Black Eagles aerobatic team flies over Egyptian pyramids as 1st foreign military

CAIRO/SEOUL -- A group of the South Korean Air Force's T-50B jets streaked over Egyptian pyramids during an air show earlier this week, in the first such performance by a foreign military around the African nation's ancient structures. The South's Black Eagles aerobatic team staged the joint flyby with the Egyptian Air Force's Silver Stars team during the Pyramids Air Show 2022 in Giza on Wednesday (Cairo time), according to a pool report. To support South Korea's bid to

Aug. 4, 2022

S. Korea, Australia to discuss defense cooperation, Indo-Pacific strategy

The South Korean and Australian defense chiefs will discuss a wide range of issues including North Korea, Indo-Pacific strategy and defense cooperation in Canberra this week. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup kicked off his first five-day trip to Australia Tuesday at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles. Lee and Marles are set to meet Thursday and “share an assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region,&rdq

Aug. 2, 2022

BTS can prepare for overseas concerts while serving in military, says Defense Minister

K-pop sensation BTS may be able to practice and hold overseas concerts while serving in the military, as South Korea’s Defense Ministry appears to be considering “alternative service” for the boy group. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said during a parliamentary session on Monday that he is considering a series of options for alternative military service for BTS, such as providing them time to prepare for performances and allowing them to hold overseas concerts.

Aug. 1, 2022

S. Korea, US, Japan start Pacific Dragon ballistic missile defense drill this week

South Korea, the United States and Japan are set to jointly conduct a ballistic missile defense exercise to enhance military interoperability and readiness against escalating threats from North Korea. The Pacific Dragon ballistic missile defense drill led by the US Pacific Fleet will be held for two weeks between Monday and Aug. 14 off the coast of Hawaii, the South Korean military confirmed on Sunday. A total of five countries — South Korea, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the US &mdash

July 31, 2022

Navy chief to visit US for defense diplomacy

South Korea's Navy chief is set to depart for the United States to discuss military cooperation and exchanges, the Navy said Sunday. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lee Jong-ho will make a weeklong visit to Hawaii and Washington, D.C., during which he is scheduled to meet with Carlos del Toro, secretary of the US Navy, and John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, as well as other senior military officials, it said. The two sides plan to discuss how to bolster military coopera

July 31, 2022

S.Korean, US defense chiefs agree to step up military exercises, restart extended deterrence dialogue

The South Korean and US defense chiefs committed to stepping up combined military exercises and restarting strategic dialogue on extended deterrence in September to address North Korea’s escalating threats. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Friday in Washington and “discussed the major pending issues of the alliance and shared their assessment of North Korea’s evolving threats,” South Korea’s Defense Ministry said

July 30, 2022

South Korean Navy to begin deploying women officers on submarines in 2024

South Korea’s Navy announced Friday that it will begin deploying women officers aboard submarines starting from 2024 after an eight-year comprehensive review. The Navy gave the green light to the plan for integrating enlisted female sailors to submarine crews at a policy meeting held at the headquarters in the city of Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province on Thursday, it announced the following day. South Korea’s Navy plans to recruit three female submarine crew members in 2023 and

July 29, 2022

S. Korean Navy to allow female sailors to serve as submarine personnel

South Korea's Navy has decided to allow female sailors to serve on submarines for the first time, starting in 2024, its officials said Friday, a move to broaden their military roles amid prospects of troop shortages caused by the country's low birthrate. The Navy made the decision during Thursday's key policy meeting, making South Korea the world's 14th nation with a personnel assignment policy enabling female service members to join the submarine crew, according to the armed

July 29, 2022

Korea launches Jeongjo the Great, Navy's first 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer

President Yoon Suk-yeol traveled to the southeastern port city of Ulsan to join a ceremony to celebrate the launch of the country’s first 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, the Jeongjo the Great destroyer, on Thursday. “We have now become capable of building a world-class Aegis destroyer with our own technologies,” Yoon celebrated the launch of the new destroyer, during his speech at the ceremony held at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, joined by some 150 people, in

July 28, 2022

KAI signs $3b deal with Poland to export 48 FA-50s

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft maker, has signed a basic $3 billion deal with Poland to export 48 FA-50 light attack fighters, its officials said Thursday. The largest FA-50 export deal was part of the "framework contracts" that the Polish government inked the previous day to procure 980 K2 battle tanks and 648 K9 howitzers on top of the FA-50s. In addition to the fighter deal, KAI seeks to establish a maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) center in Poland

July 28, 2022

New Korean War monument with names of fallen heroes unveiled in Washington

WASHINGTON -- A new Korean War monument was dedicated in Washington on Wednesday, permanently displaying the names of over 43,000 US and South Korean service members killed during the war. The dedication of the Wall of Remembrance was marked by a ceremony attended by some 3,000 people, including government officials, Korean War veterans and their families and many others from both South Korea and the United States. The wall features the names of 36,634 US troops and 7,174 members of the Korean A

July 28, 2022

New Korean War monument to be unveiled in Washington D.C. this week

A new Korean War monument is set to be unveiled in Washington, D.C. this week, the veterans affairs ministry said Wednesday, as South Korea and the United States mark the 69th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 conflict. Some 3,000 people, including Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, will attend a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall at 10 a.m. on

July 27, 2022

US military reveals last week's combined Marine drills with S. Korea

The US military has disclosed photos of last week's combined Marine drills with South Korean troops in an apparent move to highlight their readiness amid North Korea's evolving military threats. Posted on the Pentagon's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service last Wednesday, the photos depicted US troops from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 engaging in the Korean Marine Exercise Program (KMEP) drills in Pohang, 374 kilometers south of Seoul. The disclosure marked a sh

July 27, 2022

Families of fallen troops to visit new Korean War monument in DC

A new Korean War monument in Washington, DC will be open to some family members of troops who were killed or went missing during the 1950-53 conflict before it is formally unveiled this week, according to Seoul's veterans affairs ministry Tuesday. Around 800 bereaved family members plan to visit the Wall of Remembrance on Tuesday (local time), the eve of a planned event marking the completion of the structure bearing the names of 36,634 US troops and 7,174 members of the Korean Augmentation

July 26, 2022

S. Korean, US defense chiefs to discuss alliance deterrence, readiness against N. Korea threats

The South Korean and US defense chiefs are set to extensively discuss how to reinforce the alliance’s deterrence and defense posture to address evolving missile and nuclear threats from North Korea. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup is scheduled to make his first trip to the US between Tuesday and Saturday, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced Monday. Lee will meet US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday to “share an assessment of the security situation on t

July 25, 2022

S. Korea to create new anti-terror unit

The government will create a new military unit dedicated to defenses against terrorist activities, the Prime Minister’s office said Friday. The government said it expects an increase in terrorist activities down the road, largely due to increased instability and political tensions around the world. The government also expressed concerns that there is a higher chance that terrorists could make their way into the country as pandemic-related travel restrictions are being eased. The anti-t

July 22, 2022

S. Korea to bolster special forces, step up large-scale military exercises

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it would strengthen special operations forces’ infiltration and strike capabilities and step up large-scale South Korea-US field training exercises to deal with North Korea’s escalating threats. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup directly briefed President Yoon Suk-yeol on the overall direction and priorities of defense policy and plans to implement major tasks Friday morning at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul. The Defense Min

July 22, 2022

Veterans minister to attend event celebrating new Korean War monument in DC

South Korea's Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik will attend a ceremony celebrating the completion of a new Korean War memorial monument in Washington DC next week, his ministry said Friday. Park plans to read out President Yoon Suk-yeol's message during Wednesday's event unveiling the Wall of Remembrance, which bears the names of 36,634 US troops and 7,174 members of the Korean Augmentation to the US Army who died during the 1950-53 conflict. The wall, another symbol of the

July 22, 2022

Pilot determined to pull through KF-21 flight testing

After the successful first flight test of South Korea's homegrown KF-21 fighter earlier this week, its Air Force pilot highlighted his "single-minded" determination to complete airborne testing requirements. Maj. Ahn Jun-hyun conducted the historic maiden flight of the fighter from the Air Force's 3rd Flying Training Wing in Sacheon, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday. The event set in motion a key development procedure involving some 2,000 sorties through 2026.

July 20, 2022

S. Korean, British officials discuss cooperation on arms industry, technologies

Senior defense officials from South Korea and Britain met on the margins of a British air show earlier this week to discuss bilateral cooperation in the arms industry and defense technologies, Seoul officials said Wednesday. Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul and Jeremy Quin, Britain's minister for defense procurement, held talks Tuesday as they visited the Farnborough International Airshow, a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defense industries. The two sides discussed various

July 20, 2022