Korea, U.S. deploy B-52 strategic bomber over Korean Peninsula

The United States' B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber flew in the skies of South Korea on Sunday in a major show of force four days after North Korea conducted what it said was its first hydrogen bomb test.The B-52 bomber left U.S. Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on Sunday morning and arrived in the skies above Osan, Gyeonggi Province, at noon, armed with nuclear missiles and "bunker buster" bombs that are capable of bombarding North Korea's underground facilities, according to Seoul and Washi

Jan. 10, 2016

Defense Minister Han orders readiness of missile operations

Defense Minister Han Min-koo has instructed the military's missile command to retaliate "speedily and accurately" if North Korea makes any provocations in the aftermath of the communist country's recent nuclear test, the Ministry of National Defense said Sunday."If the enemy provokes, retaliate speedily and accurately without hesitation," Han told commanders of the Army's Missile Command during his field inspection on Saturday, according to the ministry.The visit was made as part of a series of

Jan. 10, 2016

S. Korean, Chinese foreign ministers set for phone talks on N. Korea

The foreign ministers of South Korea and China will hold phone talks later Friday to discuss North Korea's latest nuclear test, the Foreign Ministry said.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, are scheduled to speak over the phone at 7 p.m. (local time), after a previously arranged phone call on Thursday was postponed at China's request, the ministry said in a text message to reporters.They are expected to discuss ways to deal with North Korea after its fourth nuclea

Jan. 8, 2016

KAI inks deal to jointly develop next-generation fighter with Indonesia

South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. said Thursday that it signed a formal deal to jointly develop its next-generation fighter plane with Indonesia.The agreement reached in Jakarta between KAI and Indonesia's defense ministry calls for Jakarta to foot 20 percent of the cost in the development of the Korean Fighter Experimental program.The company also signed a second contract with its Indonesian counterpart PT Dirgantara Indonesia outlining the future division

Jan. 7, 2016

U.S. likely to step up efforts to build IAMD with Seoul, Tokyo

North Korea’s latest provocation is expected to serve as a catalyst to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Japan, and bring in South Korea in Washington’s efforts to build a holistic integrated air and missile defense program, or IAMD.Japan has already been a stalwart supporter of the IAMD, while South Korea has rejected the idea of the missile defense integration in consideration of its strategic partnership with China, its largest trading partner.America’s missile defense

Jan. 7, 2016

What would Washington’s ‘extended deterrence’ entail?

Defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. held talks over North Korea’s latest nuclear test late Wednesday night, during which the U.S. side reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of the peninsula including through its extended deterrence.Observers said the extended deterrence would entail deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula. They  include B-2 and B-52 strategic bombers, F-22 Raptor or aircraft carrier, all of which pose serious threats to North Korea.The two sides

Jan. 7, 2016

S. Korea probing possible error in repatriation of remains of Chinese soldiers

The Defense Ministry opened Tuesday an investigation into allegations that the remains of North Korean soldiers were mistakenly included when South Korea repatriated the remains of Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.Following an agreement with China in 2013, South Korea sent home what were believed to be the remains of 437 Chinese soldiers in 2014 who fought alongside North Korea against the South during the war. Remains of another 68 soldiers were repatriated in March last ye

Jan. 5, 2016

Defense Ministry to frontload 2016 budget to assist economic reviva

The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday it will frontload its defense budget this year to join the government's efforts to boost the sagging economy.The ministry has set aside 12.2 trillion won ($10.2 billion) of its annual budget for early spending in the hopes that it could "boost the local economy which is facing difficulties from both the inside and outside," the ministry said in a statement. Out of the total 38.8 trillion won budget for the Defense Minister for 2016, the allocated amo

Jan. 5, 2016

U.S. activates fifth THAAD battery: Lockheed Martin

The U.S. Army activated its fifth THAAD missile defense battery at the end of last year, manufacturer Lockheed Martin said Monday.The American defense giant also said that it has been awarded a $528 million contract from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to produce and deliver interceptors for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system."The U.S. Army activated the fifth of seven programmed THAAD batteries at the end of 2015," the company said in a release without elaborating. T

Jan. 5, 2016

North may be readying for thermonuclear weapon tests: South Korean military

North Korea may be preparing to test its thermonuclear weapons capabilities at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, a South Korean military unit responsible for nuclear defense said Sunday.In its report, the South's Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Defense Command said the North has already laid the groundwork to develop thermonuclear weapons and may already be producing tritium, a radioactive isotope necessary to build more sophisticated nuclear weapons."We can't discount the possibilit

Jan. 3, 2016

Korean-American group to campaign for 'comfort women' issue's

An organization of Korean Americans in Los Angeles plans to stage a campaign to send emails to California's government in support of new school curriculum guidelines calling for teaching students about Japan's wartime sexual slavery, an official said Thursday.   California's Department of Education has been collecting comments from the public on the 2014-2016 Draft History-Social Science Framework that includes the so-called "comfort women" issue in the world history curriculum for grade 10.   "

Jan. 1, 2016

Major shift in N.K. policy on Seoul could point to other causes of top official's death: U.S. expert

A major shift in North Korea's policy toward South Korea could suggest that Pyongyang's top negotiator with Seoul, Kim Yang-gon, could have died by causes other than a car crash, a U.S. expert said Thursday.   The North announced Wednesday that the 73-year-old Kim died in a traffic accident, a cause that immediately raised doubts as some other top officials have died similar deaths in a nation known for scant traffic, including the 2003 death of Kim Yong-sun, who was also in charge of inter-Kore

Jan. 1, 2016

S. Korea, China establish military hotline

South Korea and China set up a hotline between their top defense officials Thursday to reinforce their cooperation on security issues on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.Defense Minister Han Min-koo had his first telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan earlier in the day on the newly established hotline, the Ministry of National Defense said in a press release."During today's phone call, the two defense ministers shared their understanding of the need to expand de

Dec. 31, 2015

Trump again accuses South Korea of getting defense free-ride from U.S.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump repeated his unfounded criticism of South Korea on Wednesday that the wealthy Asian nation relies on the U.S. for national defense without giving anything in return."I order thousands of televisions, they're all from South Korea. So we have 28,000 people on the border separating South Korea from this maniac in North Korea. We get nothing ... We get nothing. They're making a fortune. It's an economic behemoth," Trump said during a campaign speech

Dec. 31, 2015

Korean soldier found dead inside DMZ in gun-related incident

A South Korean soldier was found dead on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone early Wednesday morning in a gun-related incident, the military said.Army Private Jeong was found with gunshot wounds in the central east border area of Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, around 3:00 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The 21-year-old had been participating in a border patrol operation inside the DMZ, according to JCS. "Now an investigation is underway to see how he was found and how the incident too

Dec. 30, 2015