New S. Korean Air Force chief stresses readiness to counter NK threats

South Korea's new Air Force chief on Wednesday called for firm readiness to defend against any attacks by North Korea amid heightened tension sparked by its nuclear and missile threats.Gen. Lee Wang-keun, the Air Force chief of staff, made the remark during his visit to the Air Force Operation Command at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul. He took office last Friday."We need to maintain the firm airborne monitoring system to counter North Korea's strategic and tactical provocations," Lee was quoted a

Aug. 16, 2017

PM negative about calls for Korea‘s nuclear armament

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon reacted negatively Wednesday to calls for South Korea to possess nuclear weapons, saying the move would undermine Seoul's calls for North Korea to denuclearize, trigger a nuclear arms race and put the country under international sanctions.Calls for nuclear armament have gained traction as Pyongyang stepped up its nuclear and missile programs, with two nuclear tests last year, as well as a series of missile launches, including those capable of reaching the continental U

Aug. 16, 2017

US, S. Korea moving forward on THAAD deployment: Pentagon

The United States and South Korea are "moving forward" on the deployment of a US missile defense system in the Asian ally as tensions soar over North Korea's missile programs, the Pentagon said Monday.Last week, the South Korean government determined that noise and radiation levels were negligible near the site of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in Seongju, southeastern South Korea."They're moving forward," Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. "In early

Aug. 15, 2017

Military action is option, not policy: US military chief

A top US military commander on Monday said that though military action remains an option for the president, Washington’s top priority is on diplomatic and economic means as a peaceful solution to the standoff with North Korea. Marine Corps. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the country is capable of defending the peninsula, Guam and the continental US, despite Pyongyang’s series of threats to launch an “enveloping fire” around the western Pacific island. Wh

Aug. 14, 2017

Moon to meet top US military officer Monday

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff this week to discuss the bilateral defense alliance, and North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the presidential office said Sunday. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford is set to arrive in Seoul on Sunday amid growing tensions following the North's intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month and an escalating war of words between Pyongyang and Washington.  US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford

Aug. 13, 2017

Government begins environment survey of THAAD site

The South Korean government on Saturday began a formal environmental survey on the advanced US missile defense system deployed in a southern town amid a fierce protest by local residents and activists, officials said.The defense and environment ministries were to conduct their joint study of electromagnetic radiation and noise from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Seongju, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to them.Two rocket launchers and a powerful X-band radar

Aug. 12, 2017

S. Korea, US agree to discuss all steps against N. Korea in advance

Top security advisers of South Korea and the United States agreed Friday to discuss in advance any steps they could take to contain provocative North Korea, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said, apparently suggesting the US will not pre-emptively strike the communist North without informing Seoul beforehand.The agreement came at a telephone conversation between Chung Eui-yong, the head of South Korea's Presidential National Security Office, and his US counterpart H.R. McMaster.The two

Aug. 11, 2017

Govt. postpones environmental survey of THAAD site

The South Korean government on Thursday postponed its plan to conduct a comprehensive environmental survey of a US anti-missile system deployed in Seongju, due to strong resistance from local residents and adverse weather conditions. The ministries of defense and environment had planned to measure the level of electromagnetic radiation and noise from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Two THAAD launchers and a radar are currently operational at

Aug. 10, 2017

Top US military officer due in Korea next week

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit South Korea next week as part of his Northeast Asia tour, a defense source here said Thursday.He is scheduled to arrive on Sunday from Japan, the first leg of his upcoming tour, according to the source who requested anonymity as the Pentagon has yet to announce the schedule. Joseph Dunford (EPA-Yonhap)On Monday, Dunford is expected to pay a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in and meet with top defense officia

Aug. 10, 2017

US cautious about dual-supercarrier operations near Korea

Despite heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the US Navy has no plan yet to send another aircraft carrier here, informed sources said Thursday.They were responding to local news reports that the United States seems to be pushing for rare dual-carrier operations near Korea this month against the North's repeated intercontinental ballistic missile launches and war threats.The forward-deployed flattop, Ronald Reagan, has just returned to its home port in Yokosuka, Japan, from a thr

Aug. 10, 2017

Moon Jae-in urges ‘complete’ overhaul of military

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for a complete and thorough overhaul of the country's armed services Wednesday, highlighting an "urgent" need to enhance the country's defense capabilities against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile technologies."I believe we might need a complete defense reform at the level of a rebirth instead of making some improvements or modifications," the president said while meeting with six new top commanders of the three armed services in a promotion ce

Aug. 9, 2017

2 B1-B bombers return to Guam after Korea sortie

Two US B-1B strategic bombers, newly deployed to Guam, trained in the sky over Korea earlier this week in a show of force and the ironclad alliance against North Korea's threats, the Air Force announced Wednesday.The sortie, made public a day later, was followed by the North Korean military's threat of ballistic missile attacks aimed at blockading the Pacific island.The B-1B Lancers of the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron first flew to Japan and then came to Korea in a 10-hour mission from the A

Aug. 9, 2017

[Newsmaker] Air Force chief tapped as new JCS chairman

 Chief of the Air Force Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo was tapped as South Korea’s new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday, in the first reshuffle of top military leadership since President Moon Jae-in took office in May. During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Moon approved the nomination of Jeong. If Jeong receives a parliamentary nod, the 56-year-old general will replace the current JCS chief, Army Gen. Lee Sun-jin, and become the second Air Force officer to take the highest active-duty post. H

Aug. 8, 2017

US-Korea missile guideline revision under active consideration: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States is actively considering allowing South Korea to increase the capacity of its ballistic missiles in the face of North Korea's growing military threats, the Pentagon said Monday.The remark by Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis comes a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in requested a revision to the allies' missile guidelines in a phone call with his US counterpart, Donald Trump."Yes, we are working on it," the spokesman told reporters when asked if the

Aug. 8, 2017

President Moon appoints new head of defense procurement agency

President Moon Jae-in replaced the chief of the state defense procurement agency Monday as he accelerates a drive to reform the big government spender accused of corruption.Jeon Jei-guk, a former defense ministry official, was named to head the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.The 64-year-old served various posts at the defense ministry since joining the ministry in 1980. Jeon Jei-guk (Photo courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae) (Yonhap)His appo

Aug. 7, 2017

Marines conduct live-fire drill near western border

South Korean marines fired a Spike surface-to-surface missile and more than 200 artillery rounds from K9 self-propelled howitzers, staging a "routine" exercise near the tense western border with North Korea.According to the Marine Corps, the live-fire drills also involved AH-1S Cobra's 2.75-inch rockets, hosted by the Northwest Islands Defense Command in charge of defending the South's northernmost islands in the Yellow Sea, and the 6th Brigade."Conducted in our waters south of the Northern Limi

Aug. 7, 2017

Defense chief vows to overhaul military culture

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo visited the boot camp of a front-line Army unit Saturday amid fierce criticism about alleged human rights abuse by a four-star general.Meeting with new conscripts at the 28th Division in Paju, near the inter-Korean border, Song pledged efforts to reform the military culture, according to his ministry."Treating troops on the sacred duty of national defense unfairly or giving them private instructions can't happen," the minister said. "(I) will try to e

Aug. 6, 2017

Calls grow for probe into former President Lee over NIS election-meddling scandal

　Calls are mounting for a prosecutorial probe into the nation’s spy agency, after it was revealed that it had operated a 3,500-member cyber team to manipulate public opinion during the Lee Myung-bak administration. 　According to a special task force on the reform of the National Intelligence Service on Thursday, the NIS created as many as 30 units dedicated to posting online comments in favor of the then-conservative administration. 　The units then hired more than 3,500 civilians to post such co

Aug. 4, 2017

Army general to face investigation for abuse of ‘housekeeping soldiers’

An Army four-star general accused of abusing subordinates assigned to serve at his residence will face investigation, along with his civilian wife, the military said Friday.At a press conference, the Ministry of National Defense revealed that most of the allegations against Gen. Park Chan-ju, chief of 2nd Operational Command, and his wife were valid, including one that he made the so-called “housekeeping soldiers” wear electronic bracelets so they could be reached whenever needed. It also found

Aug. 4, 2017

Army conducting full probe into 'housekeeping' soldier system

South Korea's Army has begun a painstaking investigation into possible human rights violations against rank-and-file soldiers assigned to serve at commanders' residence, an official said Friday.The Army is under fire for news reports that Gen. Park Chan-ju, commanding general of the 2nd Operational Command, and his wife treated "housekeeping" soldiers like slaves.(Yonhap)They were forced to do household chores under inhumane conditions, according to the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, wh

Aug. 4, 2017