The US and the UN nuclear watchdog again warned of the possibility of North Korea carrying out a nuclear test in the near future. “We remain concerned that the DPRK could seek a seventh nuclear test in the coming days. It’s a concern we’ve warned about for some time,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday during a regular press briefing, underscoring its readiness to respond to any contingency scenarios in tandem with the US allies. “I can as

Defense June 7, 2022

A US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier staged military drills with South Korean warships to enhance the alliance’s combat readiness against North Korea’s mounting threats and demonstrate the US commitment to defend South Korea. The US carrier strike group conducted the bilateral military exercises with the South Korean Navy’s fleet between Thursday and Saturday in the international waters southeast of the island prefecture of Okinawa, Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of

Defense June 4, 2022

The United States Forces Korea on Friday returned the southwestern part of its Yongsan Garrison in the vicinity of the newly relocated presidential office to Seoul, paving the way for President Yoon Suk-yeol to transform the US military base into a large public park. The United States Force Korea reverted the 51,000 square meters of land that covers roads within the military base and areas nearby Gates 13 and 14 in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. A total of 634,000 square meters -- which accounts

Foreign Affairs June 3, 2022

South Korean and Chinese defense chiefs will hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of a major international security forum, Seoul’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday. The meeting comes as South Korea’s newly inaugurated Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup is set to make his international debut at the Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit to be held in Singapore from June 10 to 12. China’s minister of national defense and state councilor, Wei Fenghe, will also participate in

Defense June 2, 2022

The US warned on Tuesday that it will seek to introduce tougher sanctions if North Korea conducts a nuclear test despite the continued stonewalling from China and Russia. US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield clarified that the Biden administration will continue to push ahead with its initiative to hold North Korea accountable for conducting weapons tests in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. “We absolutely will,” Thomas-Greenfield said du

North Korea June 1, 2022

South Korea has approved a defense contractor to begin negotiations on arms exports to Poland as the central European country called for support to accelerate and expand the delivery of weapons amid the war in Ukraine. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Tuesday that it has given the green light for Hanwha Defense to kick off dialogue on exporting K4 machine guns to Poland. The announcement came after Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak on Mo

Defense May 31, 2022

South Korea has dispatched the largest-scale naval fleet and a brigadier general to the US-led multinational maritime exercise to be held in and around the Hawaiian Islands next month. A flotilla of warships, maritime aircraft and troops left a naval base on the southern island of Jeju at noon Tuesday to participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise, South Korea’s Navy announced the same day. This year marks South Korea’s 17th participation in the RIMPAC exerci

Defense May 31, 2022

North Korea’s suspected new COVID-19 cases on Sunday rose above 100,000 after the country discussed potential adjustments to antivirus measures and reportedly lifted lockdown restrictions in the capital Pyongyang. The state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters reported around 100,710 more people with feverish symptoms in the 24 hours up to 6 p.m. on Sunday, North Korea’s state media reported Monday. The total caseload of fever cases came to 3,549,590 as of Sunday afternoon,

North Korea May 30, 2022

The South Korean government has been reviewing the export of artillery shells to Canada in a bid to help the country replenish its depleted weapons stocks sent to Ukraine. Canada recently asked if South Korea is able to export 100,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition through a diplomatic channel, a South Korean senior official at the Defense Ministry confirmed to The Korea Herald on Monday. The South Korean official said the government has not yet formally begun procedures to proceed wi

Defense May 30, 2022

North Korea has touted progress in curbing and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, but admitted that the country is bracing for another wave of infections that could stem from the spread of new variants. The Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee on Sunday convened a consultative meeting at the headquarters of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang under the guidance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the state-run media including the Korean Central News Agency reported

North Korea May 29, 2022

The Biden administration continues to support providing COVID-19-related humanitarian assistance to North Korea despite the country’s continued ballistic missile launches and its “escalatory actions,” a senior official at the US State Department said Wednesday. Mark Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of state for Japan and South Korea, said the US is “alarmed by the serious outbreak of COVID-19” in North Korea during a press briefing. The Biden administration i

North Korea May 26, 2022

North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile and two other ballistic missiles toward the waters off its east coast early on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, just one day after US President Joe Biden wrapped up his first trip to Asia. 　 A total of three ballistic missiles were launched from the Sunan area in the capital city of Pyongyang at around 6 a.m., 6:37 a.m. and 6:42 a.m., respectively, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. North Ko

North Korea May 25, 2022

North Korea fired three consecutive ballistic missiles toward the East Sea early on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, just one day after US President Joe Biden wrapped up his first visit to Asia. The three ballistic missiles were launched from the Sunan area in the capital city of Pyongyang at around 6 a.m, 6:37 a.m. and 6:42 a.m., respectively, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. “Our military, in close coordination with the US, is maintaining a ful

North Korea May 25, 2022

South Korea’s Defense Ministry committed to seeking ways to step up support for Ukraine at the US-led defense dialogue while taking a cautious stance over providing lethal weapons to the war-torn country. Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul on Monday attended a second virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group hosted by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense announced Tuesday. The group was first established by the Pentagon in A

Defense May 24, 2022

South Korea will ensure the full-capacity operation of a military base that hosts the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor system at an early date, the South Korean defense chief said Monday. The US THAAD missile defense battery has been temporarily deployed on the now-shuttered Lotte Skyhill golf course in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, since 2017. The normal operation of the military base had been hampered by the yearslong postponed full-scale environmental im

Defense May 23, 2022