The Korea Herald

Controversy grows over F-35 flight test

Controversy is growing over Lockheed Martin being unable to allow Korean pilots to test-fly its F-35 fighter jet ahead of Seoul’s decision in October on who will win its massive procurement project.The U.S. defense firm confirmed on Sunday that Korea will not be able to fly the aircraft as the development of the single-seat stealth fighter jet has yet to be completed. “At this time the F-35 fleet is fully occupied with test, training and delivery activities, so Korea will not be able to fly the

June 10, 2012

One in 5 lawmakers didn’t go to Army

One out of five male lawmakers in the 19th National Assembly was exempted from military service mostly due to imprisonment or illness, a government survey showed.The Military Manpower Administration said of the total 253 lawmakers, 47, or 18.6 percent, were exempted from conscription.The exemption rate is 0.4 percentage point higher than that among members of the 18th National Assembly. However, the figure is 10.7 percentage points lower than the national average for men born between 1940 and 19

June 8, 2012

U.S. won’t send Okinawa marines to Korea: Pentagon

The U.S. will not send to South Korea some of its marines to be pulled out of Okinawa, Japan, the Pentagon told The Korea Herald.Maj. Cathy Wilkinson, a spokeswoman of the U.S. Defense Department, dismissed speculation that they will be dispatched to Korea on a rotational basis.Washington and Tokyo announced in April that they agreed to move some 9,000 U.S. Marines from the island to Guam and other locations in the Asia-Pacific. Reports had said that the U.S. was considering sending some of them

June 7, 2012

‘N.K. third for cyber war capabilities’

Hackers attempt to steal military secrets, cripple information system of Seoul, intelligence chief saysNorth Korea’s electronic warfare capabilities are second only to Russia and the United States, a South Korean expert claimed Thursday.Professor Lee Dong-hoon of the Korea University Graduate School of Information Security said the North is running a special unit of 3,000 elite hackers under the direct control of its leader Kim Jong-un.“North Korea has been preparing for cyber warfare since the

June 7, 2012

’N.K. has third most powerful cyber war capabilities’

Hackers attempt to steal military secrets, cripple information system of Seoul, intelligence chief saysNorth Korea’s electronic warfare capabilities are second only to Russia and the United States, a South Korean expert claimed Thursday.Professor Lee Dong-hoon of the Korea University Graduate School of Information Security said the North is running a special unit of 3,000 elite hackers under the direct control of its leader Kim Jong-un.“North Korea has been preparing for cyber warfare since the

June 7, 2012

’N.K. has third most powerful cyber war capabilities’

Saenuri to launch panel for primary next week

The ruling Saenuri Party plans to form an election committee next week that will oversee its presidential primary, the party’s secretary general said Wednesday, balking at calls to launch a preparatory committee first to revise primary rules.Minor contenders such as Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo and Rep. Chung Mong-joon have called strongly for new primary rules, claiming the current system is favorable to former party chief Park Geun-hye.They demand the party first set up a primary pr

June 6, 2012

U.S. to sell $325 million of advanced arms to Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The United States is in the process of selling hundreds of cutting-edge weapons to South Korea, a deal expected to be worth $325 million, according to a defense agency here.The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has notified Congress of possible sales to South Korea of 367 cluster bombs and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training.The bombs, formally the sensor-fuzed CBU-105D/B Wind Corrected Munition Dispenser (WCMD), are typically dropped

June 6, 2012

Security on Korean Peninsula worsens sharply in Q2: think tank

Security on the Korean Peninsula worsened in the second quarter of the year to one of the lowest levels in recent years, a report showed Wednesday, as North Korea launched a long-range rocket and escalated belligerent rhetoric against the South.The Samsung Economic Research Institute said in a report that its Korean Peninsula Security Index (KPSI), which is calculated based on a survey of about 40

June 6, 2012

U.S. to sell $325 million of advanced weapons to Korea

The United States is in the process of selling hundreds of cutting-edge weapons to South Korea, a deal expected to be worth $325 million, according to a defense agency here.The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has notified Congress of possible sales to South Korea of 367 cluster bombs and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training. The bombs, formally the sensor-fuzed

June 6, 2012

Korea seeks balance between security partners and China

Seoul seeks to expand defense ties with Tokyo, Beijing as security uncertainty growsSouth Korea is walking a diplomatic tightrope as it seeks to achieve balance between its traditional security partners and the growing power of China in Northeast Asia.Seoul has been working with Japan over possible military agreements concerning logistics and information despite domestic opposition stemming from long-standing historic and diplomatic disputes.With China, South Korea is seeking an agreement facili

June 5, 2012

Korea seeks balance between security partners and China

Pentagon defends sudden change of general in Korea

The Pentagon insisted Monday that the decision to replace the troubled leader of U.S. special forces in South Korea is not associated with his recent public blunder.Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley, commanding general of the Special Operations Command Korea, came under fire after he reportedly said in late May that some of his troops have been sent clandestinely into North Korea on spy missions.The Departme

June 5, 2012

U.S. military procurement from S. Korea up 12.6% in 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. military purchased more than $1.1 billion worth of South Korean goods and services in the 2011 fiscal year, an increase of 12.6 percent from $991 million in the previous year, according to a report released Sunday.In its annual report to Congress, based on statistics from the Federal Procurement Data System, the Defense Department said it spent a total of $374 billion for procurement activities for the year until September 2011.“Of that amount, approximately $

June 4, 2012

Korea, US, Japan agree to expand cooperation to deter N. Korea

South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to strengthen cooperation in policy setting to better deter North Korean aggression, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday.The ministry said the understanding was reached during a meeting of senior defense ministers at the two-day-long 11th Asia Security Summit under way in Singapore.South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, U.S. Secretary of Def

June 2, 2012

US to shift most of naval fleet to Pacific by 2020

The United States will shift the majority of its naval fleet to the Pacific by 2020 as part of a new strategic focus on Asia, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta told a summit in Singapore on Saturday. The decision to deploy more ships to the Pacific Ocean, along with expanding a network of military partnerships, was part of a "steady, deliberate" effort to bolster the US role in an area deemed vital to A

June 2, 2012

Ministry calls for punishment of officer for criticizing Lee

The Defense Ministry called Tuesday for stern punishment for an Army officer indicted over his Twitter post critical of President Lee Myung-bak, saying the act of criticizing the supreme commander of the armed forces impedes military order and discipline.Military prosecutors have put the 29-year-old captain on trial recently on charges of insulting a superior in connection with his Twitter post criticizing President Lee with indecent language.The indictment was seen by some critics as restrictin

May 29, 2012

Ministry calls for stern punishment of Army officer over criticism of Lee

The defense ministry called Tuesday for stern punishment for an Army officer indicted over his Twitter posting critical of President Lee Myung-bak, saying the act of criticizing the supreme commander of the armed forces impedes military order and discipline.Military prosecutors have put the 29-year-old captain on trial recently on charges of insulting a superior in connection with his Twitter post

May 29, 2012

Korea seeks to acquire U.S. missiles, choppers

The U.S. Department of Defense is considering selling Harpoon Block II Missiles and Seahawk Helicopters to South Korea.The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in press releases last week that it had notified the U.S. Congress of the possible sale of 18 of the missiles, eight of the helicopters and their associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training. The estimated costs are $1.84 billion.The DSCA said it informed Congress of the proposal after a request by South Korea. Th

May 27, 2012

Korea seeks to acquire U.S. missiles, choppers

Caisson to be dropped in waters at Jeju naval base construction site

A large caisson structure to be used for building a breakwater off Jeju Island's naval base construction site has been moved into position, South Korea's Navy said Saturday.It said the 8,800-ton structure that is 38 meters long, 25 meters wide and stands 20 meters high has been placed on a floating dock and moved offshore near Gangjeong village.It said the caisson will be the third such unit deplo

May 27, 2012

Remains of S. Korean Korean War casualties return

The remains of 12 South Korean soldiers found north of the military demarcation line arrived in Seoul on Friday. It is the first time for the remnants of South Korean soldiers killed in the Korean War to be returned from North Korea since the cease-fire in 1953.“The Republic of Korea was defended as they fought at the risk of their lives. We have to find them, even their remains, who sacrificed their lives for the country, to the end. There are no greater patriots than them,” President Lee Myung

May 25, 2012

Remains of S. Korean Korean War casualties return

S. Korea’s maritime security challenged

Experts say Seoul should bolster Navy amid competition for maritime supremacyAmid intensifying competition among regional powers for maritime primacy, South Korea is not equipped to fend off growing threats to its territorial waters and assert its strategic interests, experts said.With its military prioritizing deterring North Korea and lack of public understanding of maritime security, the country is lagging behind China and Japan despite them repeatedly challenging Korean sovereignty, experts

May 24, 2012