korean threats after months of discussion. The US also publicly sent a strong warning against North Korea’s nuclear saber-rattling at the annual bilateral security talks. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached an agreement at the 54th Security Consultative Meeting on Thursday at the

Nov. 4, 2022

S. Korean, US defense chiefs visit US air base with B-1, B-52 bombers

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States visited a US air base operating nuclear-capable B-1B and B-52 strategic bombers Thursday in a highly choreographed move to highlight America's military might amid evolving North Korean threats. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, toured the Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland, and were briefed on key features of the bombers and their firepower. The visit came shortly after they wr

Nov. 4, 2022

S. Korea, US codify 4 categories of 'extended deterrence' cooperation against NK nuke threats

South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday on specific categories of "extended deterrence" cooperation against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, in a move to fortify the credibility of America's security commitment to its Asian ally. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, reached the agreement at their annual Security Consultative Meeting at the Pentagon amid worries that Pyongyang is ready for a fresh nuclear test that wi

Nov. 4, 2022

S. Korea's defense chief visits US geospatial intel agency amid NK threats

WASHINGTON -- Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup visited the US geospatial intelligence agency near Washington, DC on Wednesday in a symbolic trip highlighting the need for the allies' tighter security coordination to counter North Korea's military threats. His visit to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield, Virginia, came on the eve of the annual South Korea-US defense ministerial talks, called the Security Consultative Meeting, where the North's nuclear and missi

Nov. 3, 2022

N. Korea's 1st firing of missile into area near S. Korean territorial waters 'intolerable': Seoul military

South Korea's military on Wednesday denounced North Korea's launch of its first missile into an area close to the South's territorial waters since the division of the peninsula more than seven decades ago, calling it an "intolerable" act. Earlier in the day, the North launched at least three short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, one of which flew across its de facto maritime border with South Korea, according to the South's military. The Joint Chiefs of

Nov. 2, 2022

S. Korea, US begin 5-day combined air drills involving stealth jets

South Korea and the United States kicked off their first large-scale joint air drills in nearly five years, with more than 240 aircraft mobilized, including their advanced stealth jets, as the allies strive to bolster deterrence against evolving North Korean threats, according to officials here. The Vigilant Storm exercise will run through Friday over the sky of the Korean Peninsula amid concerns that Pyongyang could may soon carry out a nuclear test. The North may also try to show its own firep

Oct. 31, 2022

S. Korea, US defense chiefs to discuss strengthening alliance capabilities

The South Korean and US defense chiefs will discuss how to enhance the alliance’s deterrence and readiness against escalating North Korean threats during their annual security talks, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Sunday. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are set to host the 54th Security Consultative Meeting on Thursday at the Pentagon, outside Washington. Lee and Austin will discuss major alliance issues including the assessment of the securi

Oct. 30, 2022

S. Korea, US to conduct Vigilant Storm air drills next week amid N.Korea threats

South Korea and the United States will hold major combined air drills, involving some 240 military aircraft, next week to verify the allies' wartime operational capabilities, the Air Force here said Friday, amid growing North Korean security threats. The five-day Vigilant Storm exercise is set to begin Monday, as Seoul and Washington are striving to sharpen deterrence amid concerns that Pyongyang could ratchet up tensions by conducting a nuclear test or other provocative acts. For the drill

Oct. 28, 2022

S. Korea Navy to attend Japan’s international fleet review

The South Korean government will dispatch a naval ship and more than 100 personnel to Japan’s international fleet review next month, marking the first time it will participate since 2015. The Yoon Suk-yeol government has decided to accept Japan’s invitation to the international naval event hosted by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday. The international fleet review is set to take place on Nov. 6  in Sagami Bay, off

Oct. 27, 2022