Allies at odds over command relocation

South Korea and the U.S. appear to be at odds over where to put their Combined Forces Command after the planned relocation of U.S. bases in Seoul to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, as Washington wants to keep it in the capital while Seoul remains cautious.The local daily Chosun Ilbo reported Monday that the U.S. military recently expressed its wish to keep the CFC in Seoul as the allies have virtually agreed to delay the transfer of wartime operational control, scheduled for December 2015. Under

July 14, 2014

Military urges extra care on land mines from North Korea

The South Korean military called Monday for special attention to land mines from North Korea amid growing concerns that they could have washed ashore here in a rainy season."The military has launched an intensive search operation along rivers and in coastal areas for mines since earlier this month to guarantee public safety," the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said in a statement."Chances are that mines built in wooden boxes float down from North Korea and reach here. Extra caution is needed for res

July 14, 2014

Officer arrested for fleeing scene of shooting spree

A military court issued a warrant Wednesday to arrest an Army officer for fleeing his barracks, leaving his soldiers behind, during a deadly shooting spree by his subordinate, the defense ministry said.The 1st Lt., identified only by his surname Kang, was indicted on multiple charges including disobeying orders, dereliction of duty and desertion."The military court of the 8th Corps issued the warrant at 11:35 a.m. for the charges. He was then immediately put in jail," an Army officer said.Kang a

July 9, 2014

S. Korea, U.S., Japan to conduct naval rescue drills this month

South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold their joint naval search and rescue exercise later this month involving a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, military officers said Wednesday.The trilateral Search and Rescue Exercise, or SAREX, is slated for July 21-22 in international waters south of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer here said. He refused to be identified. The naval exercise has been held once or twice a year so far on humanitarian groun

July 9, 2014

Seoul speeds up fighter jet development plan

South Korea is accelerating its efforts to develop an indigenous warplane with a plan to give public notice of bids for the so-called KFX project as early as August.The military plans to confirm its required operational capabilities for the project at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Council session in mid-July, and finalize the bidding plan during a session of the national defense acquisition program committee next month.The KFX program, which includes both the development and production of the home-b

July 8, 2014

Military under fire for loose border defense

The South Korean military came under fire again for loose border defense after it confirmed Tuesday that several North Korean soldiers had crossed the border, pushed a defection bell and run away last month.Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that at around 2:20 p.m. on June 19, two to three North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line, pressed the defection bell attached to the barbed wire, and took away a sign post designed to encourage defections.The barbed wire that the North K

July 8, 2014

Military launches probe into manhunt for killer soldier

The military began an extensive investigation Monday into last month's problem-ridden search for a fugitive Army sergeant who went on a deadly shooting spree, military sources here said.Criticism has mounted over the military's massive manhunt to capture the sergeant, surnamed Lim, who fled on June 21 after killing five of his comrades and wounding seven others at his eastern border post in Goseong, some 250 kilometers east of Seoul.Two days later, Lim, 22, was captured some 9 kilometers away fr

July 7, 2014

F-35 accidents stoke concerns over delay in Korea delivery

The U.S. Department of Defense has grounded all F-35 jets again after a string of accidents, including the latest in which one of the radar-evading aircraft caught fire as it was preparing to take off on June 23. The temporary grounding has triggered concerns in South Korea over a possible delay in the delivery of the warplanes. Seoul plans to purchase 40 F-35 jets for deployment from 2018-21. Seoul has requested that the U.S. government provide an explanation on the latest accident.“We have ask

July 6, 2014

S. Korean, U.S., Japanese JCS chiefs to meet this week on N.K. nukes

South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold talks in Hawaii this week to boost military coordination in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities, a JCS officer here said Monday.   The meeting among Adm. Choi Yun-hee, Gen. Martin Dempsey, and Gen. Shigeru Iwasaki will be held on the island on Wednesday on the sidelines of the biannual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) training, according to the officer.    "Joint preparedness against North Korea's nuclear and missile progra

June 30, 2014

Sergeant says unit blanked him

The sergeant who killed five soldiers in a shooting rampage last month said he was treated as an “invisible man” in his frontline unit of the Army’s 22nd Division, military investigators said Monday.The claim by the 22-year-old sergeant, surnamed Lim, reinforced the speculation that bullying was a cause of the incident. The bereaved families have responded angrily to the speculation, saying the victims are being treated as if they were to blame.“Sgt. Lim said during our investigation that his co

June 30, 2014

Defense chief nominee vows early setup of missile defense system

President Park Geun-hye’s nominee for defense minister pledged Sunday to establish the country’s indigenous missile defense system at an early date to counter escalating threats from North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles.South Korea has been speeding up the establishment of the indigenous Korea Air and Missile Defense aimed at low-flying missiles coming from North Korea. A pre-emptive missile destruction system, the so-called Kill Chain, is also under development to detect and strike North K

June 29, 2014

Defense chief apologizes over draftee's shooting spree

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin apologized Friday over last week's shooting spree by an enlisted soldier who killed five of his comrades, and vowed to come up with fundamental preventive measures."I sincerely apologize to the people and the bereaved families for such a regretful incident in the eastern front-line general outpost that killed five and wounded seven," Kim said in a statement to the public.Expressing deep condolences to the fallen soldiers, the defense chief said he will "strive to he

June 27, 2014