S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea has identified the remains of a South Korean soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after their excavation from a battle site a decade ago, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The ministry's excavation team found the remains of Pfc. Kim Jong-sul in Pohang, 374 kilometers south of Seoul, in 2012. They were identified as his thanks to a DNA sample that his son had registered with the government. Born in Gimcheon, 234 kilometers south of Seoul, in 1926, Kim served in the Army&

May 17, 2022

S. Korea signs deal to purchase some 40 US-made helicopters to train military pilots

South Korea has signed a contract worth 170 billion won ($132.8 million) with a US aerospace firm, Bell Textron Asia, to purchase some 40 trainer helicopters by 2025, the state arms procurement agency said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) inked the deal with the firm on May 6 to procure the Bell 505 helicopters and eight simulators to train Army and Navy pilots, its officials said. The simulators are to be manufactured by a Korean firm. The South Korean military plan

May 16, 2022

S. Korean military to revive 'provocation' reference to NK missile tests: sources

South Korea's military plans to revive the reference to North Korean ballistic missile tests as "provocations," informed sources said Thursday in an apparent reflection of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's hard-line stance on the recalcitrant regime's military threats. The Joint Chiefs of Staff has decided to use the expression in its public announcements of future North Korean missile launches in line with new Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's directive, according to the sources. The p

May 12, 2022

US, S. Korea share common objective of denuclearizing Korean Peninsula: State Dept.

The United States and South Korea share a common objective of completely denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and will continue to coordinate closely on ways to achieve that goal, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday. State Department Press Secretary Ned Price made the remarks after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his government will help revive North Korea's economy if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear ambition. "We have been and we will continue to coordinate closely with th

May 11, 2022

S. Korea develops radar technology to accurately target missile warheads

South Korea has developed a homegrown radar technology to identify and track ballistic missile warheads as part of efforts to strengthen the nation's air defense, its state-run military research agency said Tuesday. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has secured the technology designed to discern warheads of hostile missiles from other non-explosive parts, such as propellants and debris created from the separation of rockets, its officials said. "It is one of the technologies necessar

May 10, 2022

New S. Korean govt. to hold top commanders' meeting this week

South Korea will hold its first meeting of top military commanders under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration this week, sources said Tuesday, amid concerns about North Korea's apparent preparations for a nuclear test. Lee Jong-sup, set to take office as new defense minister later in the day, plans to preside over the gathering Wednesday via video links, with the attendance of top officers from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and other military institutions, according to the sources. Yoon b

May 10, 2022

N. Korea fires apparent SLBM off east coast: S. Korean military

North Korea fired an apparent submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in waters off its east coast Saturday, South Korea‘s military said, in the recalcitrant regime’s latest saber-rattling that comes three days before President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol‘s inauguration. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch in waters off the North’s eastern coastal city of Sinpo at 2:07 p.m. Other details were not immediately known. The latest launch marks the North

May 7, 2022

N. Korea fires unidentified projectile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, in the recalcitrant regime’s latest saber-rattling that comes just days before President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol‘s inauguration. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the launch, the North’s 15th show of force this year. Details were not immediately known. Military authorities here presume the launch involves a ballistic missile, a source said. The latest launch

May 7, 2022

South Korea’s intelligence agency joins NATO’s cyber defense center as first in Asia

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service became a member of a cyberdefense center for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the state agency said on Thursday. According to NIS, it has been admitted as a contributing participant for NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, a cyberdefense group based in Tallinn, Estonia. It is the first time an Asian country joins the group. The NATO CCDCOE is a cyberknowledge hub focused on research, training, and exercises in the fiel

May 5, 2022

S. Korea to begin production of long-range radar prototype this year

South Korea will embark on the production of a homegrown long-range radar prototype later this year under a project to replace the existing decades-old radar systems, the country's state arms procurement agency said Wednesday. Launched in February last year, the project worth 46.7 billion won (US$37 million) is aimed at developing an advanced radar system designed to monitor foreign aircraft approaching South Korea's air defense identification zone, according to the Defense Acquisition Program A

May 4, 2022

S. Korea, US to begin two-week combined air drills next week: sources

South Korea and the United States plan to kick off regular combined air force drills next week, informed sources said Tuesday, in yet another move to highlight their defense posture especially against North Korea's evolving missile threats. The allies are set to begin the two-week Korea Flying Training on Monday, the eve of the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to bolster the Seoul-Washington security alliance under his slogan of "peace through strength."

May 3, 2022

S. Korea deploys homegrown radar system to Air Force

South Korea has deployed a new homegrown radar guidance system to the Air Force to replace those that have been in use at military airports for more than three decades, the state arms procurement agency said Friday. The armed service has recently received the precision approach radar (PAR) systems used by air traffic controllers to give navigational guidance to pilots for landing, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). In 2012, DAPA and the South Korean defense firm

April 29, 2022

U.S. Forces Korea reveals underground training

　U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has revealed its recent training at an underground facility in an apparent show of its stepped-up efforts to ensure defense readiness following North Korea‘s recent missile launches. 　In a recent Twitter post, the USFK’s 2nd Infantry Division disclosed a series of photos showing troops wearing gas masks and protective suits during a specialized training program. It did not reveal where and when the training occurred. 　“Ready First Soldiers conducted

April 28, 2022

S. Korea, US agree on first joint research to develop defense space strategy

South Korea and the United States agreed to conduct joint research on space policy for the first time, in a bid to reinforce the alliance’s capabilities against mounting security threats in space. South Korea’s Defense Ministry and the US Defense Department held the 18th session of the Space Cooperation Working Group on Monday in Washington, the South Korean military announced Tuesday. Cho Yong-geun, the South Korean director general of the North Korea Policy Bureau at the Defense

April 26, 2022

S. Korea, US agree on first joint space policy research

South Korea and the United States have signed their first bilateral document on joint space policy research, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, in the allies' latest push to reinforce cooperation in the increasingly crucial security domain. Cho Yong-geun, the ministry's director of North Korea policy, and John D. Hill, US deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense, inked the document during a session of the Space Cooperation Working Group (SCWG) in Was

April 26, 2022

S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea has identified the remains of a South Korean soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after their excavation from a battle site more than a decade ago, the defense ministry said Monday. The ministry's excavation team found the remains of Pvt. Kim Hak-su in Inje, 165 kilometers east of Seoul, in 2008. They were identified thanks to a DNA sample that his great-grandson had registered with the government. Born in Jincheon, 91 kilometers east of Seoul, in 1925, Kim served in the Army

April 25, 2022

Military to resume reserve forces' field training on eased COVID-19 rules

South Korea's military will partially resume a field training program for the country's reserve forces in June, the defense ministry said Friday, in line with eased COVID-19 social distancing rules. The annual field training for the 2.75 million-strong local reserve forces was called off for the first time in 52 years in 2020 due to the pandemic. Reservists had been required to undergo a training session every year for one to three days. Effective June 2, they will be called to participate in fi

April 22, 2022

Veterans minister to attend funeral of decorated US Korean War hero

South Korea's veterans affairs minister will attend the funeral of retired US Army Col. William E. Weber, a decorated Korean War veteran, in Maryland later this week, his office said Thursday. Hwang Ki-chul is set to attend the funeral on Friday (local time) to deliver President Moon Jae-in's condolence message to the bereaved family and console them on behalf of the Seoul government, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. "From his participation in the war to the last

April 21, 2022

Construction of allies' new command center complete in US base in Pyeongtaek

The construction of a new command center for the combined forces of South Korea and the United States has been completed in a major American military base south of Seoul, a US Army website showed Tuesday. South Korean and US officials commemorated the completion of Command Center Humphreys in Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Thursday last week, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The new center is designed to support the operations of the allies' Co

April 19, 2022

S. Korea, US to kick off combined springtime training this week

South Korea and the United States will begin their combined springtime military training this week to further solidify the allies' defense posture, Seoul officials said Sunday. The nine-day command post training using a computer simulation is scheduled to kick off on Monday and it does not include any field troop maneuvers, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The exercise comes amid renewed tensions by the North's weekend test of a purported new tactical guided weapon and concerns that

April 17, 2022