[News Focus] Why does Washington Declaration matter?

The leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed to launch a “Nuclear Consultative Group” to enable the allies to jointly conduct nuclear planning and sketch out scenarios of how the allies can use the US nuclear arsenal in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack. The establishment of the NCG is the key part of the “Washington Declaration,” tailored to show the allies’ commitment to enhancing the viability of extended deterrence, which the US’ commit

April 27, 2023

How S. Korea-US alliance became more than a military treaty

The South Korea-US alliance, formed 70 years ago in the wake of the Korean War, has evolved to be more than a military pact. It is a cornerstone for all aspects of the Seoul-Washington ties, encompassing the economy, culture and shared values. The alliance’s beginning dates back to Oct. 1, 1953 when two sides signed the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty. It was in the aftermath of the 1950-53 war on the Korean Peninsula, during which some 37,000 Americans died alongside South Koreans. When th

April 27, 2023

Veterans minister consoles family of decorated US soldier killed in Korean War

South Korea's Veterans Minister Park Min-shik has delivered to the family of a decorated US solider, killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, soil from the site where his remains were excavated, the minister's office said Thursday. The event honoring late Cpl. Luther H. Story took place at the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington on Wednesday, after President Yoon Suk Yeol and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, adopted a joint statement on the identification of th

April 27, 2023

S. Korea completes project to improve command system against ballistic missiles

South Korea has completed a development project to improve a command and control system overseeing defense operations against ballistic missiles, the state arms procurement agency said Thursday, amid efforts to bolster response capabilities against Pyongyang's military threats. Earlier this month, the defense ministry gave combat approval for the improvements to the Korea Theater Missile Operation Cell after the project first began in 2019, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Admin

April 27, 2023

Biden warns nuclear attack by N. Korea will result in end of regime

US President Biden on Wednesday warned that a nuclear attack by North Korea against the US and South Korea will result in the end of the Kim Jong-un regime. Biden’s warning came after he and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol adopted the “Washington Declaration,” which included the allies’ commitment to strengthening US extended deterrence against North Korean nuclear threats. Extended deterrence is the US’ commitment to deter or respond to coercion and external a

April 27, 2023

Full text of Washington Declaration

President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) met on this 26th day of April, 2023, to mark the 7oth anniversary of the US-ROK Alliance. The Alliance between our two nations has been forged in shared sacrifice, fortified by enduring security cooperation, and nourished by close kinship that has enabled both countries to leverage their diplomatic resources to peaceably achieve crucial, strategic outcomes. What began as a secur

April 27, 2023

[Alliance in Action] N. Korea won’t be deterred by nuclear-armed S. Korea: ex-USFK commander

The Kim Jong-un regime won’t be deterred by a nuclear-armed South Korea, a former United States Forces Korea commander said. It would, in turn, speed up North Korea’s already-accelerated pace of nuclear buildup and the nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region, where major flash points have long existed and have become more dangerous and volatile in the midst of the growing US-China rivalry. “You don’t have to have a nuke to take out a nuke,” Walter L. Sharp, who

April 26, 2023

US should redeploy tactical nuke on peninsula: Bolton

The United States should redeploy its tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula to make US extended deterrence credible against escalating threats from North Korea, said John Bolton, former White House national security adviser, on Tuesday. This strategy would also enable South Korea to buy time to weigh up the gains and losses of nuclear armament, he added. “I’ve refused to give up on the possibility of stopping North Korea from getting deliverable nuclear weapons in the firs

April 25, 2023

S. Korea to promulgate laws on relocation of military airports

The South Korean government plans to promulgate a set of special acts later this week to facilitate efforts to relocate military airports in the southern cities of Daegu and Gwangju, the defense ministry said Monday. The promulgation is set to come Tuesday following their passage through the National Assembly on April 13 and the Cabinet last Tuesday -- a move welcomed by the residents who have complained of aircraft noise and concomitant development restrictions. One of the acts involves a plan

April 24, 2023

Military aircraft arrives in Djibouti to relocate S. Korean nationals in Sudan

A military aircraft on its mission to evacuate South Korean nationals in war-torn Sudan arrived at a US base in the nearby Djibouti on Saturday, the defense ministry said. The C-130J transport plane, carrying some 50 personnel, including security and medical staff, left for Djibouti the previous day, as the airport in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum is currently closed. The evacuation plan came as the fighting between rival forces in the African nation has been intensifying recently. The total

April 22, 2023

Yoon orders dispatch of naval unit to war-torn Sudan to protect Korean nationals

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday ordered the swift deployment of an anti-piracy naval unit to waters off Sudan to protect South Korean nationals, his spokesperson said. Yoon made the order after he was briefed on the current fighting in Khartoum between the military and a rival paramilitary force, Lee Do-woon said in a written press briefing. The 304-strong Cheonghae Unit is currently docked at the Port of Salalah in Oman. Earlier in the day, the presidential office held a meeting, chaired by

April 22, 2023

[Contribution] CMMC vital for defense exports

On March 2, US President Joe Biden's administration finally unveiled its national cybersecurity strategy. This document provides strategic guidance for protecting the US government and its cyber ecosystem, including its businesses, from cyberattacks by domestic and foreign adversaries. What draws our attention in this national strategy is the paradigm shift to strengthening government support and intervention in cybersecurity compliance, which has traditionally been the responsibility of

April 21, 2023

Billboards highlight Korean War heroes in New York’s Times Square

Korean War heroes will be featured on giant billboards in the heart of Times Square in New York from Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-US alliance and the 1953 armistice agreement that brought about a cessation of the war on the Korean Peninsula. A 30-second video features 12 high-profile US and South Korean veterans who have been recognized for their distinguished military service during the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs

April 20, 2023

[Photo News] Korean War heroes to be on display in New York's Times Square

Portraits of 12 Korean and American heroes who fought during the Korean War (1950-1953) will be on public display Thursday in New York's Times Square, marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement. Samsung and LG will play a video dedicated to the Korean War veterans, made by the South Korea Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, starting from 12 a.m. on Monday. The video contains the portraits of 12 heroes including General Douglas MacArthur, who led the successful Ope

April 20, 2023

Navy to get new submarine with stronger covert mission capabilities, survivability

South Korea's Navy is set Thursday to receive a new 3,000-ton submarine with reinforced capabilities to conduct covert underwater missions and precision strikes, the state arms procurement agency said. The delivery ceremony for the ROKS Ahn Mu, named after a renowned Korean independence fighter, will take place at the Okpo Shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. in Geoje, 331 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The n

April 20, 2023

Kremlin: South Korean arms for Ukraine would signify involvement in conflict

Any decision by South Korea to supply arms to Ukraine would make Seoul a participant in the conflict, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after President Yoon Suk Yeol opened the door to such deliveries. South Korea has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supplied economic and humanitarian aid to Kyiv, but unlike the United States and European allies has so far stopped short of sending weapons. In a Reuters interview on Tuesday ahead of a visit to Washington next week, Yoon said Seoul wou

April 19, 2023

S. Korea, Japan hold senior-level security talks after 5-year hiatus

South Korea and Japan on Monday agreed to develop “future-oriented security cooperation” in the face of escalating North Korean threats and a changing security environment in Northeast Asia at the first senior-level security talks in five years. The 12th Security Policy Consultation, held in Seoul, was attended by Director General for Asian and Pacific Affairs Seo Min-jeong and Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affa

April 17, 2023

How ‘gas station in the sky’ boosts defense

OSAN AIR BASE, Gyeonggi Province -- “Refueling mission complete,” South Korean Air Force pilot Maj. Eum Ki-su announced aboard the KC-330 Cygnus tanker aircraft at 4,500 meters over the West Sea on Wednesday. Fueling up fighter jets in the sky, a tricky maneuver that requires extending a pipeline into a fuel cap the size of a golf hole, is essential to reinforce the Air Force’s combat and war-fighting capabilities. Air-to-air refueling and tanking enable Air Force fighter jets

April 16, 2023

S. Korea, US to kick off large-scale combined air drills this week

South Korea and the United States will kick off a large-scale regular joint air exercise later this week, the South's Air Force said Sunday, in the latest drill meant to step up deterrence against North Korea's evolving military threats. The 12-day Korea Flying Training will begin Monday at the Gwangju Air Base in Gwangju, 267 kilometers south of Seoul, mobilizing some 110 aircraft and more than 1,400 troops, according to the armed service. South Korea plans to deploy some 60 warplanes

April 16, 2023

S. Korea, US, Japan agree to hold missile defense, anti-sub drills regularly to counter NK threats

South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to hold missile defense and anti-submarine exercises regularly to counter growing North Korean threats during their senior-level defense talks in Washington earlier this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday. They reached the agreement at a session of the Defense Trilateral Talks on Friday, amid tensions caused by Pyongyang's recent weapons tests, including that of what it claims to be a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental balli

April 15, 2023