South Korea will hold nationwide civil air raid drills in May after a six-year break, improve public alert and warning systems and expand shelters in preparation for potential aircraft and missile attacks from North Korea. The measures were discussed Wednesday in a closed-door meeting of the Central United Defense Council convened by President Yoon Suk Yeol. It was the first time that a South Korean president presided over the meeting since 2016, in light of the significance of pangovernmental e

Defense Feb. 8, 2023

North Korea belatedly disclosed the establishment of the general bureau dedicated to missile development ahead of a widely expected military parade marking the founding anniversary of its armed forces. The choreographed move, Seoul-based experts said, shows the country’s intent to openly reaffirm its goal of perpetuating missile buildup based on institutionalized processes run by the bureau.North Korean state media on Tuesday released photos and a video showing the flag of the &l

North Korea Feb. 7, 2023

A suspected North Korean balloon crossed the inter-Korean border and flew over South Korean airspace Sunday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Monday. A South Korean frontline unit in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province first detected the 2-meter balloon, which flew from North Korea, with a terminal observation device, or TOD. South Korea’s JCS was immediately briefed on the situation. But the JCS ordered the military to reinforce surveillance without taking any countermeasures

North Korea Feb. 6, 2023

South Korea and the US on Friday staged another military air exercise over the west coast of South Korea by mobilizing their stealth fighters, just two days after US strategic bombers flew to the Korean Peninsula for combined aerial drills. The air combat exercise involved F-22 and F-35B advanced stealth fighters and F-16CM fighting aircraft of the US Air Force and South Korean Air Force’s F-35A stealth fighter jets, according to South Korea’s Air Force. “The combined exercise

Defense Feb. 3, 2023

North Korea on Thursday said the US would face the “toughest” response if Washington pushes to conduct larger-scale field training exercises with Seoul, threatening that it would not engage in talks if such moves go forward. The statement delivered through its Foreign Ministry came two days after the South Korean and US defense chiefs agreed on steps, including bolstering combined military exercises to enhance the alliance’s deterrence and readiness posture. The US also pledged

North Korea Feb. 2, 2023

North Korean state media has stepped up the rhetoric to justify military buildup despite lingering economic woes ahead of the army founding anniversary, saying that defending the country from “enemies” is its priority. “What comes first is to reinforce our own strength and national defense capabilities in order not to become a slave of imperialists,” the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said Wednesday in a Korean-language article. &ldqu

North Korea Feb. 1, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday asked the US defense chief to arrange bilateral consultations to establish “effective” extended deterrence mechanisms which could dispel South Koreans’ concerns over North Korean nuclear threats. In return, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged to make every effort for combined defense to clear up South Korea’s doubts over the credibility of the US security commitment and nuclear assurances, senior presidential secreta

Defense Jan. 31, 2023

South Korea and the US on Tuesday agreed to further expand and reinforce combined exercises and training to counter escalating nuclear and missile threats from North Korea and to achieve “peace through strength” on the Korean Peninsula.  The US defense chief also pledged to step up the deployment of US strategic assets to South Korea to strengthen US extended deterrence against North Korea, saying that fifth-generation fighter jets such as F-22s and F-35s and nuclear-powered ai

Defense Jan. 31, 2023

The US’ top defense leader and the chief of NATO are in Seoul to ways to step up cooperation with South Korea in deterring and countering escalating missile and nuclear threats from North Korea. The head of NATO also openly urged Seoul to enhance its military support for Kyiv as the war in Ukraine grinds on. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday discussed a wide range of pending issues, including the North Korean nuclear issue, South Kor

Defense Jan. 30, 2023

North Korea on Sunday denounced the US’ decision to provide advanced battle tanks to Ukraine once again, while denying Washington’s accusation it was supplying weapons to Russia, which it labeled as a “grave provocation” that must be responded to. Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the Department of US Affairs of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, condemned the US plans to “supply offensive armed weapons such as main battle tanks to Ukraine at any cost while igno

North Korea Jan. 29, 2023

South and North Korea breached the armistice agreement by flying drones across the inter-Korean border last December, said the United Nations Command on Thursday. South Korea disputed the UNC’s conclusion, saying that sending drones to North Korea after Pyongyang’s infiltration was carried out in “self-defense,” which is not restricted by the armistice agreement. The special investigation team was able to determine that the North Korean military “committ

Defense Jan. 26, 2023

The South Korean military on Thursday has publicly conceded overall defects in its counter-unmanned aircraft operations and the absence of real-time information-sharing between the army and air forces on airborne objects.  The forces initially failed to recognize the urgency of the situation and communicated via wire-tapped phone calls when North Korean unmanned aerial vehicles infiltrated South Korea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff in its report of a three-week ins

Defense Jan. 26, 2023

Satellite imagery showed “dramatic and ongoing” construction in North Korea’s main missile and rocket launching station on the west coast, a Washington-based think tank said Tuesday, noting that the site could be used for a satellite launch “in the near future.” The construction activities have taken place throughout the eastern and central sections of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in the Tongchang-ri area, North Pyongan Province, according to Beyond Paralle

North Korea Jan. 25, 2023

The United States’ transfer of its munitions stockpiles in South Korea to Ukraine will not affect the readiness posture of the US Forces Korea, the US Department of Defense said Thursday. The Pentagon underscored that the diversion of munitions stored in South Korea is in line with the Pentagon’s efforts to quickly provide ammunition, materials, capabilities, and equipment to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia. “We have been working with ROK and Israel when it comes to w

Defense Jan. 20, 2023

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry summoned a senior Japanese diplomat on Friday over Japan’s repeated attempt to recognize gold and silver mines on the island of Sado, where Koreans were forced to work during World War II, as a World Heritage site. “The Korean government regrets that the Japanese government resubmitted the nomination of ‘Sado Island Gold Mines,’ for the inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List,” Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said in

Foreign Affairs Jan. 20, 2023