Environment ministry gives conditional consent to THAAD deployment

The Ministry of Environment said Monday it has given conditional consent to the deployment of a US missile defense system, removing the last administrative hurdle for its full operation fiercely opposed by local residents and activists.The ministry said it found the adverse environmental impact from deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense on the designated region of Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, to be limited, after reviewing the results of the Ministry of National Defense's surv

Sept. 4, 2017

S. Korea holds ballistic missile drill against N. Korea

South Korea's military said Monday it conducted a combined live-fire exercise in response to North Korea's sixth nuclear test a day earlier.The training aimed at improving the capability of striking the North's Pyunggye-ri nuclear test site involved the Hyunmoo ballistic missile system and F-15K fighter jets.In the drill, the Army's Hyunmoo-2A surface-to-surface missile and the F-15K's SLAM-ER precision-guided air-to-ground rocket accurately hit a designated target in the East Sea, according to

Sept. 4, 2017

Seoul to consider deploying most powerful US weapons

South Korea will discuss with the United States deploying the “most powerful US tactical weapons” here, in response to North Korea’s sixth test of nuclear weapons, its chief security officer said Sunday. Chung Eui-yong, President Moon Jae-in’s top security adviser, also said the country would push for the “strongest sanctions” against the defiant regime led by dictator Kim Jong-un in order to “completely” isolate it. “President Moon Jae-in said the country would not allow North Korea to continue

Sept. 3, 2017

US considering rotational deployment of US stealth jets to Korea: sources

The United States is considering a rotational deployment of its stealth jets to South Korea in response to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, government sources said Sunday.South Korea and the US are discussing the dispatch of F-22 and F-35B fighter jets on a rotational basis as part of efforts to boost extended deterrence against the North's threats, they said.The allies are known to be discussing the deployment of US strategic assets on a quarterly basis at US air base in Osan

Sept. 3, 2017

Army to investigate ‘mystery deaths’

　On an afternoon in February 1998, Army 1st Lt. Kim Hun was found dead inside an underground military outpost along the border with North Korea. A gunshot wound was found on the right side of his head and a 9mm Beretta pistol was near his body. 　The South Korean military determined that the then-25-year-old Army officer had committed suicide. But questions and doubts have mushroomed that he may have been murdered because of no apparent motive for suicide and evidence of a physical fight inside t

Sept. 1, 2017

Additional THAAD deployment likely next week: report

Deployment of four more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launchers may begin as early as next week, local media reported Friday citing unnamed South Korean and US military sources. According to reports, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense and US Forces Korea are likely to transport four additional THAAD launchers, and materials required for their temporary deployment to the site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, next week.  A THAAD launcher stationed in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Provinc

Sept. 1, 2017

Seoul says not considering redeployment of US nuclear weapons to Korea

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Friday dismissed the possibility of deploying US nuclear weapons to South Korea to deter North Korea's armed provocations."We have never thought we should redeploy US nuclear assets," a ranking Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters on condition of anonymity."The government respects the global non-proliferation regime, and continues to align all its policy within that framework," the official added. South Korea`s Defense Minister Song Young-moo(f

Sept. 1, 2017

Talk of tactical nuclear weapons resurfaces

Talk of South Korea’s nuclear armament resurfaced Thursday, after Seoul’s defense chief raised the issue in a meeting with his US counterpart.Meeting US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday, Seoul’s Defense Minister Song Young-moo floated the idea of South Korea manufacturing indigenous nuclear-powered submarines and bringing back US tactical nukes that were withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula in 1991. 　The proposal was discussed in the context of the allies’ efforts to enhance their dete

Aug. 31, 2017

Korea dismisses speculation over possible redeployment of US tactical nukes

South Korea remains unchanged in its commitment to a nuclear arms-free Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said Thursday, apparently dismissing speculation that Seoul might be interested in the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons on its soil in the face of a growing threat from North Korea. "Our basic stance is to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through a complete nuclear disarmament in the North," Cho June-hyuck, foreign ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. Foreign Mi

Aug. 31, 2017

Lawmakers propose resolution to scrap Korea-US missile guideline

A group of lawmakers on Thursday proposed a parliamentary resolution calling on President Moon Jae-in to scrap a South Korea-US missile guideline, saying it has restricted Seoul's missile capabilities and commercial rocket development.The 26 lawmakers, led by Kim Kyung-jin of the minor opposition People's Party, claimed that the "humiliating" guideline has seriously infringed on the country's self-reliant defense capabilities amid the grave security tensions triggered by North Korea's provocatio

Aug. 31, 2017

Ministry to launch task force on defense reform

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it will create a task force on military reform in early September.The move comes days after President Moon Jae-in ordered measures to streamline the country's 625,000-strong armed forces and root out corruption related to arms development and purchases.Moon called for the establishment of the "new war concept," especially on "how to fight." An image of the South Korean defense ministry headquarters in a photo provided by Yonhap News TV. (Yonhap)He str

Aug. 31, 2017

Korea, US to end joint military exercise

South Korea and the United States will wrap up their combined defense drills on Thursday as scheduled amid renewed tensions on the peninsula, officials said.The annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, which started on Aug. 21, has involved more than 50,000 South Korea troops and around 17,500 American service members, including 3,000 from overseas bases.Seven other member states of the United Nations Command -- Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Britain -- als

Aug. 31, 2017

Korea to host intl. defense forum next week

South Korea said Wednesday it will host a vice-ministerial defense forum next week largely on North Korea, cybersecurity and anti-terrorism efforts.The three-day Seoul Defense Dialogue, the sixth of its kind, is to open Wednesday at the Westin Chosun hotel in the country's capital, according to the Ministry of National Defense.With the theme "Visions for Security Cooperation in an Age of Uncertainty," the annual conference will bring together government officials and experts from 38 countries an

Aug. 30, 2017

S. Korea releases footage of ballistic missiles in response to North’s aggression

S. Korean military released footage of its ballistic missile drills, Tuesday, in response to North Korea firing missiles past neighboring Japanese territory earlier in the morning.The footage showed test launches of Korea’s newly developed and enhanced ballistic missiles with ranges of 800 kilometers and 500 kilometers, according to the Agency for Defense Development.  (Ministry of National Defense)ADD said it has improved the warheads on the ballistic missiles. The recent drills have been the f

Aug. 29, 2017

Korean-made submarine delivered to Indonesia

JAKARTA -- A South Korean-made submarine has arrived at a port of the Indonesian Navy's Eastern Fleet in Surabaya after 16 days of sailing from South Korea, the country's Navy said Tuesday.The arrival of the new submarine, the KRI Nagapasa 403, on the previous day came after South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering handed over the 1,400-ton submarine to the Indonesian Navy at the shipbuilder's Okpo shipyard on Aug. 2.During a ceremony Monday at the Indonesian port to mark the sub

Aug. 29, 2017

Four F-15ks hold exercise against N. Korea's leadership

A squadron of four South Korean F-15K fighter jets staged a live-bombing drill against North Korea's leadership on Tuesday in response to its latest ballistic missile launch, the Air Force announced.The aircraft dropped eight MK-84 bombs, each weighing about a ton, at a simulated target at the Pilseung Range in the eastern province of Gangwon.They hit the target accurately, it said, adding the practice was aimed at sharpening the capability of completely destroying "the enemy's leadership" in ca

Aug. 29, 2017

US recognizes need to increase Korea's ballistic missile capability: vice FM

WASHINGTON -- The United States recognizes the need to "swiftly and smoothly" increase South Korea's ballistic missile capability in the face of North Korea's growing threats, Seoul's No. 2 diplomat said Monday.Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam made the remark after holding talks with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan on the bilateral relationship and North Korea's nuclear program.The two sides especially held "in-depth" talks about Seoul's request to revise a bilateral missile guideli

Aug. 29, 2017

Moon calls for military capable for ‘offensive action’ against NK attack

President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for sweeping military reforms, saying South Korea must become capable of matching the North’s asymmetric threats. Speaking in front of the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Veterans and Patriots Affairs, Moon said South Korea’s military capabilities do not match its economic scale and investment over the years. Pointing out that South Korea’s gross domestic product is 45 times larger than that of North Korea, Moon said the country’s defense capab

Aug. 28, 2017

Korea seeks 'aggressive' role in any wars on peninsula: ministry

South Korea's military said Monday it will push for a paradigm shift in its war concept in order to play an "aggressive" role in resolving armed conflicts on the peninsula.In a report to President Moon Jae-in for discussions on the reform and future role of the country's armed forces, the Ministry of National Defense presented its own vision. Among the key tasks is to establish the concept that if a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, it will be aggressively staged, according to the ministry

Aug. 28, 2017

Korean defense chief to visit Pentagon next week

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo will visit the United States next week for talks with his American counterpart on North Korea, his ministry announced Friday.Song is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Defense Secretary James Mattis at the Pentagon on Wednesday during the trip aimed at confirming the strength of the alliance amid serious security conditions on the Korean Peninsula, it said. (Yonhap)It would be Song's first meeting with Mattis as Seoul's top defense official.Song a

Aug. 26, 2017