JCS head stresses readiness against enemy drones in Seoul skies

The head of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kim Myung-soo, on Tuesday visited the Capital Defense Command to assess readiness against enemy uncrewed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, infiltrating Seoul's airspace. The JCS chairman called for thorough preparations for countering possible enemy threats that could arise in Seoul and nearby areas, especially in the skies. Over his visit to the command force in the capital, he said close coordination among the military, police and government

Dec. 5, 2023

S. Korea successfully tests solid-fuel space rocket

South Korea successfully launched a solid-fuel space rocket carrying a small commercial satellite in the final round of tests for an actual launch planned for two years later, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday. The test launch was conducted at around 2:00 p.m. from a barge located in waters south of Jeju Island. It was the first instance of the country integrating an operational satellite, not a dummy satellite, into the developmental phase of a solid-fuel space rocket. Mon

Dec. 4, 2023

US deploys fighter jets in S. Korea for air exercise in Singapore

A group of US fighter jets stationed in South Korea joined an annual aerial exercise in Singapore last month, the US Air Force has said, with a commercial aircraft refueling the fighters en route to the city-state for the first time. The US military deployed six F-16s of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, to participate in the bilateral Commando Sling exercise with the Singaporean Air Force at Paya Lebar Air Base from Nov. 6 to 24. During the flig

Dec. 4, 2023

US authorizes potential sale to S. Korea of munitions, equipment for F-35 stealth jets

The United States has approved a potential sale to South Korea of munitions for the operation of F-35 radar-evading fighter jets and related equipment to help improve the Asian ally's defense capabilities, a government agency said Friday. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency under the Department of Defense made the announcement on the potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) estimated to cost US$271 million. South Korea has made a request to purchase 39 AIM-120C-8 A

Dec. 2, 2023

Koreas' spy satellite launches heat up arms race in space

Space has emerged as an extended battlefield for the rival Koreas as they have successfully launched their own spy satellites into orbit and are gearing up to send more to better monitor each other amid an intensifying arms race, analysts said Saturday. South Korea's first homegrown spy satellite was launched from U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Friday (local time). It successfully entered orbit and communicated with a ground station a little over an

Dec. 2, 2023

S. Korea successfully launches 1st spy satellite into orbit

South Korea successfully launched its first indigenous military spy satellite from a U.S. military base in California Friday (local time), the defense ministry said, in a culmination of Seoul's quest for space-based intelligence capabilities amid growing North Korean threats. The launch of the satellite atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base came after Pyongyang claimed success in its own spy satellite launch last week -- a move that underscored a growing inter-Kor

Dec. 2, 2023

Hanwha Ocean developing submarine stealth technology

Hanwha Ocean is leading a government research project on defense and security technology for building stealthy warships, according to the company on Wednesday. The 50-year-old shipbuilding company, acquired this year by Hanwha Group, said in a press release it signed the contract with the government’s Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement. The project, which is to be completed by May 2028 under the contract, aims to design new demagnetizing equipment for

Nov. 29, 2023

Seoul reviews scenarios for restoring guard posts in DMZ

South Korea has initiated a comprehensive examination of scenarios aimed at restoring guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone that were deactivated and dismantled in alignment with a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, military sources said Wednesday. One potential first step involves the restoration of a disarmed guard post, the structure of which has been exclusively preserved for historical purposes through mutual consent with North Korea. South Korea has deemed it essential to implement coun

Nov. 29, 2023

S. Korea pushes for using commercial satellites in military communication

South Korea will push for using commercial satellites in low Earth orbit in a military communication system to efficiently enhance combat capability of the armed forces, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday. The Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute under the state-run Agency for Defense Development signed a 39.8 billion won ($30.6 million) project with Hanwha Systems Co. for development of the military communication system using Hanwha's commercial satellites op

Nov. 28, 2023

N. Korea reinstates DMZ guard posts

North Korea has started to restore guard posts within the demilitarized zone, which had previously been demolished in accordance with the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement while bringing military personnel and firearm equipment back to the posts, Seoul said Monday. Movements to restore the military posts have been detected since Nov. 24, one day after North Korea declared a complete annulment of the Sept. 19 military agreement, the Defense Ministry in Seoul said in a statement. South Korea�

Nov. 27, 2023

S. Korea attends NATO-led cyberdefense exercise

South Korea is set to attend an international cyberdefense exercise led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the first time to enhance collaboration with NATO in the cyberspace domain, the defense ministry said Monday. NATO's flagship annual cyber exercise, called Cyber Coalition 2023, takes place in Estonia from Monday to Friday, involving 35 NATO members and partners as well as the European Union to strengthen their joint ability to counter threats in the cyber domain. South Kore

Nov. 27, 2023

S. Korea, U.S., Japan stage joint naval drills involving aircraft carrier

South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly conducted naval drills in waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday to bolster their defense posture against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, the South's Navy said. The joint exercise took place in southeastern waters off Jeju Island involving the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which has been docked at a naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The South Korean Navy's Ae

Nov. 26, 2023

Yoon appoints new JCS chief

President Yoon Suk Yeol approved the appointment of new Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Kim Myung-soo on Saturday, officials said, making him the first top-ranking military officer to come from the Navy in a decade. According to the presidential office and the JCS, Naval Operations Commander Vice Adm. Kim was appointed as the new JCS chief without a confirmation report from the National Assembly. Kim underwent a parliamentary confirmation hearing earlier this month but failed to win t

Nov. 25, 2023

Ex-Pentagon official says S. Korea does not need nuclear subs

A former Pentagon official argued against the idea of South Korea acquiring nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) in a media contribution piece on Friday, citing high costs, operational realities and other challenges. Dov S. Zakheim, who served as undersecretary of defense from 2001 to 2004, made the case in the piece carried by The Hill, a US media outlet, as he pointed out a continuing debate in South Korea over whether the country should possess SSNs. The debate has gained traction in recent ye

Nov. 25, 2023

[News Focus] Battle beyond border: Koreas square off in space showdown

A space rivalry between South and North Korea appears to be intensifying, extending the decades-old military confrontation between the two beyond the heavily fortified inter-Korean border on the ground. North Korea seized the initiative by putting its first-ever military reconnaissance satellite into orbit Tuesday, strategically positioning itself ahead of South Korea's scheduled launch of its first homegrown military spy satellite on Nov. 30. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wed

Nov. 23, 2023

US says S. Korea's partial suspension of 2018 inter-Korean military accord 'prudent,' 'restrained' move

The United States regards South Korea's partial suspension of a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement as a "prudent" and "restrained" response to North Korea's repeated violations of it, the State Department said Wednesday. South Korea suspended part of the Comprehensive Military Agreement on Wednesday in response to Pyongyang's launch of a space rocket Tuesday. North Korea said later that it will "never be bound" by it and deploy &qu

Nov. 23, 2023

[News Analysis] What happens after no-fly zones are lifted?

South Korea has lifted the no-fly zones established by the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement as of Wednesday afternoon, as a tit-for-tat measure in response to North Korea's claimed launch of a military reconnaissance satellite. The decision is the first instance South Korea has opted to suspend any inter-Korean agreements since the initial deal was signed in 1971. South Korea's Defense Ministry announced the suspension would take effect at 3 p.m., without saying how long the counte

Nov. 22, 2023

S. Korea partially suspends inter-Korean military agreement

South Korea on Wednesday decided to partially suspend a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement in order to resume reconnaissance near the border and enhance its readiness posture, hours after North Korea launched a military spy satellite. President Yoon Suk Yeol -- currently on a state visit to the United Kingdom -- gave his approval for a proposal to suspend the implementation of the no-fly zone clause in the Sept. 19 Comprehensive Military Agreement. Yoon's assent came hours after he presid

Nov. 22, 2023

S. Korea, US, Japan share information on NK spy satellite launch: JCS

South Korea, the United States and Japan shared information about North Korea's launch of what it claimed to be a military spy satellite, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. "We immediately detected, tracked and monitored the launch, and shared related information among South Korea, the United States and Japan, and we are comprehensively analyzing detailed specifications," the JCS said in a message to reporters. North Korea said it successfully launched a spac

Nov. 22, 2023

N. Korea makes 3rd spy satellite launch attempt

North Korea launched a spy satellite on Tuesday night, around three months after its unsuccessful second attempt to place a domestically developed surveillance satellite into orbit in August. It is not yet clear if the launch was successful. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that "what North Korea claimed to be a military reconnaissance satellite" was launched at around 10:43 p.m. southward from the Tongchang-ri area of North Pyongan Province. The launch vehicle then p

Nov. 21, 2023