Tension is rising on the Korean Peninsula, as North Korea shows growing indications of another missile test despite President Moon Jae-in’s engagement approach of resuming inter-Korean talks and suspending cross-border hostilities. According to reports by Agence France-Press and CNN, US officials said that if a test is carried out, it would be the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile or intermediate-range one. Liftoff would probably occur Thursday, the 64th anniversary of the signing

North Korea July 26, 2017

The US initially proposed deploying nine launchers of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile shield, instead of the typical six for one battery, during its consultations with South Korea last year, a government source told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. The official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details of the negotiations, said Washington floated the idea in the run-up to the two sides’ launch of a joint working group on the matter in March 2016. Wary

Defense July 25, 2017

North Korea may return to dialogue, responding to a South Korean olive branch Monday, but even so, the talks are unlikely to produce meaningful results toward easing tensions on the peninsula, experts said Monday. 　The communist country would challenge South Korea’s dialogue initiative by bringing up issues that are almost certain to be rejected by the South, such as the suspension of South Korea-US joint military exercises and repatriation of North Korea defectors living in the South, experts a

North Korea July 17, 2017

　South Korea’s arms procurement agency on Thursday unveiled a prototype of an advanced radar for its homegrown fighter jet project, accelerating efforts to complete the development by 2026.　The state-run Agency for Defense Development ran detection capability tests on a simplified version of the “active electronically scanned array” radar at Hanwha Systems research institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Hanwha, a local defense firm, is the contractor for the development of the

Defense July 13, 2017

North Korea is advancing “faster than expected” in its missile development program, warned President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday in Germany, adding that the communist state appears to be “close to” possessing an intercontinental ballistic missile after a missile test Tuesday.“The current level of the North’s nuclear and missile programs is a problem, but what is more troubling is its development is proceeding much faster than expected,” Moon said during a dinner meeting with German Chancellor Angel

North Korea July 6, 2017

South Korea and the US on Wednesday confirmed North Korea’s claim that it had launched a ballistic missile with an intercontinental range, but doubts persisted over whether the communist state had overcome technological challenges to reach the US mainland. 　In its report to lawmakers, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said that the Hwasong 14, which the North fired Tuesday morning, was most likely to be a new ICBM-range two-stage missile, a variant of the intermediate-range single-stage Hwasong-12 that t

North Korea July 5, 2017

North Korea claimed it carried out a successful test of an intercontinental ballistic test on Tuesday, heralding a sweeping shift in the regional security landscape and posing a critical test for President Moon Jae-in’s pursuit of denuclearization dialogue.  　The Hwasong 14 hit an altitude of 2,800 kilometers and flew northwest about 930 kilometers after being lifted off at 9:39 a.m., with leader Kim Jong-un himself monitoring the experiment on the scene, the official Korean Central Television s

North Korea July 4, 2017

In peacetime, South Korea is in charge of its military forces. But when a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, the US is to take control of both South Korean military forces and the Americans stationed here.During his campaign, President Moon Jae-in had pledged to speed up the transfer of the wartime operation control, or OPCON, delayed by his predecessor. He has just got a major boost for the plan: US President Donald Trump’s consent. During their summit last week, Moon and Trump agreed to w

Defense July 3, 2017

This is the last installment in a series of interviews with prominent US scholars on the upcoming South Korea-US summit and the alliance. -- Ed.Despite their differences over North Korea and a US anti-missile shield, a US expert said President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump should not refrain from exchanging their “respective and preferred” views when they meet for a summit Friday.  Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a

North Korea June 29, 2017

Defense Minister nominee Song Young-moo fought hard to fend off multiple accusations during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, but calls only grew for him to give up on the job. Lawmakers from the opposition Liberty Korea Party and People’s Party urged Song to voluntarily drop his bid to become the Moon Jae-in administration’s first defense chief, saying his high-paying career as a military contractor and at a law firm would clash with his mission to eradicate wrongdoings on military acquisi

Politics June 28, 2017

This is the third of five interviews with prominent US scholars on an upcoming South Korea-US summit and the alliance. -- Ed.With the first summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump just around the corner, a renowned US expert painted a grim outlook for the meeting, saying there appears to be “little room for good news” and plenty of opportunities for the two leaders to create bad news. “A quiet outcome would be the best outcome from any summit between the US and South Korea in the

North Korea June 27, 2017

This is the second of five interviews with prominent US scholars on an upcoming South Korea-US summit and the alliance. -- Ed.When South Korean President Moon Jae-in meets his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington this week, he should give the US leader full assurance on the parts of the US missile shield system already deployed in South Korea, a renowned security expert said. “At the summit, President Moon should emphasize his support for the two (THAAD) launchers already put into operation

North Korea June 26, 2017

This is the first installment of a five-part series of interviews with prominent US scholars on an upcoming South Korea-US summit and the alliance. -- Ed.Despite persistent controversy, South Korea’s halt of the deployment of a US anti-missile system will not undermine the decadesold alliance, and the sides may be able to forge a better deal on North Korea than expected during their upcoming summit, a renowned US security expert told The Korea Herald. Richard Betts, director of the Saltzman Inst

Foreign Affairs June 25, 2017

The US military in South Korea said Friday that the deployment process of the US advanced missile defense system in South Korea was “transparent,” in response to President Moon Jae-in’s claim that the process was mysteriously accelerated. In an email to The Korea Herald, the United States Forces Korea said that the US was fully transparent with the Korean government throughout the process, highlighting that Washington trusts South Korea’s official stance that the THAAD deployment was an alliance

Defense June 25, 2017

When former Navy chief Song Young-moo was nominated as the first minister of defense for the Moon Jae-in administration last week, hopes were high that the retired admiral will bring sweeping reforms. In his first meeting with reporters after being nominated, Song laid out his vision with confidence. Describing the current security challenges as being paradigm-shifting, he pledged to “rebuild” the military by eradicating dubious military contracts.But the path for Song’s appointment is likely to

Defense June 22, 2017