US nuclear-powered sub arrives in S. Korea amid possibility of NK ICBM launch

A US nuclear-powered submarine arrived in South Korea on Sunday, Seoul's defense ministry said, amid concerns North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile this month. The USS Missouri (SSN-780), a Virginia-class attack submarine, entered a key naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier in the day, according to the South Korean Navy. "With the deployment of the USS Missouri, we plan to strengthen naval exchanges and cooperation with the United Stat

Dec. 17, 2023

S. Korea, US to complete guidelines on nuclear strategy planning, operation by mid-2024: Seoul official

South Korea and the United States agreed Friday to complete the establishment of guidelines on the planning and operation of a shared nuclear strategy by the middle of next year, a Seoul official said, after the allies held key deterrence talks on countering growing North Korean threats. Seoul's Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo made the remarks after he and Maher Bitar, the US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for intelligence and defense policy, led the second se

Dec. 16, 2023

Ex-USFK chief notes odds of misunderstanding leading to conflict in Korea

A former US Forces Korea commander voiced concerns Thursday over the chances of misunderstanding and miscalculation leading to conflict on the Korean Peninsula, as he pointed to North Korea's unwillingness for dialogue and its close ties with China and Russia. Speaking at a forum, Robert Abrams, who led USFK from 2018-2021, said that "we are back where we were" in 2017 when tensions heightened due to a series of North Korean provocations, including its sixth nuclear test and balli

Dec. 15, 2023

Chinese, Russian warplanes enter S. Korean air defense zone

Two Chinese and four Russian military planes on Thursday entered South Korea's air defense zone without providing prior notice, prompting responsive measures by the South Korean military. The simultaneous intrusion marks the first occurrence of its kind since June this year. The six aircraft entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone, or KADIZ, off its east coast between 11:53 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. local time, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on the same day in a statement

Dec. 14, 2023

S. Korea, Netherlands hold defense talks to deepen security cooperation

South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho held talks with the Netherlands' top defense official this week to bolster security and arms industry ties, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. Kim met Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren in The Hague on Tuesday as President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a four-day state visit to the country from Monday. During the talks, the two sides agreed to begin working-level talks at an early date for South Korea's planned participation as a

Dec. 14, 2023

Defense chief meets 8 NATO representatives to expand security, defense industry cooperation

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik met representatives of eight member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Wednesday to expand cooperation in security and the defense industry, the defense ministry said. Shin held the meeting with the NATO representatives of the United States, Britain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland, who began a three-day visit to Seoul earlier in the day. Their rare visit to South Korea, which is not a NATO member state

Dec. 13, 2023

Top generals of S. Korea, US agree to strengthen cooperation amid NK threats

South Korea's new top general held phone talks with his US counterpart for the first time Tuesday and agreed to strengthen cooperation against North Korea's military threats, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The talks between JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and his US counterpart, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., took place amid heightened tensions after North Korea scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean pact designed to prevent clashes along the border. During the talks, the two generals

Dec. 12, 2023

US F-16 fighter crashes into sea off South Korea during training

A United States Forces Korea F-16 Fighting Falcon on Monday morning crashed near Gunsan, a North Jeolla Province city 178 kilometers south of Seoul, during routine training, according to the air base there. Kunsan Air Base, home to the 8th Fighter Wing, said in a release that the fighter jet crashed into the sea off the west coast of South Korea at around 8:43 a.m. The pilot was rescued by the Republic of Korea Maritime Forces after evacuating the aircraft, the release said. He is in a stable co

Dec. 11, 2023

Boeing eyes more Chinook helicopter exports to S. Korea

US defense giant Boeing is seeking to win more orders from South Korea for its Chinook heavy-lift helicopters amid Seoul's efforts to reinforce readiness against North Korean threats. The company touted the CH-47ER variant for South Korea's plans to acquire new special operations choppers during a tour of its production facility in Mesa, Arizona to a group of reporters from the defense ministry's press corps last Thursday. In April, South Korea's defense authorities endorsed

Dec. 6, 2023

JCS head stresses readiness against enemy drones in Seoul skies

The head of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kim Myung-soo, on Tuesday visited the Capital Defense Command to assess readiness against enemy uncrewed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, infiltrating Seoul's airspace. The JCS chairman called for thorough preparations for countering possible enemy threats that could arise in Seoul and nearby areas, especially in the skies. Over his visit to the command force in the capital, he said close coordination among the military, police and government

Dec. 5, 2023

S. Korea successfully tests solid-fuel space rocket

South Korea successfully launched a solid-fuel space rocket carrying a small commercial satellite in the final round of tests for an actual launch planned for two years later, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday. The test launch was conducted at around 2:00 p.m. from a barge located in waters south of Jeju Island. It was the first instance of the country integrating an operational satellite, not a dummy satellite, into the developmental phase of a solid-fuel space rocket. Mon

Dec. 4, 2023

US deploys fighter jets in S. Korea for air exercise in Singapore

A group of US fighter jets stationed in South Korea joined an annual aerial exercise in Singapore last month, the US Air Force has said, with a commercial aircraft refueling the fighters en route to the city-state for the first time. The US military deployed six F-16s of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, to participate in the bilateral Commando Sling exercise with the Singaporean Air Force at Paya Lebar Air Base from Nov. 6 to 24. During the flig

Dec. 4, 2023

US authorizes potential sale to S. Korea of munitions, equipment for F-35 stealth jets

The United States has approved a potential sale to South Korea of munitions for the operation of F-35 radar-evading fighter jets and related equipment to help improve the Asian ally's defense capabilities, a government agency said Friday. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency under the Department of Defense made the announcement on the potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) estimated to cost US$271 million. South Korea has made a request to purchase 39 AIM-120C-8 A

Dec. 2, 2023

Koreas' spy satellite launches heat up arms race in space

Space has emerged as an extended battlefield for the rival Koreas as they have successfully launched their own spy satellites into orbit and are gearing up to send more to better monitor each other amid an intensifying arms race, analysts said Saturday. South Korea's first homegrown spy satellite was launched from U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Friday (local time). It successfully entered orbit and communicated with a ground station a little over an

Dec. 2, 2023

S. Korea successfully launches 1st spy satellite into orbit

South Korea successfully launched its first indigenous military spy satellite from a U.S. military base in California Friday (local time), the defense ministry said, in a culmination of Seoul's quest for space-based intelligence capabilities amid growing North Korean threats. The launch of the satellite atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base came after Pyongyang claimed success in its own spy satellite launch last week -- a move that underscored a growing inter-Kor

Dec. 2, 2023

Hanwha Ocean developing submarine stealth technology

Hanwha Ocean is leading a government research project on defense and security technology for building stealthy warships, according to the company on Wednesday. The 50-year-old shipbuilding company, acquired this year by Hanwha Group, said in a press release it signed the contract with the government’s Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement. The project, which is to be completed by May 2028 under the contract, aims to design new demagnetizing equipment for

Nov. 29, 2023

Seoul reviews scenarios for restoring guard posts in DMZ

South Korea has initiated a comprehensive examination of scenarios aimed at restoring guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone that were deactivated and dismantled in alignment with a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, military sources said Wednesday. One potential first step involves the restoration of a disarmed guard post, the structure of which has been exclusively preserved for historical purposes through mutual consent with North Korea. South Korea has deemed it essential to implement coun

Nov. 29, 2023

S. Korea pushes for using commercial satellites in military communication

South Korea will push for using commercial satellites in low Earth orbit in a military communication system to efficiently enhance combat capability of the armed forces, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday. The Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute under the state-run Agency for Defense Development signed a 39.8 billion won ($30.6 million) project with Hanwha Systems Co. for development of the military communication system using Hanwha's commercial satellites op

Nov. 28, 2023

N. Korea reinstates DMZ guard posts

North Korea has started to restore guard posts within the demilitarized zone, which had previously been demolished in accordance with the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement while bringing military personnel and firearm equipment back to the posts, Seoul said Monday. Movements to restore the military posts have been detected since Nov. 24, one day after North Korea declared a complete annulment of the Sept. 19 military agreement, the Defense Ministry in Seoul said in a statement. South Korea�

Nov. 27, 2023

S. Korea attends NATO-led cyberdefense exercise

South Korea is set to attend an international cyberdefense exercise led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the first time to enhance collaboration with NATO in the cyberspace domain, the defense ministry said Monday. NATO's flagship annual cyber exercise, called Cyber Coalition 2023, takes place in Estonia from Monday to Friday, involving 35 NATO members and partners as well as the European Union to strengthen their joint ability to counter threats in the cyber domain. South Kore

Nov. 27, 2023