Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the top commander of US Forces Korea, has decided to skip upcoming congressional hearings in Washington DC to stay focused on his duty here amid increased tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the USFK announced Tuesday.He was supposed to attend the Armed Service Committee hearings to be held later this month for testimony, a routine activity for the leader of 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the top commander of

April 11, 2017

South Korea on Monday announced the appointment of a new Marine Corps commander while delaying the regular reshuffling of other top military officers until after the May presidential election. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo named to command South Korea's Marine Corps is shown in this photo provided by the unit. (Yonhap)Maj. Gen. Jun Jin-goo, currently deputy commander of the Marine Corps, has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and will assume command of the Marine Corps later this week, the d

April 10, 2017

Following the missile strike on a Syrian government air base, the US has sent a strike group toward the Korean Peninsula to bolster Washington’s presence in the region, as North Korea appears closer to conducting another nuclear and missile test. The Carl Vinson Strike Group is moving toward the peninsula after stopping in Singapore. The carrier strike group was originally scheduled to sail to Australia until the US Pacific Command changed its itinerary to the Western Pacific.The USS Carl Vinson

April 9, 2017

The South Korean Air Force is pushing to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to better defend its air bases across the country, officials said Sunday.The Air Force has recently commissioned a research project into the use of drones for operations over air bases, the officials said. (Yonhap)Currently closed-circuit television and other surveillance assets are used but the Air Force is seeking to further enhance monitoring around air bases with core assets including combat jets, air control systems an

April 9, 2017

The South Korean military said Friday it will postpone the regular reshuffling of its top commanders until after the country's presidential elections slated for May 9.The military usually carries out a shake-up of generals leading divisions or corps in April, but it will refrain from doing so this year, according to the Ministry of National Defense.(Yonhap)   "There will be a new appointment only if it's inevitable," the ministry's spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told reporters. "A very small number (o

April 7, 2017

South Korea has successfully test-launched a new 800-kilometer range ballistic missile that can reach anywhere in North Korea, defense sources said Thursday.It could send another strong warning message to North Korea, which is continuing its nuclear and missile development in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, they said.A test-launch of the Hyunmoo-2B missile in 2015 in this file photo. (Yonhap)"There was a test-firing recently of a Hyunmoo-type ballistic missile with a range of 800 k

April 6, 2017

South Korea and the US will perform a set of massive joint artillery drills here this month to hone their combined capability to retaliate against provocations by North Korea, the defense ministry said Thursday.The Integrated Firepower Exercise 2017 is tentatively scheduled to take place at an Army training field in Pocheon, just south of the inter-Korean border, on April 13, 21 and 26, the Ministry of National Defense said. The schedules are subject to change upon climate conditions. (Yonhap)Th

April 6, 2017

Some South Korean military units are operating newly developed small tactical vehicles, modeled after the Humvee, in a field operation test, the nation's arms procurement agency said Wednesday.Five types of indigenous multipurpose wheeled vehicles have been delivered to such forward-deployed units as the Army's 12th Division and the Marine Corps' 2nd Division since January for a four-month test run before mass production, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The South Kor

April 5, 2017

A group of government and military officials from Lebanon are set to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday for an eight-day visit aimed at better understanding the country, the South's military said.The trip is part of a program that is aimed at promoting South Korea's image to people in Lebanon where the country has stationed the Dongmyeong military unit since 2007 as part of UN peacekeeping troops. A group of Lebanese people who will visit South Korea in a program aimed at promoting Korea's image

April 5, 2017

South Korea's Army and Navy staged a large-scale joint live-fire exercise Tuesday, responding to North Korea's war threats and signs of preparations for additional nuclear or missile tests.The artillery drills, held just south of the eastern border with the North, involved the military's new Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, according to the Army.South Korea's Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher being fired during training. (Yonhap)More than 360 rockets were fired from vehicle-based mobile launche

April 4, 2017

Despite North Korea’s accelerating efforts, Pyongyang is still “years away” from mastering the submarine-based ballistic missile technology, a top US Navy official said Tuesday, calling for greater attention on the communist country‘s progress on land-based ballistic missiles and warhead miniaturization development.Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet also expressed skepticism toward additional deployment of US strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula, although he did not rule out

April 4, 2017

South Korea's defense minister and the US Pacific Fleet commander on Monday stressed the need for a watertight security partnership between the two countries to counter North Korea's provocations. Minister Han Min-koo held talks with Adm. Scott Swift, who arrived in Seoul on the day for a three-day trip.Han pointed out that the North's nuclear and missile capabilities are continuing to make headway, with the communist nation all set to conduct another nuclear test at the leadership's choosing.So

April 3, 2017

A group of lawmakers from the conservative Liberty Korea Party on Monday called for the launch of South Korea's own nuclear armament program in case of another North Korea nuclear test.The 24 lawmakers of the former ruling party made a joint statement, saying "nuclear weapons can only be deterred by nuclear arms," and that Seoul cannot depend wholly on economic sanctions against Pyongyang to counter its evolving military threats. This photo, taken on March 9, 2017, shows a public forum at the Na

April 3, 2017

A global cyberspace conference will be held in South Korea this week, providing a chance for experts and policymakers to discuss regional and global cooperation against growing threats in cyberspace, the foreign ministry said Monday.The ministry said it will host the Inter-Regional Conference on Cyber/ICT Security jointly with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Seoul for a two-day run from Tuesday.  (Yonhap)OSCE is one of the world's largest security-oriented intergovern

April 3, 2017

South Korea said Friday it will soon play host to a high-profile international conference on marine operations, drawing top defense officers from over two dozen nations.The annual Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium is slated to kick off this weekend for a five-day run in Seoul and two other areas -- Pohang and Ganghwa -- where local marine units are stationed, according to the Marine Corps Command.South Korean marines stage an amphibious exercise in this file photo provided by the Marine Corps

March 31, 2017

The South Korean military said Friday it will resume a crackdown on Chinese fishing boats illegally operating near the tension-high inter-Korean sea border in the West Sea.The operation to start this weekend comes at the outset of the peak crab-catching season.A Chinese fishing ship is caught by South Korea's Coast Guard for illegal operation in the West Sea in this file photo provided by the Coast Guard. (Yonhap)Defense officials here said they are reviewing whether to inform North Korea of the

March 31, 2017

The South Korean government said Friday it will publish the latest defense white paper in six foreign languages as part of efforts to publicize the nation's policy worldwide.The 2016 edition of the comprehensive document, issued in January, will be summarized and translated into English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Arabic, according to the Ministry of National Defense. A file photo of the Defense White Paper (Yonhap)It marks the first time for the ministry to issue the dossier in suc

March 31, 2017

South Korea and the United States have staged a two-week naval exercise focusing on combined diving and salvage operations, the US Pacific Command announced Friday.During the Salvage Exercise Korea 2017 training, which began on March 21, US Navy divers assigned to the Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 used South Korea's 3,500-ton salvage and rescue ship, named the Tongyeong, alongside their local counterparts.  South Korean and US naval divers hold a joint rescue and salvage exercise. (US Pacific

March 31, 2017

South Korea's defense ministry dismissed a news report Thursday that the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in the country may be delayed due to a political reason."There is no change in the basic position that South Korea and the US will deploy the THAAD system of the US Forces Korea at an early date within this year as the two sides agreed," Moon Sang-kyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular press briefing.Moon Sang-kyun, a spokesman for the Mi

March 30, 2017