US prepares to test launch unarmed ICBM from California

The US Air Force was preparing Tuesday to test an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile with a launch from California, the fourth such test this year.The 30th Space Wing says the missile was to be launched between 12:01 a.m. and 6:01 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.An Air Force statement said the test would show the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system. (AFP-Yonhap)Minuteman missiles

Aug. 2, 2017

Can South Korea develop its own nuclear submarine?

During the Roh Moo-hyun administration, South Korea launched a clandestine military project in 2003 to protect itself from North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats: developing its own nuclear-powered submarines and deploying them by 2020. 　Dubbed “362 initiative,” the program was derailed just a year later, with classified information leaked to the public and its nuclear activity brought under the scrutiny of UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency. 　After 13 years, calls for bui

Aug. 1, 2017

Korea to deepen defense industry ties with Indonesia

South Korea said Tuesday it's seeking closer ties with Indonesia on defense goods as part of efforts to expand its overall arms trade.Defense Minister Song Young-moo plans to discuss the issue when he meets his Indonesian counterpart Ryamizard Ryacudu in Seoul later in the day, according to his office.He's on a trip to South Korea to attend a delivery ceremony for a submarine built by the local defense contractor Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co.Indonesia has ordered three diesel-elec

Aug. 1, 2017

12 US F-16 fighters due in Korea for rotation

A dozen F-16 Fighting Falcons of the US Air Force will be deployed temporarily to South Korea in a demonstration of the Pentagon's continued commitment to regional security, the Pacific Air Forces said Tuesday.The aircraft and around 200 airmen from the 176th Fighter Squadron, Wisconsin Air National Guard are scheduled to arrive at Kunsan Air Base, some 180 kilometers south of Seoul, for a four-month rotation.The PACAF said they are due here in August but stopped short of revealing the exact sch

Aug. 1, 2017

US 'ready' to install more THAAD launchers: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States is ready to deploy the remaining parts of an advanced missile defense system to South Korea, the Pentagon said Monday with tensions rising over North Korea's latest missile test.The remark by Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis comes three days after North Korea test-fired a second intercontinental ballistic missile, marking a significant step forward in its pursuit of a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of hitting the continental US. Shortly after the

Aug. 1, 2017

Korea, US seeking defense chiefs' meeting at early date

South Korea and the United States are seeking to hold a meeting of their defense ministers at an early date to discuss North Korea's evolving missile threats, government officials said Monday.The two sides are pushing for the first meeting between Defense Minister Song Myoung-moo and his US counterpart Jim Mattis before the allies' annual Security Consultative Meeting slated for October, Seoul's defense ministry said.Song, a former Navy chief of staff, took office this month as South Korea's def

July 31, 2017

Korea enters discussion with US for deployment of additional THAAD launchers

South Korea has begun consultations with the United States for resuming the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, the defense ministry said Monday. "As for the deployment of six THAAD launchers, South Korea and the US will make a decision after consultations," Moon Sang-gyun, spokesman at the Ministry of National Defense, said in a press briefing. "Such discussion is currently going on, but further consultations are needed for the specific issues of when and how," he said.

July 31, 2017

Navy to receive new landing ship this week

A next-generation landing ship capable of transporting more troops and military hardware than existing vessels will be delivered to the Navy this week, the state arms procurement agency said Monday.The Cheonjabong, which will be delivered Tuesday, is the Navy's second LST-II ship acquired under the next generation landing ship project that calls for building a total of four such ships by 2018. The first ship, the Cheonwangbong, was delivered to the Navy in November 2014.The 4,500-ton Cheonjabong

July 31, 2017

Tensions rise as US, NK trade barbs following B-1B flyover

　Tension is running high on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s second launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, with the US sending strategic bombers in a show of force and Pyongyang warning Washington against its pressure on the regime. 　After taking off from Anderson Air Base in Guam, B-1B Lancers joined four South Korean F-15k fighter jets to conduct interception and formation training, and left the peninsula later in the day after finishing their 10-hour mission, according t

July 30, 2017

'Surion' chopper to take anti-icing test again

South Korea will put its "Surion" military helicopter to a formal test again on its anti-icing system within the next several months, the nation's arms agency said Thursday.The multi-role KUH-1 chopper was once an icon of South Korea's fast-developing defense industry, developed in 2009 by Korea Aerospace Industries in partnership with Airbus Helicopters.But it has become a source of public concern amid a series of reports of flaws including cracks in the airframe and a problem in the gearbox.Th

July 27, 2017

Trump proclaims natl. day for Korean War veterans

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday proclaimed July 27 as the national day to honor the American troops who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.That date, which falls on Thursday, is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that ended the conflict. "On National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, we honor the patriots who defended the Korean Peninsula against the spread of communism in what became the first major conflict of the Cold War," Trump said in a statement released by hi

July 27, 2017

Military to stop sending draft notices to missing people

The South Korean military will stop sending conscription letters to citizens reported missing, said the Military Manpower Administration on Wednesday. The military vowed to update its conscription legislation by conducting in-depth background research into potential soldiers. The current law allows the government to dispatch the letters to missing people if they hold an officially registered residence on record.  (Yonhap)The law had been the subject of controversy for its perceived lack of emoti

July 26, 2017

Defense chief vows stronger alliance with US

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Wednesday emphasized the need for closer cooperation with the United States to handle security risks on the peninsula.During an introductory meeting with Marc Knapper, the acting US ambassador to Seoul, the minister reaffirmed his commitment to a stronger alliance."The current security conditions on the Korean Peninsula are graver than any other time due to the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities," Song told the envoy in t

July 26, 2017

[Exclusive] US initially proposed 9 THAAD launchers: source

The US initially proposed deploying nine launchers of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile shield, instead of the typical six for one battery, during its consultations with South Korea last year, a government source told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. The official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details of the negotiations, said Washington floated the idea in the run-up to the two sides’ launch of a joint working group on the matter in March 2016. Wary

July 25, 2017

Seoul’s push for stronger missiles could irk China again: experts

 　South Korea’s push for stronger ballistic missiles may boost its deterrence capability against North Korea, but it would require a renegotiation of a military pact with the US and may prompt opposition from China, experts said Tuesday.　In his first summit with US President Donald Trump last month, President Moon Jae-in floated the idea that the bilateral missile guideline pact be revised so that Seoul can double the maximum payload of its ballistic missile warheads from the current 500 kilogra

July 25, 2017

Korea to join US Air Force drill

A C-130H transport plane from South Korea's Air Force left for the United States on Tuesday to join a multinational exercise.The Air Force said it is also sending 30 service members to the inaugural Mobility Guardian training organized by the US Air Mobility Command slated for early August.It is the command's largest regular drill, replacing the Air Mobility Rodeo, and focuses on airdropping paratroopers and cargo, as well as in-air refueling and medical evacuation missions. South Korean Air For

July 25, 2017

US to carry out another THAAD test soon

The United States will soon carry out another test of its THAAD missile defense system, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, amid heightened concerns about North Korea's missile and nuclear capabilities.The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is designed to intercept short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their final phase of flight.The last time the US tested THAAD, earlier this month, it said it successfully intercepted an intermediate-range missile target from the Pacific Spac

July 25, 2017

Korea pushes to revise missile guidelines to load up to 1 ton of warheads

The South Korean government is pushing to revise the missile guidelines developed with the United States to double the maximum weight of warheads on Seoul's ballistic missiles from the current 500 kilograms to counter growing threats from the North, sources said Monday.The Seoul government proposed the revision in line with the Seoul-Washington summit last month, and is known to be planning to begin talks regarding the issue during the annual Security Consultative Meeting and the Korea-US Integr

July 24, 2017

Korea's military reaches out to Africa

South Korea plans to hold working-level talks with Ethiopia and Uganda this week on promoting bilateral military partnerships, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.A government delegation, led by Brig. Gen. Park Chul-kyun, deputy director general for international policy at the ministry, will make a weeklong trip to the African nations for the inaugural defense policy consultations with them. Moon Jae-in, elected South Korea`s new president, speaks to reporters while clad in a military u

July 24, 2017

Defense Ministry seeks to overhaul cyber and security commands

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense plans to overhaul the cyber and security commands that have been under criticism for excessive oversight on civilian and military affairs during past conservative governments, military officials said Sunday. 　Led by new defense chief Song Young-moo, the overhaul measure would aim to prevent Cyber Command from interfering with domestic politics and Defense Security Command from surveilling innocent civilians and military officers.　“The move would include

July 23, 2017