[From the Scene] South Korean commandos train to take out terrorists

GWANGJU, Gyeonggi Province -- Six commandos parachuted from a Black Hawk helicopter at around 1,500 meters, gliding toward the designated target on the ground for a demonstration of airborne infiltration techniques Thursday morning. The commandos of the South Korean Army’s 707th special mission group, dedicated to countering terrorist threats, showcased operations responding to simulated scenarios at the National Counterterrorism Training Center in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. In one demons

June 23, 2024

US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea as a show of force against nuclear-armed North Korea

A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived Saturday in South Korea for a three-way exercise involving Japan as they step up military training to cope with North Korean threats, which have escalated following a security pact with Russia. The arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group in Busan came a day after South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest a major deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week. The agreement pledges m

June 23, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan agree on close cooperation through 'timely' dialogue after Kim-Putin summit: Seoul minister

South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed on close security cooperation through "timely" consultation, after Russia and North Korea signed a new security treaty during a summit in Pyongyang this week, Seoul's top diplomat said Friday. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the remarks, commenting on his back-to-back phone calls with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean lea

June 22, 2024

North Korean soldiers briefly cross border with South again

North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line that divides the Koreas on Thursday, according to the South Korean military. The soldiers retreated to their side of the border after the South fired warning shots. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that “several North Korean soldiers crossed the border into our side of the Demilitarized Zone” at around 11 a.m. Thursday. According to the JCS, the North Korean soldiers made it about 20 meters south of the

June 21, 2024

US Supreme Court dismisses British firm's appeal case over F-35 jet sales to S. Korea

The top US court has dismissed an appeal case by a British company claiming it was wrongfully excluded during South Korea's purchase of advanced US-made F-35 fighters, Seoul's arms procurement agency said Thursday. The US Supreme Court dismissed the appeal Monday in a case that South Korea has argued is beyond the jurisdiction of US courts as the transaction was one between governments, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). In December 2020, Blenheim C

June 20, 2024

Romania to buy S. Korean K-9 howitzers for US$920 mln

Romania has confirmed its plan to buy South Korean K-9 self-propelled howitzers for US$920 million, the defense ministry said Wednesday, in another boost for Seoul's drive to clinch more arms export deals. Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar announced the decision during talks in Romania with Seoul's defense chief Shin Won-sik, who is on a weeklong trip to Eastern Europe that will also take him to Poland, according to the ministry. Shin thanked Tilvar for the decision and anticipate

June 19, 2024

Defense minister discusses arms cooperation with Romanian presidential official

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Tuesday met with a Romanian presidential official in Romania and discussed expanding bilateral defense and arms cooperation, Shin's office said. Shin held talks with Ion Oprisor, Romania's presidential adviser on national security, during his visit to the East European country to bolster strategic partnership in the defense area, the defense ministry said. Oprisor expressed hope for deepening ties in defense and the arms industry, noting Ro

June 18, 2024

Landmines kill, hurt North Korean soldiers deployed for ‘barren border’ project

North Korean soldiers have been injured and killed in landmine explosions on their side of the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean military said Tuesday. “The North Korean military is pushing ahead with the DMZ operations despite a series of fatal explosions of landmines,” an official at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters. The JCS said its closed-circuit TV captured smoke near the sites where the landmines are believed to have

June 18, 2024

N. Korean military's construction activities spotted inside DMZ: source

North Korea's military has been carrying out unexplained construction activities inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, according to a military source Saturday. "Recently, the North Korean military has been erecting walls, digging the ground and constructing roads in some areas between the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the Northern Limit Line in the DMZ," the source said. The source added it was unclear whether these activities indicate an intention t

June 15, 2024

US reaffirms pursuit of 'mutually beneficial' defense cost-sharing deal with S. Korea

A State Department official on Thursday reiterated the United States' commitment to reaching a "mutually beneficial" defense cost-sharing agreement with South Korea, stressing the bilateral alliance is a "pivotal" relationship. The official made the remarks a day after the two countries wrapped up their third round of negotiations over Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea under a deal, called the Special Measures Agreement. The

June 14, 2024

[Contribution] Uzbekistan-Republic of Korea: commitment to centuries-old ties, special strategic partnership

By the Uzbekistan Embassy in Seoul President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol will pay a state visit to Uzbekistan at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on June 13-15, 2024. Established on Jan. 29, 1992, Uzbek-South Korean relations have become an example of successful cooperation between the two countries in various fields. In more than thirty years of interaction, the relations have developed and strengthened, passing through several key milestones. In 2006, the Joint Decla

June 13, 2024

N. Korean soldiers briefly cross inter-Korean border, return after warning shots

About 20 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean land border earlier this week and went back to the North's side after the South's military fired warning shots, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday. The North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line within the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in the central section of the border at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The South Korean military conducted warning broa

June 11, 2024

South Korea, US review joint guidelines against North Korean nuclear threats

South Korea and the United States completed a review of joint guidelines for responding against a possible nuclear attack by North Korea, according to the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. After holding a third meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group in Seoul on Monday, the ministry said the South Korea-US joint guidelines, in the process of being finalized, would touch on the alliance's policies and principles for nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. The ministry described th

June 10, 2024

North Korea setting up loudspeakers along border: JCS

North Korea appears to be installing loudspeakers on the front lines on Thursday, a day after South Korea resumed the anti-Pyongyang broadcasts from near the border for the first time in six years, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The JCS said in a message to reporters Monday that North Korea was believed to be preparing for their own broadcasts targeting the South across the border. “We have identified signs of North Korea setting up loudspeakers in the border areas

June 10, 2024

S. Korean loudspeakers blare again after North Korean trash balloon barrage

South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea on Sunday, in response to North Korea's launches of trash-laden balloons into South Korean territory over the weekend, the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed. Despite warnings of retaliation from Seoul, North Korea flew 330 additional balloons loaded with trash from late Saturday until 10 a.m. Sunday morning, apparently in response to activists' launches of leaflet-carrying balloons headed the other way. "Our military conduc

June 9, 2024

North Korea resumes trash balloon launches: JCS

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said late Saturday that North Korea was flying balloons loaded with trash once again, as the wind was forecast to veer south. Following the JCS announcement an alert was issued across Seoul and areas near the border warning residents to beware of falling objects and to report sightings to authorities. The South Korean military has been watching for another wave of the North Korean balloons after a group of activists called Fighters for Free North Korea t

June 8, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold 3rd round of defense cost-sharing negotiations in Washington next week

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States will hold their third round of cost sharing negotiations for stationing US Forces Korea (USFK) in Washington next week, the chief US negotiator said Friday. Linda Specht, senior advisor and US lead negotiator for security agreements at the State Department, said that the two sides will have the negotiations over the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) from Monday through Wednesday. The South Korean delegation is led by Le

June 8, 2024

S. Korea's Navy fleet to leave for Hawaii to join biennial RIMPAC exercise

A South Korean fleet of warships and maritime aircraft and around 840 Navy and Marine troops were set to depart for Hawaii on Friday to join a US-led multinational maritime exercise slated to kick off later this month, the Navy said. The fleet will leave a naval base on the southern resort island of Jeju on Friday afternoon to join the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise scheduled to run from June 26 through Aug. 2, according to the Navy. The Korean fleet comprises naval ships including the 7,6

June 7, 2024

Indonesia's parliament accepts S. Korea's donation of retired warship: reports

Indonesia approved a proposal Thursday to accept a South Korean donation of an aging corvette for its navy, reports showed. Indonesia's parliament passed the proposal to receive the 1,200-ton Bucheon 773 corvette, which retired in 2021 after nearly 30 years in service, from South Korea, Reuters reported. It is estimated that US$85 billion will be needed for maintenance and other costs to make it operational, Deputy Defense Minister Herindra told parliament. The donation came after Indonesia

June 6, 2024

US B-1B bomber holds bombing drills in S. Korea for 1st time in 7 years

The United States on Wednesday deployed one B-1B bomber for joint bombing drills in South Korea for the first time in seven years amid heightened tensions over North Korea's trash balloon campaign and GPS jamming attacks. The US heavy bomber from Andersen Air Base in Guam and two South Korean F-15K fighters released live GBU-38, 500-pound joint direct attack munitions, to strike multiple simulated targets at Pilsung Range in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, according to the US 7th Air Force in So

June 5, 2024