Govt., Army to jointly develop military supplies best fitting Koreans

The government and the military will jointly develop military uniforms and supplies that fit best for Koreans by sharing and using big data, officials said Friday.The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Army Logistics Command will work together based on their memorandum of understanding to be finalized later in the day. (Yonhap)KATS will provide the technological elements that it has accrued through its "Size Korea" project, under

Aug. 3, 2018

Defense Security Command to be greatly weakened

The Ministry of National Defense on Thursday announced a reform plan for its military intelligence unit that would largely disband the organization. The reform plan would cut the number of staff at the Defense Security Command by one-third, as part of an overhaul of the scandal-ridden powerful military intelligence command. The Defense Ministry’s DSC reform panel also said that all laws and regulations concerning the organization would be lifted and the DSC commander would be banned from briefin

Aug. 2, 2018

Army struggles to reinvent itself amid waning fortunes

The Army used to be the indisputably dominant branch in South Korea's military for decades, with its retirees occupying key policymaking posts and its generals taking the helm of joint forces and defense intelligence operations.But it has experienced a dramatic reversal of fortunes over the past year, as its members have been mired in allegations of political interference that have sapped public confidence and troop morale, and prompted calls for reform.The waning of its influence was more palpa

Aug. 2, 2018

US Congress passes defense bill restricting drawdown of troops in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States Congress on Wednesday passed a defense authorization bill that restricts any drawdown of American troops in South Korea.The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, which approves $716 billion for defense in fiscal year 2019, passed the Senate by a vote of 87-10 after passing through the House of Representatives last week.The bill has now been sent to US President Donald Trump to sign into law. (Yonhap)The legislation notes that about 28,500 American tro

Aug. 2, 2018

Buried for more than 60 years, US war remains finally head home

Draped in white-and-blue United Nations flags, boxes of remains from the Korean War were unloaded from a group of vans one by one under the scorching sun at US Osan airbase in South Korea on Wednesday. A total of 55 boxes were then carried by the honor guard from the UN Command and loaded onto two C-17 Globalmaster cargo planes heading for Hawaii. Dozens of service members and a military honor guard lined up on the tarmac to mark the return of the fallen troops. After four F-16 fighter jets flew

Aug. 1, 2018

Korean military seeks to boost women's role, enhance political neutrality

The defense ministry on Wednesday announced additional military reform measures, including allowing female troops to gain greater access to combat positions and strengthening rules on political neutrality.The measures are part of efforts to flesh out the Defense Reform 2.0 that the ministry unveiled last Friday to create a slimmer yet stronger military in light of uncertain security conditions and evolving transnational and nonmilitary threats.   (Yonhap)Among them is a plan to expand the propor

Aug. 1, 2018

Defense unit dismisses allegations of martial law document after Roh’s 2004 impeachment

The Defense Security Command on Tuesday dismissed an opposition floor leader’s allegations that it drew up a document on the possible imposition of martial law after the 2004 impeachment of liberal former President Roh Moo-hyun.Earlier in the day, Rep. Kim Sung-tae of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party raised the allegations amid criticism that the DSC explored the possibility of imposing martial law to quash public protests against then-President Park Geun-hye.  Soldiers at the entrance to

July 31, 2018

Two Koreas’ generals hold talks to end cross-border hostilities

　The two Koreas’ militaries “broadly agreed” on the need for disarming a jointly controlled area at the truce village of Panmunjom and excavating war remains inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday. 　At general-level military talks held at Panmunjom Tuesday, the two sides’ delegates shared the need for the withdrawal of guard posts from the DMZ on a trial basis and suspension of hostile activities in the West Sea, the ministry said. 　The

July 31, 2018

Recovering war remains best way to honor fallen heroes

　PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- Under the scorching sun at Gamaksan in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Lt. Col. Ju Gyeong-bae has been standing for hours looking for something unusual in the popular tourist destination famous for having the longest suspension bridge in South Korea. 　Wearing battle dress with a black vest, the 51-year-old Army officer looked as if he were trying to sell something. In fact, he was promoting collecting DNA samples from family members who had lost their loved ones during the K

July 30, 2018

NGO accuses military intelligence unit of tapping former president

The military’s intelligence unit wiretapped a former president and defense minister and collected intelligence on a large number of civilians, a nongovernmental organization alleged Monday. The latest allegation against the Defense Security Command comes as the Ministry of National Defense speeds up the process of drawing up reform plans for the military intelligence unit.  Lim Tae-hoon, chief of Center for Military Human Rights, speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. YonhapOn Mond

July 30, 2018

Two Koreas to hold general-level military talks this week

The two Koreas are set to hold general-level military talks Tuesday to discuss measures to enforce the military part of their April summit agreement.The meeting, the first since June 14, will take place at the Peace House, a South Korea-controlled building at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, at 10 a.m., according to Seoul officials.Major Gen. Kim Do-gyun will lead South Korea’s five-member delegation, while the North Korean side will be repr

July 30, 2018

Defense reform plan focuses on organizational change

　The defense reform plan announced last week aims to overhaul the military’s command systems and troop organization amid the country’s growing need to adapt to the changing security landscape and the demographic shift. 　However, the plan lacks specific measures for changing the operational scheme in the event of a war with North Korea, which had been expected to be incorporated into the reform blueprint since the military floated the idea last year.　The Ministry of National Defense on Friday unv

July 29, 2018

Defense reform plan to cut generals, create ground command, retain 3-axis

South Korea will reduce the number of general-grade officers by about 17 percent over the next four years, in line with the overall troop drawdown scheme, as part of a new defense reform initiative aimed at creating a slimmer yet stronger military.The initiative also calls for launching the Ground Operation Command by merging the First and Third Army commands, an integration based on technological advancements that have reduced operational redundancies and allowed greater efficiency. President M

July 27, 2018

Moon says martial law proposal itself an illegal act

President Moon Jae-in on Friday called for swift measures to overhaul the military intelligence unit, saying its controversial proposal in late 2016 to invoke martial law against anti-government protests represented an illegal act. President Moon Jae-in speaks at the meeting with the military`s top commanders at the presidential office on Friday. Yonhap"The military must fear the people more than anyone else. The Defense Security Command's (DSC) inspection of the families of people killed in the

July 27, 2018

Chinese warplane enters S. Korea's air defense identification zone

A Chinese military airplane entered South Korea's air defense identification zone on Friday, prompting F-15K fighter jets to make an emergency sortie in response, Seoul's defense authorities said.It flew into the KADIZ from southwest of Ieo Island at around 7:10 a.m., moved along the southern and eastern coast before changing direction, according to the Joint Chief of Staff. It exited the zone at around 11:27 a.m., added the JCS.(Yonhap)The Chinese jet is believed to a Y-9 tactical aircraft.The

July 27, 2018

US House passes defense bill restricting drawdown of troops in S. Korea

The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a defense authorization bill that restricts any drawdown of American troops in South Korea.The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, which approves $716 billion for defense in fiscal year 2019, passed the House by a vote of 359-54. Upon Senate approval, it will be sent to USPresident Donald Trump to sign into law. (Yonhap)The bill notes that about 28,500 American troops are currently stationed in South Korea as a demonstration of th

July 27, 2018

Experts advise caution over rush to declare end to Korean War

　With the two Koreas marking the 65th anniversary of signing the armistice agreement of the Korean War, the focus is now on whether they can realize their plan of declaring an official end to the war by the end of this year. 　The two Koreas have been pushing for a formal end to the war since President Moon Jae-in and North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un pledged to replace the armistice agreement with a peace treaty at the Panmunjom summit in April.　But the idea should be pursued with caution and in c

July 26, 2018

Moon stresses need for DSC reform, hints at possible consequences for defense minister

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday hinted at the possibility of penalizing the defense minister and stressed the need to reform the military’s intelligence agency. Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom holds a briefing on Thursday. YonhapAccording to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, Moon raised concerns about recent developments surrounding the Defense Security Command’s drawing up of plans for a martial law declaration. The plans, drawn up during the demonstrations that led to the ouster o

July 26, 2018

[Breaking] President Moon stresses need to reform military intelligence unit

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday stressed the need to get to the bottom of the controversial proposal from the military intelligence unit to invoke martial law, also calling for stepped up efforts to reform the intelligence agency."The key issue is to reveal the truth about the martial law documents. We must thoroughly identify why (the military) created such documents and how far it was willing to execute the plan," the president said, according to his spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom."We must thorough

July 26, 2018

Martial law controversy escalates into power struggle in military

Controversy over a martial law document drawn up by the Defense Security Command has escalated into a power struggle between the Defense Ministry and its security command, with the chief of the two organizations blaming each other for the military’s handling of the document. The DSC suggested that it briefed Defense Minister Song Young-moo on the document “in a serious manner,” but Song delayed reporting the document to the presidential office.  Defense Minister Song Young-moo (Yonhap)Song, on t

July 25, 2018