N.K. demands cancellation of South’s live-fire drills

North Korea on Monday called on South Korea to cancel its maritime live-fire drills planned for Tuesday, warning of “stern consequences,” Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense said.The North’s National Defense Commission sent a fax to the South’s National Security Office in Cheong Wa Dae through the western military communication channel protesting the regular drills in the West Sea near the inter-Korean sea border.Seoul pushed ahead with the drills in the afternoon.“Seoul also sent a fax to the

Jan. 28, 2014

U.S. Senate approves 2-year extension of S. Korea-U.S. nuclear pact

The U.S. Senate on Monday passed a bill on extending the current agreement with South Korea on civilian nuclear cooperation by two years.The bill, effectively approved unanimously, authorizes President Barack Obama to extend the term of the nuclear energy agreement with South Korea until March 19, 2016.Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from Nevada declared the passage of the bill through the floor, citing no opposition from any senator.Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affa

Jan. 28, 2014

S. Korea to finalize F-35 deal in Q3

South Korea plans to sign a government-to-government deal to buy 40 F-35 jets from U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin during the third quarter of this year, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Monday.The state-run arms procurement agency approved the plan to buy 40 F-35 fighters starting from 2018, with an option to buy 20 more later depending on the security situation and budget. Seoul confirmed the decision two months after it voted down Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle, the only a

Jan. 27, 2014

U.S. Army cavalry regiment to arrive in S. Korea

U.S. Army infantry soldiers will arrive in South Korea this week to begin their nine-month mission as part of the rotational force to improve joint readiness against North Korea, U.S. Forces Korea said Monday.About 800 American soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment in Texas are set to arrive at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, on Wednesday, the 2nd Infantry Division said."The addition of a Combined Arms Battalion makes the 2nd Infantry Division a more agile and lethal force, more

Jan. 27, 2014

S. Korean Navy to attend international mine removal exercise

South Korea will participate in a multinational mine removal exercise that's designed to protect commerce and maritime infrastructure in the Western Pacific region with 13 other nations in New Zealand, the Navy said Monday.The International Mine Counter Measures Exercise, the largest of its kind in the region, practices a wide spectrum of defense operations aimed at protecting international commerce and trade, including mine countermeasures and maritime security operations.This year's exercise w

Jan. 27, 2014

S. Korean Navy receives its 13th guided-missile destroyer

The South Korean Navy has taken delivery of its 13th domestically built guided-missile destroyer, which will join patrol missions to defend the nation's shoreline and harbor waters, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Monday.Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction delivered the newest PKG-class (Patrol Killer, Guided Missile) patrol ship to the Navy command, located in Jinhae, some 410 kilometers south of Seoul.The 450-ton high-speed ship can sail at a top speed of 40 knots and is

Jan. 27, 2014

KAI aims to win 7.7 tln won in orders in 2014

Korea Aerospace Industries, the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, said Wednesday that it aims to secure 7.7 trillion won ($7.2 billion) worth of new orders and push up sales to 2.3 trillion won in 2014 as part of its ongoing effort to become a global player in the aerospace field.In a press conference held in Seoul, KAI said this year's target order represents a 25 percent increase from the year before, while the sales goal marks a 15 percent on-year gain.It wants to push up annual sales to

Jan. 22, 2014

Park calls for tightend security against N.K.

NEW DELHI (Yonhap News) ― President Park Geun-hye called for an “airtight” security posture against North Korea from South Korean soldiers and other officials on Saturday, viewing the North’s recent charm offensives as a possible prelude to imminent military provocations.“In India, Park ordered the (South Korean) defense minister and other security-related ministers to make more efforts to keep an airtight security posture against (potential) provocations at a time North Korea is conducting a fl

Jan. 19, 2014

Audit urged on Seoul’s contribution to USFK

State auditors are reviewing a request by a civic group for an inspection into the use of Seoul’s payment to support the upkeep of 28,500 American troops here, amid growing calls for more transparency in the spending of the defense funds.The Board of Audit and Inspection said that it would visit the ministries of foreign affairs and defense and the Seoul Regional Tax Office for five days, starting Jan. 20, to collect related documents and check for tax evasion involving the funds.The Solidarity

Jan. 15, 2014

Ex-U.S. defense chief calls Roh ‘crazy’

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates cast late former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun as a “little crazy” in his recently published memoir, underscoring then-frayed ties between the allies under the liberal-minded leader.In the 618-page book, entitled “Duty,” he mentioned his meeting with Roh in Seoul in November 2007. Gates called Roh “anti-American” and quoted him as saying that the “biggest security threats in Asia were the U.S. and Japan.”But Gates, who led the Pentagon from 2006-2

Jan. 15, 2014

Short tracker Noh to miss Sochi Winter Olympics with broken elbow

 Former short track world champion Noh Jin-kyu will miss the Sochi Winter Olympics with a broken elbow, officials here said Wednesday.   The Korea Skating Union said the 21-year-old suffered the injury in a fall during his practice at the National Training Center in Seoul on Tuesday.   Noh was the overall champion at the 2011 world championships.Once considered the top gun for South Korea, Noh finished only third in the national team trials in April last year and had only qualified for the 5,000

Jan. 15, 2014

Korea's jobless rate rises to 3% in Dec.

South Korea's jobless rate rose in December from a month earlier, but job creation remained strong, raising hopes that labor market conditions might be improving, a government report showed Wednesday.   According to the report by Statistics Korea, the jobless rate stood at 3 percent last month, up from 2.7 percent in November. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate also inched up from 2.9 percent to 3 percent.    Job creation still remained strong. The number of employed people was 24.96 million i

Jan. 15, 2014

GM Korea recalls over 4,800 cars in S. Korea for defective transmission mount

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., is recalling over 4,800 units of the Chevrolet Spark for a defective transmission mount that holds the transmission and its components in place, the transportation ministry said Wednesday.   The recall affects 4,848 units of the small passenger vehicle produced between May 10 and June 7 of last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.   The ministry said the defective mount could easily be dam

Jan. 15, 2014

In memoir, Gates calls ex-Korean President Roh "crazy"

Reading a new memoir by former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, South Koreans may be quite surprised by his characterization of the country's late President Roh Moo-hyun as "a little crazy."   Gates recalls a November 2007 meeting in Seoul with the liberal-minded president, whose diplomatic and security policy is still being debated.   He calls Roh "anti-American and probably a little crazy." Roh was quoted as telling Gates that "the biggest security threats in Asia were the United States an

Jan. 15, 2014

Majority of Koreans concerned about security

Slightly more than half of South Koreans think the security situation on the Korean Peninsula is serious, a poll showed Tuesday, amid growing instability in North Korea and historical and territorial disputes with its Asian neighbors.According to the phone survey by Gallup Korea conducted on 1,000 adults from Nov. 20-26, 40.4 percent said the current security environment on the peninsula is “serious,” with 11.1 percent considering it to be “grave.”About 33 percent of respondents said security on

Jan. 14, 2014

U.S., China discussed contingencies in N. Korea: report

The United States and China had discussions on the possibility of a regime collapse in North Korea and other contingencies well before the death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, according to a U.S. congressional report.   But it remains unconfirmed whether the two global powers are continuing such sensitive consultations.   "When asked on Oct. 4, 2009, whether the United States and China discussed contingencies in North Korea, (then) Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell acknowled

Jan. 13, 2014