The military will conduct a large-scale aerial defense exercise Wednesday across the country to bolster its capabilities to handle enemy infiltrations, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.The biannual exercise will take place between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. South Korean troops will practice intercepting enemy aircraft infiltrating South Korean airspace, officials

Social Affairs June 7, 2011

Probe team focuses on one area at U.S. baseThe allegations that a large amount of Agent Orange was buried at Camp Carroll, a U.S. base in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1978 are expected to be confirmed after June 21, experts said Sunday.A Korea-U.S. joint probe team has been investigating the camp, a key logistical support center for the U.S. troops here, since late last month following t

Politics June 5, 2011

The military is striving to tighten discipline in cyberspace as an increasing number of tech-savvy enlisted soldiers are caught breaking rules on Internet use.While South Korea prides itself on being one of the world’s most wired countries, widespread video recording devices and access to the Internet have created a headache for the military.The military has been running 82 “cyber patrol teams” in

Defense June 5, 2011

Another rocket fell late Monday outside an Afghanistan base where South Korean aid workers and troops are stationed, but there were no injuries, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.There have now been four attacks in May alone, with the latest apparently targeting the base in Charikar City in the northern Afghan province of Parwan. A total of nine attacks have occurred so far this year near or

Politics May 31, 2011

After 1999 mission, N.K. abducted Lt. Col. Jeong, then released him in dealA South Korean Army intelligence officer infiltrated areas near North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex and brought samples of soil and water there to the South in 1999 for the government to assess its nuclear activities, news reports said Monday.Later, the lieutenant colonel, identified only by his surname Jeong, was abduct

Politics May 30, 2011

A three-day international forum to seek solutions to a wide range of global issues will begin on Jeju on Friday, organizers said Thursday.Themed “New Asia for Peace and Prosperity,” the 6th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity will run through Sunday at Haevichi Hotel & Resort.About 1,200 people will attend the now annual forum, which had so far been held biennially since its inception in 2001. Amo

Social Affairs May 26, 2011

North Korean defectors here are strongly opposing a government plan to require them to gain approval before making remittances to relatives in the cash-strapped state.They say that the approval process could put them and their loved ones in the North in dangerous situations and make brokers demand more money for delivering funds.They also say that since their remittances are made through “complica

Politics May 26, 2011

Ex-soldier claims indiscriminate dumping at U.S. baseAnother former U.S. soldier claimed seven years ago that his unit in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, dumped “every imaginable chemical” there in the 1960s, a U.S.-based Korean journalist said Monday.The comment further escalated public anxiety over toxic chemical contamination by U.S. troops here, who are alleged to have buried a considerable amount

Politics May 24, 2011

Lawmakers and civic groups are calling for the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement with the U.S. to toughen regulations after possible environmental contamination here.They argue that with the “abstract, vaguely-worded terms” in the pact, the Seoul government cannot demand that the U.S. engage in environmental surveys or offer compensation for its troops’ environmental damage here.The two a

Politics May 24, 2011