Construction resumes at S. Korea's THAAD base

The South Korean and US militaries began construction to improve an accommodation facility within the base of an advanced US missile defense system in the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang on Friday.The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system was installed on a golf course-turned-military base in Seongju, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in 2017, as part of efforts to counter missile threats from North Korea. The South Korean and US militaries have since conducted various cons

Aug. 2, 2019

US has no plans to adjust military exercise with S. Korea: report

The United States has no plans to adjust its planned military exercise with South Korea next month, Reuters quoted a US official as saying Wednesday.North Korea said last week that it launched two short-range ballistic missiles to send a "solemn" warning to the South over the exercises, which it condemns as an invasion rehearsal. On Wednesday it fired what Seoul said was two more missiles of a similar kind."No adjustment or change in plans that we're aware of or are planning,"

Aug. 1, 2019

N. Korean soldier expresses desire to defect after crossing land border: JCS

A North Korean soldier crossed the inter-Korean land border and expressed a desire to defect to South Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday.The man was spotted moving southward along the Imjin River after crossing the Military Demarcation Line inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the central part of the inter-Korean border at around 11:38 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the JCS. After confirming that an unidentified object spotted by our thermal observation devices was a person,

Aug. 1, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae convenes NSC meeting over NK missile test

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday convened a National Security Council session over North Korea's firing of short-range ballistic missiles.Earlier in the day, the North fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.They flew some 250 kilometers, marking the second such launch in less than a week. Chung Eui-yong, the national security adviser, presided over the meeting of the NSC standing committee, according to Cheong Wa Dae.&q

July 31, 2019

Seoul, US agree on ‘rational and fair’ defense cost-sharing negotiations: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea and the United States have agreed to negotiate in a “rational” and “fair” way for a defense cost-sharing deal, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, denying local news reports that Washington had suggested a specific amount for the renegotiation. “(South Korea and the US) have not yet discussed the specific amount (for the cost-sharing deal). We agreed to negotiate in a rational and fair direction,” a presidential official told reporters. The statement

July 30, 2019

S. Korea, US agree to discuss defense cost sharing in 'reasonable, fair' way

South Korea and the United States have agreed to conduct discussions in a "reasonable and fair" way on how to share the cost for the upkeep of American troops here, a foreign ministry official here said Tuesday.The two sides talked about the upcoming negotiations over Seoul's share of the cost for the stationing of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea for next year, when US National Security Adviser John Bolton visited Korea last week, the official said.The local daily JoongAng Ilbo repor

July 30, 2019

Pompeo says countries to join Strait of Hormuz plan amid report on S. Korean participation

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that countries around the world will join a US-led maritime force off the coast of Iran, after a South Korean newspaper reported that the Asian country plans to send a naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz.Pompeo did not mention any countries by name in his remarks to the Economic Club of Washington, DC But last week he told Fox News that the US had asked South Korea, Britain, France and other nations to join the US initiative to protect the strategical

July 30, 2019

South Korea reviews sending troops to Strait of Hormuz

South Korea is reviewing sending a naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz to take part in the US-led maritime force to protect oil tankers in the strait.On Monday, a local daily reported that Korea has decided to send the Cheonghae Unit that operates in waters off Somalia, citing an unnamed senior government official. However, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said it has not made a decision.  “There have been reports on sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz, but nothing has been decided. W

July 29, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘S. Korea should not just commemorate, but also record war history’

While the Korean Peninsula remains divided, the war that led to the division is now only a faint memory in the minds of the elderly. But Rami Hyun, a photographer, is putting the spotlight on the aged veterans who dedicated their youth fighting for a free country here. Holding a firm belief that the history should be recorded, Hyun takes pictures of veterans who fought in the 1950-1953 Korean War.   “I wish to record the reality of the war. There are a lot of commemorating events, but

July 28, 2019

S. Korea honors int'l veterans of Korean War

South Korea on Saturday honored a group of international soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War under the UN flag for their service. At a ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, South Korea welcomed a total of 107 war veterans and their family members from 16 countries, including the United States and Australia. "South Korea's dream to settle peace on the Korean Peninsula is also a dream of the UN that saved South Korea from the Korean War," Prime

July 27, 2019

US nuclear-powered attack submarine comes to S. Korean port

A US nuclear-powered attack submarine is visiting a South Korean port, government sources said Friday, amid heightened tensions following North Korean missile tests.The 6,900-ton USS Oklahoma City arrived at the southern port of Busan on Thursday, they said, to replenish supplies and have its crew rest. The submarine is reportedly scheduled to depart next week.The port call came on the same day that North Korea launched two missiles from Hodo Peninsula near the North's eastern coastal town

July 26, 2019

S. Korea says no change in planned joint military drills with US

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that South Korea and the United States will proceed with their planned joint military drills as scheduled, despite North Korea's warning.North Korea's state media said earlier in the day that the two short-range ballistic missiles the country fired Thursday were a "solemn warning" against South Korea, calling for the suspension of Seoul's planned military exercises and its purchase of what it called offensive weapons.Cheong Wa Dae said

July 26, 2019

Korea provides evidence of Russian warplane’s airspace intrusion

South Korea presented Russia with evidence of a Russian warplane’s airspace intrusion Thursday, during a working-level meeting over a recent intrusion into Korea’s territorial skies, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said, as the two sides maintain conflicting accounts of the incident.　“During the working-level meeting, the Defense Ministry provided a detailed explanation with evidence that the Russian military aircraft violated South Korea’s airspace,” the ministry sa

July 25, 2019

NSC to discuss N. Korean missile launch: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea's presidential National Security Council will soon discuss the issue of North Korea's latest missile firing, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.Immediately after the North launched two short-range missiles early in the morning, President Moon Jae-in received a briefing from the NSC, according to Han Jun-woo, Cheong Wa Dae's deputy spokesman.Cheong Wa Dae is thoroughly handling the situation through the "crisis management center" of the national security office, he said.  The

July 25, 2019

North Korea fires 2 short-range missiles into East Sea: JCS

North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the East Sea from Hodo Peninsula, northeast of Wonsan, Seoul’s military said Thursday. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea launched two projectiles from the peninsula in South Hamgyong Province at 5:34 a.m. and 5:57 a.m.The first missile traveled about 430 kilometers, and the second flew about 690 kilometers, the JCS said, adding that both reached an altitude of between 50 to 60 kilometers. “The joint evaluation of South

July 25, 2019

Pentagon chief says Russia crossed into S. Korean airspace

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that a Russian warplane crossed into South Korean airspace this week, despite Japan's claims that the incursion violated its own airspace.On Tuesday, a Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft trespassed twice into South Korean airspace near the East Sea islets of Dokdo, prompting warning shots from the South's Air Force. South Korea said it was the first such violation by a foreign military plane.Japan, which lays claim to the islets, also d

July 25, 2019

S. Korea, Russia to hold working-level talks over airspace intrusion

South Korea and Russia held a working-level meeting in Seoul on Thursday over a Russian warplane's recent violation of Korean airspace, the defense ministry here said, amid conflicting accounts of the incident from the two countries.On Tuesday, the Russian A-50 early-warning jet intruded into Korean airspace twice in the East Sea near its easternmost islets of Dokdo, prompting the South Korean Air Force to fire hundreds of warning shots, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The intrusion came

July 25, 2019

KADIZ emerges as potential flashpoint?

The Korea Air Defense Identification Zone in the East Sea has come under the spotlight after warplanes from four countries became tangled in the area Tuesday. Two Russian TU-95 strategic bombers and two Chinese H-6 strategic bombers entered the KADIZ without prior notice in the early hours of Tuesday. A Russian A-50 -- an early warning and control aircraft -- further trespassed into South Korea’s airspace above the Dokdo Islets, twice, prompting the Air Force to fire over 300 warning shots

July 24, 2019

KADIZ intrusions test security ties among S. Korea, US, Japan: experts

The incursions by Chinese and Russian warplanes into South Korea's air defense zone this week appeared aimed at testing security ties between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, analysts said Wednesday.On Tuesday, two Russian bombers and two Chinese bombers breached Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone, before a Russian early warning and control aircraft committed an unprecedented violation of the country's airspace.The KADIZ breaches came amid concerns that the spat between Seoul and Tokyo over Jap

July 24, 2019

Defense ministry dismisses Japan's claim over Dokdo, vows stern response

South Korea's defense ministry on Wednesday dismissed Japan's renewed territorial claim to Dokdo amid military tensions over a Russian warplane's violation of its airspace near the easternmost islets in the East Sea.On Tuesday, the Russian A-50 early-warning jet intruded into Korean airspace twice near Dokdo, prompting the South Korean Air Force to fire hundreds of warning shots in accordance with operation manuals, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Referring to the incident, Japan's Chief

July 24, 2019