Most Popular
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Critics slam this year's parliamentary audit as 'worst ever'
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Yoon signals flexibility in no-weapons policy for Ukraine
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What would N. Korean troops mean for the war with Ukraine?
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Long-term foreign residents in S. Korea at all-time high
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Veteran actor Kim Soo-mi dies at age of 75
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SK hynix reports earnings surprise in Q3 on AI chip boom
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Jessi apologizes for assault case involving fan
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Hybe COO denies Illit plagiarized NewJeans, Hybe chart manipulation allegations
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Tattoo artist calls for all body inking to be legal at audit
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In first, North Korea drops leaflets targeting South Korean presidential couple
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Government plans more ‘military credits’ for conscripted soldiers’ national pension
The South Korean government said Tuesday it is pushing to increase the benefits for conscripted soldiers by counting their entire service periods towards National Pension plan credits. The National Pension Service requires one to have been enrolled for a minimum of 10 years to receive benefits, but those who have fulfilled their mandatory military duties can currently have their mandated subscription period cut by six months via the "military credit" system. The recent plan by the Mini
March 19, 2024
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Defense chief reaffirms current size of US troops in S. Korea 'absolutely necessary'
South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Monday reaffirmed that the current size of US troops stationed in the country is "absolutely necessary" after a former top Pentagon official questioned the need for such a presence. Christopher Miller, who served as the acting secretary of defense under the former Donald Trump administration, said in a recent local media interview that it was time to discuss whether South Korea still needs 28,500 American troops or if change was neede
March 18, 2024
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S. Korea conducts large-scale military exercises near border islands
South Korea has conducted large-scale military exercises around western border islands to practice deploying forces in the event of North Korean provocations, the military said Sunday. The maneuvers took place Friday around the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong near the Yellow Sea border with the North, involving the Marines' quick maneuver force, the Navy landing ship (LST-II), the MUH-1 Marineon helicopter, and the Korean Assault Amphibious Vehicle, according to the North West Islands
March 17, 2024
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S. Korean, US warplanes stage live-fire drills against NK threats
South Korean and US warplanes staged a combined live-fire exercise against North Korean cruise missile and long-range artillery threats in waters off the west coast this week, the South's Air Force said Friday. The five-day drills began Monday, mobilizing some 40 aircraft, including South Korean F-35A, F-15K and F-4E jets, as well as A-10 and F-16 aircraft from the US 7th Air Force stationed in the country. Pilots trained on staging precision strikes against simulated enemy cruise missiles
March 15, 2024
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S. Korea stages live-fire drills with US military engineers near inter-Korean border
South Korea staged live-fire tank drills Thursday near the inter-Korean border, involving US military engineers, the Army said, as the allies' major annual springtime exercise came to a close. The drills took place as part of a weeklong training at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, in connection with the combined Freedom Shield exercise designed to bolster deterrence against the North's nuclear and missile threats. Some 300 pe
March 14, 2024
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S. Korean, US defense officials visit Samsung's chip plant
South Korean and US defense officials overseeing technology policies visited Samsung Electronic Co.'s semiconductor plant this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday, amid efforts to bolster information and communication technology cooperation. Cheon Seung-hyun, head of the defense ministry's Intelligent Information Policy Bureau, and Leslie A. Beavers, the Pentagon's principal deputy chief information officer, made the visit Monday at the plant in Suwon, 30 kilometers
March 13, 2024
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Iraqi general visits S. Korea to examine KAI's Surion helicopter
A senior Iraqi Army general visited South Korea last week to look over a homegrown utility helicopter, sources said Wednesday, raising speculation over the Middle Eastern country's potential purchase of the aircraft. Lt. Gen. Samir Zaki Hussein Al-Maliki, commander of Iraq's Army Aviation Command, arrived in South Korea on March 4 for a four-day visit to meet with South Korean military and defense company officials, according to the sources from the defense industry and relevant author
March 13, 2024
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Top general visits Air Force missile defense center amid N.K. threats
South Korea's top military officer on Sunday called for responding "overwhelmingly" against any enemy provocations as he visited an Air Force missile defense operations center, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo made the call amid concerns of North Korean saber-rattling during the annual Freedom Shield exercise between South Korea and the United States, which began Monday for an 11-day run. "If the enemy undertakes a provocation, don't
March 10, 2024
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S. Korea to dismantle support foundation for Kaesong complex as early as next week
South Korea is expected to pass a proposal to shut down a support foundation for the now-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong as early as next week, the unification ministry said Sunday. The revision to the decree on support for the Kaesong Industrial Complex will be presented at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, which will entrust the foundation's tasks to the civilian sector, according to the ministry. The foundation -- set up in 2007 to support th
March 10, 2024
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S. Korea seeking to establish ground-based military rocket launch site
South Korea's arms procurement agency said Wednesday it is seeking to establish a ground-based military rocket launch site to accommodate future satellite launches. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration unveiled the plan in a policy report to President Yoon Suk Yeol, as the military plans to launch dozens of small-sized reconnaissance satellites by 2030 in addition to its first spy satellite launched last year. While the military currently operates a maritime launch site, there h
March 6, 2024
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South Korea-US military drills ‘war exercises’: Pyongyang
The annual military drills conducted by South Korea and the US were “frantic war exercises,” North Korea said Tuesday, warning of consequences. “The US and the Republic of Korea have once again launched provocative, large-scale joint military exercises that amplify the unpredictability of the situation in the Korean Peninsula,” North Korea’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement carried by the official state media, the Korean Central News Agency, referring to Sout
March 5, 2024
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US warship enters naval base in Jeju for replenishment purpose
A US Navy destroyer arrived at a naval base on the southern island of Jeju on Tuesday for a replenishment purpose, the South Korean Navy said. The USS Higgins Arleigh Burke-class destroyer entered the base to replenish supplies and for crewmembers' rest, a day after South Korea and the United States began their annual combined Freedom Shield exercise for an 11-day run. A South Korean Navy official said the warship's arrival is unrelated to the exercise and there are no plans for joint
March 5, 2024
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USFK F-16 fighter jets join multinational drills in Thailand
A group of F-16 fighter jets operated by the US Forces Korea departed South Korea last month to join a multinational exercise in Thailand, the aircraft's unit has said. The unspecified number of F-16s assigned to the US 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, 178 kilometers south of Seoul, left the country on Feb. 22 to take part in the annual Cobra Gold exercise, the unit recently said. The exercise led by the United States and Thailand began last Tuesday and is set to end later thi
March 5, 2024
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S. Korea, US begin key annual military drills amid NK threats
South Korea and the United States kicked off a major combined military exercise Monday to reinforce deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats amid concern Pyongyang could use the maneuvers as a pretext for provocations. The annual Freedom Shield exercise got under way for an 11-day run amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's continued saber-rattling, including artillery firings near the western sea border and a series of missile launches. The springtime exercise ma
March 4, 2024
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S. Korea's 1st spy satellite transmits 'good-resolution' images of central Pyongyang
South Korea's first military spy satellite has successfully transmitted "good-resolution" images of central Pyongyang back home following the satellite's launch in December, military sources said Sunday. The first indigenous South Korean military spy satellite was placed into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 2, allowing South Korea to independently gain satellite imagery on the North Korean military and leadership. According to the sources, the ele
March 3, 2024
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US investigations into F-16 crashes in S. Korea ongoing amid public safety concerns
The US military's investigations into three recent F-16 fighter jet crashes in South Korea remain ongoing, a US Air Force official has said, as safety concerns remain unabated over the series of crashes. Last May, a US F-16 crashed in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, followed by another crash into the West Sea in December and a third one into the waters in January. All three pilots from the crashes ejected from the aircraft and were rescued. Ten months on since the May crash, its c
March 3, 2024
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S. Korea takes part in multinational drills in Thailand
South Korea's Navy and Marine Corps joined the United States and Thailand in a large-scale annual multinational exercise in the Southeast Asian country to enhance amphibious landing capabilities and humanitarian operations, officials said Saturday. The Cobra Gold exercise took place on a coastal area in Thailand on Friday, involving three landing ships of the South Korean Navy, including the 4,900-ton No Jeok Bong vessel, six armored vehicles, F-16 fighter jets and C-130 transport aircraft,
March 2, 2024
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S. Korea, US defense chiefs vow to sternly deal with arms transfers between N. Korea, Russia
The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States spoke by phone Wednesday and vowed to sternly deal with North Korea's arms transfers to Russia in coordination with the international community, Seoul's defense ministry said. Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, held the phone talks amid rising concerns over North Korea's supplying munitions and missiles to Russia to replenish its weapons stockpile for use in Ukraine. "They shared concerns
Feb. 28, 2024
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Russia sending North Korea food in return for arms: Seoul defense chief
North Korea has provided Russia with 6,700 shipping containers’ worth of artillery shells over the past six months, according to Seoul’s defense chief Shin Won-sik. In return, the North is believed to have received from Russia enough food and other essentials to fill about 10,000 shipping containers over the same period, Shin said. In a press conference on Monday, Shin noted that the North Korean military factories for producing arms for Russia were operating at full capacity. &ldquo
Feb. 27, 2024
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US fighter jet drops fuel tanks into Yellow Sea in 'in-flight emergency'
A US F-16 fighter jet dropped two of its fuel tanks into waters off South Korea's west coast as it experienced an "in-flight emergency" before safely returning to base, a US Air Force unit said. The F-16 of the 8th Fighter Wing jettisoned the tanks into the Yellow Sea as it experienced the emergency at about 10 a.m. after taking off for a routine sortie from Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, 178 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the unit. The pilot still managed to return safely to
Feb. 22, 2024