US to withdraw Kiowa choppers from Korea, deploys Apaches

United States Army will withdraw its light Kiowa Warrior choppers from the Korean Peninsula and replace them with heavy-hitting Apaches, official sources said Sunday.South Korean military and United States Forces Korea (USFK) sources said the OH-53D armed reconnaissance helicopters will be pulled out gradually. The 30 choppers of an aviation squadron were deployed in the country in 2013 as part of a rotational force. The single-engine, single-rotor Kiowa is based on the Bell Model 206 copter and

Nov. 6, 2016

S. Korean Army conducts combined arms drill to counter NK threats

The South Korean Army said Thursday it is conducting a combined arms drill by mobilizing state-of-the-art K-2 Black Panther tanks in a bid to beef up its combat readiness against North Korea's threats.An infantry division is carrying out the exercise, which kicked off Monday and will run until Friday at the Seungjin training ground, located in Pocheon, north of Seoul, with about 70 tracked vehicles, including 20 K-2 tanks, and aircraft, it said.It marked the first time that the military conducte

Nov. 3, 2016

S. Korea, Indonesia to cooperate to sell aircraft globally

Korea Aerospace Industries Co., the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, said Wednesday it had signed an initial agreement with an Indonesian company to sell its products in the global market. In the 2016 Indo Defence Expo and Forum set to run from Wednesday through Saturday in Jakarta, KAI and PT Dirgantara Indonesia agreed to carry out joint marketing to export aircraft in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, KAI said in a statement."The two companies will expand their cooperation in p

Nov. 2, 2016

US intelligence officials negative about S. Korea's nuclear armament, but say it's up to Seoul: lawmakers

US intelligence officials reacted negatively to calls in South Korea for the country's own nuclear armament, but said it is ultimately up to the country whether to pursue the option or not, according to South Korean lawmakers Tuesday.Reps. Won Yoo-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party and Lee In-young of the Minjoo Party made the remark, saying they met with officials of the US Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence."They said it's basically an issue that

Nov. 2, 2016

US saving money by keeping troops in Korea: US think tank report

The United States is saving money by keeping troops in South Korea rather than at home, a US think tank said Tuesday, rejecting Donald Trump's long-running claims that the US is losing money by stationing troops in the Asian ally.The American Action Forum also said in a report, titled "Burden-Sharing With Allies," that the US should not underestimate the "contributions of these host nations, in whatever form, that enable the American projection of power around the world.""In South Korea, it is l

Nov. 2, 2016

Korea, US hold joint amphibious drill amid NK threats

Marines from South Korea and the United States kicked off an amphibious landing operation along the eastern coast, a military official said Monday, the latest in a series of military drills meant to demonstrate the resolve of the allies to counter Pyongyang's evolving threat.The weeklong exercise involves some 2,600 Marines from South Korea and 130 counterparts from the United States. The troops will be supported by some 10 warships, including Aegis destroyers, and30 amphibious assault vehicles

Oct. 31, 2016

Military urges soldiers to focus on duty amid political scandal

South Korea's defense chief vowed Friday to keep watertight defense readiness amid ever-growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.Defense Minister Han Min-koo held a teleconference with top military commanders and told them stay focused on fulfilling their own duties of protecting the country and its people against any provocative acts by the North."We should remain firm and highly vigilant against any sort of military threat from the North despite a 'very difficult situation' in the

Oct. 28, 2016

More defensive steps than THAAD to be taken if NK threat persists: US official

A senior US state department official said Friday that there will be more "defensive" steps than the recent decision to place an advanced missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula if the threat from North Korea persists.Tony Blinken, US deputy secretary of state, also renewed Washington's commitment to protecting its allies, while expressing objection to some hawkish South Korean politicians' demand to develop nuclear weapons for fear that it could end up falling into the North's narrative

Oct. 28, 2016

Soldier dies in grenade explosion during military drill

A soldier of the South Korean Army died on Thursday when a grenade exploded during a training exercise in the Demilitarized Zone along the border with the North, military officials said, suspecting that it could be a suicide.The Army PFC, identified only by his last name Yang, died when a grenade went off at around 2:20 p.m. Approximately 10 soldiers, including Yang, were engaged in a military drill in the DMZ near the border town when it happened, according to the officials. The exact cause of

Oct. 27, 2016

China voices concern over regular military exercise by Korea, US, Japan

China voiced concern on Thursday over a recent decision by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to hold a regular joint exercise against North Korea's missile threat, saying that it would not help improve the current situation on the Korean Peninsula."Any action either to strengthen or expand military (measures) given the current situation on the Korean Peninsula would worsen confrontation. It would not be helpful in resolving problems and maintaining peace and stability in the region," Wu Chian, a s

Oct. 27, 2016

S. Korea, US special forces conduct joint drill to strike core NK facilities

South Korean Army's special warfare command and its US counterpart have recently carried out a joint exercise to practice "surgical strikes" against North Korea's nuclear and missile facilities, military officials said Thursday. "The US Air Force's 353rd Special Operations Group conducted a combined striking exercise against an enemy's facilities with the South Korean Army's special forces brigade at a military base in Gunsan (274 kilometers south of Seoul)," a defense official said told Yonhap

Oct. 27, 2016

Korea, Europe join forces to develop, verify advanced GPS system

South Korea and France's Thales Group will jointly develop a new augmentation system for global positioning systems that will greatly reduce the scope and rate of errors in existing GPS, the transportation ministry said Tuesday.The country's state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute will sign a $40 million deal with the French firm on Wednesday to jointly develop a new and advanced Satellite Based Augmentation System for GPS by 2021, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Trans

Oct. 25, 2016

N. Korea will be huge problem for next US president: ex-top CIA official

WASHINGTON, (Yonhap) -- North Korea will be a huge problem for the next U.S. president as it is perfecting capabilities to fly nuclear-armed missiles to the continental US, a former top intelligence official has warned.Jami Miscik, a former deputy director for intelligence at CIA, made the remark in an interview with the Fortune magazine, noting that the US is not paying enough attention to the issue of North Korea, according to the report.“The president-elect is going to face a problem with Nor

Oct. 22, 2016

S. Korean ship’s captain snatched off Philippines: army

MANILA (AFP) - Suspected Islamist militants kidnapped the captain and a Filipino crew member on a South Korean cargo ship in the southern Philippines, the military said Friday.Ten people, who reportedly identified themselves as militants from the extremist Abu Sayyaf group, boarded a South Korean-flagged cargo ship on Thursday and abducted its captain, described by the Philippine military as “Korean”, as well as a local crewman.“They identified themselves as Abu Sayyaf Group members.... We’re lo

Oct. 21, 2016