South Korea’s new defense white paper will no longer describe North Korea’s military as having overwhelming superiority over that of South Korea by incorporating the South’s advanced weapon systems and technologies, Seoul’s military said Thursday　According to the documents submitted by the Ministry of National Defense for parliamentary audit, the 2018 defense white paper will include “qualitative assessment” of the two Koreas’ military capabilities. 　The move is designed to paint an accurate pi

Defense Oct. 11, 2018

　JEJU ---- Under the mist hovering over the Navy base on Jeju Island on Tuesday, South Korea’s newest landing ship, the Ilchulbong, cruises along the coastline waiting for a signal from the deck. Alongside it are its sister ship, the Cheonjabong, and a bigger version called the Dokdo. 　With the buzzing sound of anti-submarine helicopters and patrol aircraft, the 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer the Yulgok Yi I leads a fleet of combat destroyers. Those onboard salute the three landing ships packed with

Defense Oct. 10, 2018

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that he and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un agreed to hold the second US-North Korea summit “as soon as possible”, South Korea’s presidential office said.Hours after meeting with Kim in Pyongyang in the afternoon, Pompeo told President Moon Jae-in that Washington and Pyongyang will establish working-level negotiation teams to determine the timing and location of the summit, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Speaking to reporters on his way to Pyongyang

North Korea Oct. 7, 2018

　South Korean naval vessels carrying military cadets will travel to Japan later this month for a joint training, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Sunday, despite an ongoing diplomatic row between Seoul and Japan over the latter’s use of a controversial military flag. 　According to the Ministry of National Defense, three vessels carrying about 600 cadets from the Army, Navy and the Air Force will participate in the cruising exercise to be held in the Japanese port city of Sasebo from Oct. 28 to Nov.

Defense Oct. 7, 2018

Controversy over the Japanese Rising Sun Flag shows no sign of abating ahead of an international naval festival to be held in Korea next week, with politicians and activists calling for measures to ban what they see as a symbol of Japanese military imperialism. A ruling party lawmaker proposed a bill to ban the entry of Japanese warships to the South Korean territory if they raise the Rising Sun Flag. And a well-known professor sent emails abroad to denounce the Japanese decision to show the con

Defense Oct. 4, 2018

　CHEORWON, Gangwon Province -- A group of soldiers who gathered at the entrance of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone in Cheorwon began picking up gear for a special mission Tuesday: grass cutters, metal detectors and air pressurizers. 　It is day two of the mission to locate land mines buried at Arrowhead Ridge in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, one of the two major sites where the two Koreas began demining operations to clear the path for excavation of the remains of those killed durin

Defense Oct. 3, 2018

　The militaries of the two Koreas on Monday began removing a small portion of land mines scattered across the heavily fortified border area, as part of the agreement reached during last month’s summit in Pyongyang to ease tension and build trust. 　According to the South Korean military, the removal operations took place at two sites inside the Demilitarized Zone: the Joint Security Area at the border village of Panmunjom and Arrow Head Hill in mountainous Gangwon Province. 　While the North Korea

North Korea Oct. 1, 2018

Controversy continues to escalate over the Japanese Rising Sun flag, which symbolizes the country’s past imperialism, as Tokyo’s defense ministry pushes back against South Korean military’s request that Japanese warships not fly the flag at an upcoming international naval festival. 　According to an Asahi Shimbun report on Friday, an anonymous Japanese defense official said Japan might boycott the naval fleet review scheduled for Oct. 10-14 on Jeju Island, in light of South Korea’s “absurd” reque

Defense Sept. 28, 2018

North Korean leaders treated Samsung Electronics vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong as South Korea’s “vice president” when they welcomed President Moon Jae-in’s delegation in Pyongyang, a lawmaker said. Rep. Park Jie-won of the Party for Democracy and Peace, who accompanied Moon on a three-day summit trip to the North, said the communist leader’s eagerness for economic development was “enormous.”“The fact that Kim Jong-un gave such a warm welcome to the South Korean (business leaders) has raised hopes f

North Korea Sept. 28, 2018

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday wrapped up his three-day trip to the United States with an aim at reviving momentum for the deadlocked denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea.  Including his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Moon’s public engagements were mostly devoted to convincing skeptics in Washington who doubt North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s willingness to abandon his nuclear program and open up the economy. Having met Kim three times since taking office last year,

North Korea Sept. 27, 2018

　With US President Donald Trump officially announcing his plans to hold a second meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, the question now is whether the news will revive the momentum for the stalled denuclearization talks.  　During his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday, Trump said he will meet with Kim “in the not too distant future.” A day later, Moon told Fox News that the Trump-Kim summit could take place before the end of this year. 　Preparations are underway b

North Korea Sept. 26, 2018

The third inter-Korean summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has prompted a flurry of speculation over how things will unfold between the two Koreas and with the US. To what extent the summit will revive stalled denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea is the question on the minds of many. Moon will travel to the US on Sunday to brief President Donald Trump on his discussions with Kim. Kim pledged to dismantle missile facilities in the presence of

North Korea Sept. 20, 2018

With North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledging to visit Seoul within the year, there is a mix of hope and caution in the air over the first-ever trip to the South by the top leader from the North. At a joint conference with President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim said he had promised Moon that he would visit Seoul “in the near future.” Moon said he expected Kim to come to South Korea’s capital before the end of the year.The announcement came as surprise to South Koreans, 　who have ne

North Korea Sept. 20, 2018

For the first time in 11 years, the two Koreas’ leaders Wednesday sat together and watched North Korea’s massive choreographed performance -- commonly known as the Mass Games -- to celebrate the third inter-Korean summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two leaders watched the Mass Games in late night at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang. The show lasted for about an hour and some 150,000 people packed the stadium. Moon delivered a sh

Foreign Affairs Sept. 19, 2018

The militaries of the two Koreas on Wednesday agreed to turn a large swath of the border area into a buffer zone, pledging to prevent any form of cross-border hostilities amid continued inter-Korean detente. 　In a document signed by the two Koreas’ defense chiefs, the two sides said they would establish a “no-fly zone” inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone. They also agreed to suspend military drills near the DMZ and the disputed waters in the West Sea. The measure will take effect on

North Korea Sept. 19, 2018