The Barack Obama administration is expected to maintain its strategy of letting South Korea play a leading role in engaging North Korea through diplomacy, a former senior U.S. official said Monday.Kurt Campbell, who served as assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs until February, said this stance reflects a "clear and subtle change" in Washington's approach towards Korea."I think in the past the leading edge of diplomacy with North Korea was often the relationship between

June 25, 2013

South Korea and the United States are likely to start high-level negotiations sometime next week to renew the cost-sharing agreement for keeping U.S. troops here, a Seoul government source said Monday."Opening the first round of cost-sharing talks in Washington is under final discussion ... The date (for the talks) will soon be decided," said the source, requesting anonymity.The talks come as the agreement, eighth of its kind and called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), expires at the end of

June 24, 2013

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― A Korean War exhibit opened Tuesday at the Pentagon as U.S. officials endeavor to enhance public awareness on the historical significance of the so-called Forgotten War.It is part of various programs to mark the 60th anniversary of the alliance between South Korea and the U.S., which dates back to the 1950-53 conflict.The U.S. Department of Defense described the exhibit as a “lasting symbol” of its commitment to honor Korean War veterans and help educate the public abo

June 19, 2013

A Korean War exhibit opened Tuesday at the Pentagon as U.S. officials endeavor to enhance public awareness on the historical significance of the so-called Forgotten War.It is part of various programs to mark the 60th anniversary of the alliance between South Korea and the U.S., which dates back to the 1950-53 conflict.The U.S. Department of Defense described the exhibit as a "lasting symbol" of its commitment to honor Korean War veterans and help educate the public about the Korean War for gener

June 19, 2013

South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Cho Tae-yong, urged North Korea Tuesday to take "actions" to assure that it is serious about denuclearization as he began a three-day trip to Washington for consultations on ways to deal with Pyongyang."North Korea should show its will for a real denuclearization through actions," Cho, who serves as South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, told reporters upon arriving.His trip comes amid renewed efforts to revive negot

June 19, 2013

South Korea plans to increase its manpower at its overseas diplomatic missions and strengthen cooperation with relevant countries to better protect North Korean defectors believed to be hiding in those nations, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The plan came after a group of 20 North Korean refugees, who had been under protection by the South Korean Embassy in Laos, were said to have recently made it to Seoul. Last month nine young defectors were repatriated by Laos and China to their totalitar

June 18, 2013

South Korea has invited North Korea to attend next year’s Asian Games to be held in the western port city of Incheon, a senior government official said Tuesday.“We asked North Korea to participate in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games some two months ago via the Olympic Council of Asia,” Park Jong-gil, the second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, told reporters. “We also conveyed our hope via other channels for inviting not only its athletes but supporters,” he said. “The North has yet to

June 18, 2013

South Korea started the bidding process Tuesday to pick a contractor to provide 60 advanced fighter jets for 8.3 trillion won (US$7.3 billion), the Defense Acquisition Program and Administration (DAPA) said.Seoul faces a tough decision in selecting either the Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II stealth jet, Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle or the European Aerospace Defense and Space Company (EADS)'s Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon, to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jetsThe bidding is

June 18, 2013

Lockheed Martin said Tuesday it promised to help South Korea build and launch its indigenous military communications satellite as part of its offer to win Seoul’s 8.3 trillion won ($7.36 billion) fighter acquisition project.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration begins the bidding process Tuesday for the project to purchase a high-end fleet of 60 fighters and start deploying them in 2017. The winner is scheduled to be announced by the end of this month.“(Should it win the contract, Lockh

June 17, 2013

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter made clear Wednesday the Pentagon will not cut its spending in Korea despite the so-called sequester, an automatic massive defense budget reduction that took effect on March 1.In a speech at the annual conference of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), he said the Barack Obama administration will not apply sequester to a war in Afghanistan nor to the stationing of around 28,500 troops in South Korea.He stressed the importance of maintainin

June 13, 2013

In a move expected to spark controversy, conservative lawmakers and the defense ministry are pushing to revive a military service law ruled unconstitutional 14 years ago that gave incentives to job seekers with a military background, a ministry official said Tuesday.All able-bodied South Korean men are obligated to serve in the military for at least two years as the country still remains at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a ceasefire.Most of them are in their early 20s

June 11, 2013

The three companies vying for South Korea's next-generation fighter jet project have proposed aggressive offset programs to sweeten their bids, ranging from technology transfers to promises of purchasing Korean-made parts, an official said Monday.Seoul plans to buy 60 advanced jets worth of 8.3 trillion won ($7.3 billion) to replace its aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets starting from 2017. It is the single priciest arms purchase project from a foreign country. Jets competing for the contract are B

June 10, 2013

The Air Force plans to ban pilots and cadets who smoke from flying and designate most units as cigarette-free zones beginning next month, triggering a controversy over the possible violation of airmen’s basic rights.The unprecedented measures come under Air Force Chief of Staff Sung Il-hwan’s initiatives to improve the well-being of the air force staff. Since taking office in April last year, he has spearheaded an antismoking campaign, for which he won a health minister’s citation last month.Sho

June 5, 2013

South Korea's financial support for U.S. troops here is undervalued in Washington's estimates considering other benefits and tax breaks, a left-wing civic group claimed Monday, as a tough negotiation lies ahead amid growing pressure to raise Seoul's share.The Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea said Seoul paid 65.2 percent of U.S. Forces Korea's upkeep in 2010, which is much higher than Washington's estimate of 42 percent of the total budget, citing analysis of reports by governments

June 3, 2013

The Army has referred seven professors and two employees of the Korea Military Academy to its disciplinary board in connection with the first reported sexual assault case involving its cadets, officials said Monday.A male senior cadet is alleged to have sexually assaulted a drunk female sophomore during a school festival on May 22. He was detained for investigation a day after the victim filed a complaint with Army investigators on May 23.“We, once again, are sorry for causing disappointment, sh

June 3, 2013