US tactical nuke redeployment, NATO-style nuclear sharing off table, S. Korea says

The Yoon Suk-yeol government has reiterated that the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and NATO-style nuclear sharing agreement are currently off the table. The Yoon government has recently reaffirmed its endorsement of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula as heated debates have erupted in Seoul over how to counter North Korea’s escalating threats to fire tactical nuclear arms at South Korean targets. South Korea’s Defense Ministry “has not yet disc

Oct. 25, 2022

JCS chief visits US strategic, space commands

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum has met with senior US commanders to discuss measures to beef up security and strategic cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, including the US provision of extended deterrence, the JCS said on Saturday. Kim visited US Strategic Command in Nebraska on Friday (US time) for talks with Commander Adm. Charles Richard on ways to strengthen coordination against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Kim was accompanied by G

Oct. 22, 2022

Navy eyes creation of unmanned command in 2040s

South Korea's Navy is seeking to create a new command running unmanned ships, submarines and aircraft in the 2040s, the armed service said Friday, in an effort to address a potential troop shortage caused by the country's low birthrate. During a parliamentary audit, the Navy unveiled a series of policy goals, including removing one of the three fleet commands and creating the new command employing unmanned naval assets. The envisioned command is to comprise three units -- the unmanned

Oct. 21, 2022

Top commanders of S. Korea, US, Japan vow close security ties to counter N. Korean threats

The top military officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan emphasized the importance of trilateral security cooperation against North Korea's threats during their Pentagon meeting, as Washington reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of the regional allies, according to a joint statement. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum participated in the Trilateral Chief of Defense Meeting, along with his American and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji

Oct. 21, 2022

JCS chiefs of S. Korea, U.S. discuss possible response to N. Korean provocation

WASHINGTON -- The top military chiefs of South Korea and the United States discussed ways to deal with North Korean provocations, the office of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday. South Korea's JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum and his U.S. counterpart, Gen. Mark Milley, also reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula in the annual Military Committee Meeting held in Washington, according to a press release from the South Korean JCS. "Th

Oct. 20, 2022

S. Korea, US to launch joint air drills using F-35B stealth jets this month

South Korea and the United States will kick off large-scale air drills involving US F-35B stealth jets later this month, Seoul officials said Tuesday, as they seek to sharpen their deterrence against potential North Korean provocations. The drills are set to take place over South Korean airspace from Oct. 31-Nov. 4, with the South Korean Air Force set to mobilize some 140 warplanes, including F-35A, F-15 and KF-16 fighters. The US military plans to deploy around 100 aircraft, including F-35B ste

Oct. 18, 2022

BTS to enlist in military in order, starting from oldest bandmate Jin

After months of clashing opinions about K-pop sensation BTS’ military exemption, the band’s agency Big Hit Music announced Monday evening that the seven bandmates would enlist in the military in order, starting from Jin, the oldest member. The band’s agency said via a press release that Jin will cancel postponing his enlistment at the end of this month and will adhere to the Military Manpower Administration’s enlistment procedures. It added that the other six bandmates

Oct. 17, 2022

Sacheon Airshow to resume next week after 2-year hiatus

South Korea will hold a major air show in a southern city next week to showcase an array of its military aircraft, including the homegrown KF-21 fighter under development, Seoul officials said Thursday. The four-day Sacheon Airshow is set to begin at an air base in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, next Thursday after a yearslong hiatus caused by COVID-19. Launched in 2004, the annual air show is co-hosted by the Air Force, the Sacheon municipality and Korea Aerospace Industries. It will featu

Oct. 13, 2022

S. Korea lost track of 1 missile fired in response to N. Korean IRBM launch: officials

South Korea lost track of a missile fired during last week's live-fire drills held in response to a North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launch, Seoul officials said Thursday, in a failure that raised questions over the missile's performance. The missile was one of the two Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles that the South Korean military fired into the East Sea following the North's IRBM launch on Oct. 4. The US Forces Korea also fired two ATACMS mi

Oct. 13, 2022

US says it supports nuclear-free peninsula amid dispute over tactical nuke redeployment

The United States on Tuesday reiterated its goal of achieving complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and extended its deterrence commitment to South Korea, as North Korea’s nuclear saber-rattling has sparked a debate on the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea.North Korea’s pronouncement that the recent flurry of ballistic missile launches aimed to simulate striking South Korea with tactical nuclear weapons has generated a whirlwind of discussions on

Oct. 12, 2022

S. Korea, US, Japan discuss cooperation against NK threats

Senior defense officials of South Korea, the United States and Japan had a conference call Friday to discuss joint responses against North Korea's evolving missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said. The phone talks among Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Heo Tae-keun and his US and Japanese counterparts, Ely Ratner and Kazuo Masuda, respectively, came after a spate of the North's missile provocations, including Tuesday's intermediate-range one that overflew Japan. They

Oct. 7, 2022

S. Korea, US stage combined naval exercise in East Sea

South Korea and the United States began another joint naval exercise, involving a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, in waters east of the Korean Peninsula on Friday in order to reinforce the allies' operational capabilities against North Korean provocations, Seoul's military said. The allies' navies kicked off the two-day maritime maneuvering drills in the international waters of the East Sea with a plan to stage operations later to escort the USS Ronald Reagan down to waters sout

Oct. 7, 2022

Blast in Gangneung as missile veers inland

South Korea's military will launch an investigation into the failed launch of its operational ballistic missile, it said Wednesday, and apologized for its sluggish response to the incident that baffled residents in the coastal city of Gangneung. The indigenously developed Hyunmoo 2-C ballistic missile fell on land Tuesday night during a combined live fire drill with the United States Forces Korea, senior South Korean military officials, who requested to remain anonymous, confirmed during a close

Oct. 5, 2022

Residents baffled by missile malfunction, lack of information fans rumors

Citizens living in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, were panicked and confused by an explosion, thundering noises and a subsequent fire at a military airfield late Tuesday, while the country’s military remained silent about the accident caused by a missile malfunction throughout the night. Residents in Gangneung said they saw a bright flash that accompanied loud noises at around 11 p.m. A video of an orange ball of flames emerging from an area close to the site wa

Oct. 5, 2022

S. Korean F-15K fighter fires 2 JADAM precision bombs in response to NK missile launch

  A South Korean F-15K fighter fired two JADAM precision bombs at a firing range on a Yellow Sea island on Tuesday, in response to North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launch earlier in the day, the military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the F-15K dropped the Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs at a target in the range on the uninhabited island of Jikdo following air drills with U.S. warplanes in a combined strike package. The strike package consisted o

Oct. 4, 2022

S. Korea, US to relocate combined command to Pyeongtaek by this month

The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) plans to complete the relocation of its headquarters in Seoul to a key US military base south of the capital by the end of this month, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Seoul and Washington agreed late last year to move the CFC headquarters to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, within this year in a relocation that would end 44 years of its presence at the heart of Seoul. More than 700 South Korean and US personnel

Oct. 4, 2022

[Photo News] Soaring Black Eagles

The 53rd Air Demonstration Group of the Korean Air Force, nicknamed the Black Eagles, demonstrates a flying stunt at the ceremony to mark South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day on Saturday. The event held at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

Oct. 1, 2022

S. Korea flaunts key weapons systems on Armed Forces Day

South Korea's military demonstrated some of its major high-tech weapons at its headquarters in a central city Saturday on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day following a series of ballistic missile provocations by North Korea this week. The defense ministry held an official ceremony marking the anniversary at the Gyeryongdae compound, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, under the theme of "strong defense, robust military based on science and technology." That theme resonated throughou

Oct. 1, 2022

[Photo News] President Yoon honors military

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday takes part in a military parade held at the ceremony to mark South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day, held at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

Oct. 1, 2022

USFK makes public 'Teak Knife' surgical strike drills amid NK missile provocations

 A US Forces Korea (USFK) unit carried out surgical strike drills involving its special commandos earlier this week at an American military base just south of Seoul, its public affairs office said Friday, following North Korea's missile provocations. The USFK's Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) revealed on its Facebook account a series of photos showing key activities of the Exercise Teak Knife at an airfield of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wedne

Sept. 30, 2022