Despite under a constant threat of war from the communist North Korea, South Korea has remained a nuclear weapons-free zone since 1991. But with Pyongyang nearing the finish line in its atomic weapons program, politicians and security experts in Seoul are calling for “a balancing act” to adapt to the new security environment on the Korean Peninsula: A North Korean nuclear weapon can only be deterred by a nuclear weapon -- by either South Korea’s own or the US, they said. “We can’t fight against

North Korea Aug. 20, 2017

Military tensions are expected to come to a critical juncture on the Korean Peninsula this week, with South Korea and the United Sates beginning Monday their annual military exercise in the wake of a standoff between Washington and Pyongyang over the latter’s threat to launch missiles toward the US island of Guam.　The Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, a computer-based military drill, is to kick off with some 50,000 South Korean and 17,500 US troops participating to simulate a war with North Korea

Defense Aug. 20, 2017

South Korea has no plans to reduce the scale of an annual joint military exercise with the United States or demand the withdrawal of US troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula, the man set to become Seoul’s chief of Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday. 　The Ministry of National Defense announced later in the day that the annual Korea-US Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise will take place between Aug. 21 and 31. The command post drill will be played out on a similar scale to that of last year, when 50

Defense Aug. 18, 2017

　North Korea’s latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile appeared to be a failure, a Seoul-based missile expert claimed Thursday, suggesting that the Hwasong-14 was not equipped with a stable re-entry system that would allow it to survive the heat-intensive process of re-entering the atmosphere.　Lee Sang-min, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said there are “three pieces of scientific evidence” that show the Hwasong-14 test-fired on July 28 lacked the capabil

North Korea Aug. 17, 2017

Following his crushing defeat for the People’s Party at presidential polls in May, Ahn Cheol-soo has been scrambling to find ways to bring back the popularity that had catapulted the former business tycoon to the political arena. But such efforts barley got off to a start, with some of Ahn’s aides being indicated for engaging in an illegal smear campaign during the presidential election and the party’s approval ratings plummeting to a record low since its establishment in 2016. Alarmed by the fe

Politics Aug. 16, 2017

Tensions between the US and North Korea showed signs of winding down, with Pyongyang backing off from its threat to fire missiles toward Guam as Washington ratcheted up pressure on China to rein in its wayward ally. After being briefed by the military about plans for missile launches, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he would watch the conduct of the US “a little more” before deciding whether to order the firings, Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday. “The United

North Korea Aug. 15, 2017

A top US military commander on Monday said that though military action remains an option for the president, Washington’s top priority is on diplomatic and economic means as a peaceful solution to the standoff with North Korea. Marine Corps. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the country is capable of defending the peninsula, Guam and the continental US, despite Pyongyang’s series of threats to launch an “enveloping fire” around the western Pacific island. Wh

Defense Aug. 14, 2017

　Local residents and opponents of the deployment of a US missile shield system Sunday rejected the results of a government-led environmental survey as lacking credibility, posing a challenge to the government’s effort to promptly finish the deployment process amid North Korea’s missile threat. 　On Saturday, the government concluded that electromagnetic radiation and noise emanating from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system’s advanced X-band radar and power engines prove to be well belo

North Korea Aug. 13, 2017

  　President Moon Jae-in will meet with the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, on Monday to discuss ways to address North Korea’s escalating military threat, South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. 　During the talks, Moon and Dunford are expected to seek measures to counter provocations from the North, which threatened last week to fire intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the waters near the US island Guam.　The top US general arrived in S

National Aug. 13, 2017

With North Korea threatening to fire off intermediate-range ballistic missiles into the waters near the US island Guam, debate emerged Thursday over whether the communist regime would push ahead with its plan despite stern warnings from the US and its allies. According to the North’s state-run news agency, Gen. Kim Rak-gyom, commander of the Strategic Forces of the Korean People’s Army, said it is examining an “enveloping strike” of Guam with four Hwasong-12 missiles that he said would fly 3,356

North Korea Aug. 10, 2017

  With US President Donald Trump employing harsh warnings similar to the North’s rhetoric and the North responding with a more direct threat of attack on the US’ territory, concern is growing in South Korea that the war of words between the two rather temperamental leaders could evolve into a real military conflict.  　After Trump’s warning that the North’s military threats could be met with “fire and fury that the world has never seen,” Pyongyang said Wednesday that it could conduct missile stri

National Aug. 9, 2017

 Chief of the Air Force Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo was tapped as South Korea’s new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday, in the first reshuffle of top military leadership since President Moon Jae-in took office in May. During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Moon approved the nomination of Jeong. If Jeong receives a parliamentary nod, the 56-year-old general will replace the current JCS chief, Army Gen. Lee Sun-jin, and become the second Air Force officer to take the highest active-duty post. H

Defense Aug. 8, 2017

An Army four-star general accused of abusing subordinates assigned to serve at his residence will face investigation, along with his civilian wife, the military said Friday.At a press conference, the Ministry of National Defense revealed that most of the allegations against Gen. Park Chan-ju, chief of 2nd Operational Command, and his wife were valid, including one that he made the so-called “housekeeping soldiers” wear electronic bracelets so they could be reached whenever needed. It also found

Defense Aug. 4, 2017

Calls are mounting for a prosecutorial probe into the nation’s spy agency, after it was revealed that it had operated a 3,500-member cyber team to manipulate public opinion during the Lee Myung-bak administration.  Former president Lee Myung-bak. (Yonhap)According to a special task force on the reform of the National Intelligence Service on Thursday, the NIS created as many as 30 units dedicated to posting online comments in favor of the then-conservative administration. The units then hired mor

Politics Aug. 4, 2017

Amid concern that North Korea might conduct another intercontinental ballistic missile test, tension is running high on the Korean Peninsula, with experts warning that Pyongyang may be preparing to launch an upgraded version of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. Citing a US defense official, CNN reported Thursday that the North conducted a missile ejection test Tuesday at a naval shipyard in Sinpo, South Hamkyong Province, where North Korea is thought to have repositioned submarines and bar

North Korea July 27, 2017