Military reasserts N. Korea is 'enemy' amid political row

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday that North Korea is clearly the country's enemy, although it has formally jettisoned the politically sensitive expression "main enemy."A longstanding controversy over labeling the communist neighbor has been rekindled by the television debate Wednesday night of five politicians running for the May 9 presidential elections.South Korean Defense Ministry's spokesman Moon Sang-gyun (Yonhap)Asked if the North is the South's main enemy, Moon Jae-in of the l

April 20, 2017

Hwang orders military to stand ready for 'immediate response' to NK provocation

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday ordered the military to strengthen its readiness posture for an "immediate" response to any North Korean provocation.His remarks came amid growing concerns that the communist regime could conduct its sixth nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile launch to mark the 85th anniversary of its army's creation next Tuesday. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (right) speaks during a meeting with Cabi

April 20, 2017

Defense chief urges more real combat training

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday stressed the importance of real combat training for his troops as he visited the Army's major battle training field."It's the military's natural duty to focus on actual combat-like training in order to become stronger under the grim security conditions," Han said during the tour of the Korea Combat Training Center in Gangwon Province.Defense Minister Han Min-koo tests the multiple integrated laser engagement system at the Korea Combat Traini

April 19, 2017

US aircraft carrier expected to reach Korean waters in late April: source

A US Navy strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson has finally started moving toward the Korean Peninsula after finishing joint exercises off Australia, a South Korean military source said Wednesday.The US Pacific Command said in early April the Carl Vinson fleet, which was scheduled to participate in the exercises with Australia redirected to waters off Korea amid growing tensions over North Korea's new provocations. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier (Yonhap)But The New York

April 19, 2017

Carl Vinson strike group isn't heading directly to Korea: reports

WASHINGTON -- A US Navy strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was thousands of miles away from the Korean Peninsula over the weekend despite widespread belief it would be in the region to deter North Korea, news reports said Tuesday.That's because the ships aren't heading directly to the peninsula as originally reported. Instead, the group, which also includes guided missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy and guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, are

April 19, 2017

S. Korea, Japan reaffirm defense ties against N. Korea

South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Hwang In-moo met Tuesday with Japan's top envoy here, mainly to discuss the North Korea issue, his ministry said.In the 30-minute talks with Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine, the two exchanged views on the communist nation's nuclear and missile threats.They agreed on the importance of bilateral and tripartite partnerships also involving the US for an effective response, according to the ministry.They also noted that Seoul and Japan have been sharing military intelligenc

April 18, 2017

Korea's warships to have new missiles for ground targets

South Korea has completed the development of new tactical ship-to-ground guided missiles which would enhance its ability to strike North Korea's key military equipment and facilities, the country's arms procurement agency said Tuesday.South Korea will start mass-producing the missiles with two types of launch systems -- inclined and vertical -- next year after a seven-year project led by the Agency for Defense Development, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.A ship-to-gro

April 18, 2017

Civic group to file petition against Army chief over alleged hunt for gay soldiers

A civic group said Monday it will file a petition with the national human rights watchdog over allegations the Army chief ordered the military to hunt down homosexual soldiers.The Center for Military Human Rights Korea said it will file the case with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea against Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jang Jun-gyu and four investigators for allegedly violating the victims' constitutional rights.Lim Tae-hoon, chief of the Center for Military Human Rights, Korea speaks d

April 17, 2017

Defense ministry to create cybersecurity tech team

South Korea's defense ministry said Monday it plans to create a cybersecurity technology team and a multilateral security department in an organizational change.It would instead abolish a culture policy department tasked with improving life in the barracks amid continued reports of bullying cases in the nation's 625,000-strong military.In an advance notice of a related bill on the scheme, the first in a decade to redraw the organizational chart of its headquarters, the ministry said its existing

April 17, 2017

Ministry: no change in THAAD deployment schedule

South Korea's defense ministry affirmed Monday that there is no change in its plan to deploy an advanced US missile defense system here as early as possible.It was responding to speculation that South Korea and the US may adjust the pace of bringing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to the peninsula for political reasons, with South Koreans set to pick their new president on May 9.(Yonhap)A White House foreign policy advisor traveling with Vice President Mike Pence was quoted as tell

April 17, 2017

Korean, US air forces hold joint exercise

Around 1,000 US airmen and fighter jets have teamed up with South Korea's Air Force in a joint combat training to ensure their readiness against North Korea's provocations, the Pacific Command announced Monday.The two-week Max Thunder exercise, one of the largest military flying exercises held annually in South Korea, is scheduled to run though April 28 at Kunsan Air Base in the southwest of the peninsula.South Korean and US fighter jets fly together in the 2016 Max Thunder exercise in this file

April 17, 2017

Military to spend W246.5b on cybersecurity over 5 years

South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it will earmark 246.5 billion won ($218 million) to enhance its cybersecurity over five years to fend off growing threats from North Korean hackers. The ministry's plan to develop technology and train manpower for cyberwarfare was included in its midterm defense plan for 2018 to 2022.   An image of North Korea's cyberattacks in a photo provided by Yonhap News TV (Yonhap)The North has continued to improve its cyberwarfare capabilities. Most recently, its

April 14, 2017

Korea to fully reinforce defense system in 5 years

South Korea will lease several military spy satellites from a foreign country next year and speed up the improvement of its combat power against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Ministry of National Defense announced Friday.It plans to pour 238.2 trillion won ($210 billion) into a number of projects aimed at boosting the country's military firepower between 2018 and 2022 under the revised mid-term national defense blueprint. Hyunmoo-3 cruise missiles. (Yonhap)The South, which has a

April 14, 2017

Hwang warns of NK provocations ahead of its key anniversary events

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday ordered the military to maintain a full readiness posture against "highly possible" provocations by the North ahead of its key anniversaries this month.Hwang made the remarks during a rare visit to the Army's Special Warfare Command, which he touted as a core war-fighting force capable of retaliating "strongly and decisively" if provoked. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (C) visits the Special Warfare Co

April 13, 2017

Korea's new Marine Corps chief stresses combat spirit

The new commander of South Korea's Marine Corps took office on Thursday calling on his 30,000 troops to be ready to "mercilessly retaliate" against North Korea's provocations.In a change-of-commander ceremony, Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo pointed out that the elite forces have played a key role in the front-line defense of the country. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo, new commander of South Korea's Marine Corps, in a photo provided by his office. (Yonhap)"The Marine Corps has protected places most difficult to def

April 13, 2017

Tillerson says Carl Vinson carries 'no particular objective'

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group heading to the Korean Peninsula has "no particular objective in its current course."Tillerson made the remark during a joint news conference in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in response to a question whether the US dispatch of the massive strike group signifies plans for military intervention in North Korea. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (Yonhap)"The Carl

April 13, 2017

White hackers gather in Korea to show defense skill

Hundreds of white hackers and cybersecurity experts from both home and abroad gathered in South Korea to reinforce and show off their skills against hacking attacks.The Codegate 2017 International Hacking Competition and Global IT and Security Conference opened in Seoul for a three-day run. The annual event, the 10th of its kind, is hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.Audrey Tang, Taiwan's new digital minster, speaks during the Codegate 2017 International Hacking Competiti

April 12, 2017

JCS chief, USFK commander inspect logistics drills

Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday inspected a combined logistics training with US forces under way on the southeastern coast of the peninsula, the JCS said.Lee visited the exercise site in Pohang, North Geyongsang Province, along with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea.Gen. Lee Sun-jin (2nd from L), chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, shakes hands with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea, at Osa

April 12, 2017