N. Korea may officially declare troop deployments to Russia: Seoul

North Korea may officially acknowledge its troop deployments to Russia to secure strategic gains by formalizing its role as an official war participant amid mounting internal challenges in concealing such actions, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. The ministry suggested Seoul detected "signs of unease" within North Korean society, as rumors, including accounts of families in tears, have surfaced and spread despite Pyongyang's efforts to keep its troop deployment to R

Nov. 26, 2024

North Korea cuts off power supplies to shuttered inter-Korean industrial park

North Korea has been dismantling power lines installed just north of the shared border with the South from Sunday in the latest of a series of demolitions of past inter-Korean peace efforts. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday, the North Korean military was spotted taking down power transmission systems on its side of the Military Demarcation Line dividing the Korean Peninsula. The JCS said the North Korean military cut off high-voltage wires from the transmission t

Nov. 26, 2024

Lt. Gen. Ju Il-suk picked as marine corps chief

Lt. Gen. Ju Il-suk, the former director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s combat readiness inspections, was named Marine Corps Commandant in a reshuffle of general-level officers announced Monday. Ju replaces Lt. Gen. Kim Kye-hwan, who is under investigation for the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun in July last year. Chae was killed during a search mission for missing victims of heavy downpours in Yecheon, a county in North Gyeongsang Province. Vice Adm. Choi Sung-hyeok of the 1st Fleet Command was

Nov. 25, 2024

North Korean troopers killed, wounded in Ukraine war: NIS

South Korea has intelligence that North Korea has suffered losses among its troops dispatched to aid in Russia’s war on Ukraine. The National Intelligence Service on Monday confirmed for the first time North Korean troops fighting Ukraine have been killed and wounded, without providing how many. In a Nov. 20 briefing to the National Assembly, the NIS said North Korean troops were deployed in the Russian province of Kursk near the border with Ukraine, with some participating in battles. Acc

Nov. 25, 2024

South Korean military plans to launch new division for future warfare

The South Korean military plans to establish a division for multi-domain operations to boost its cyber and space capabilities, which have emerged as new battlefields of future warfare. The Ministry of National Defense said Friday it was seeking an amendment to the laws concerning the Joint Chiefs of Staff to “proactively respond to the changing security environment with the advancement of science and technology and the rise of new areas of battle.” According to the ministry, the mult

Nov. 22, 2024

JCS to launch new multidomain unit for future warfare readiness

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is set to launch a new unit tasked with bolstering readiness in the domains of space, cyber and electronic warfare, officials said Friday, amid South Korea's push to better prepare for future warfare. In a legislative notice, the defense ministry said the plan is aimed at better responding to changes in the security environment, such as the development of high-tech science and technology, expanding the domains of warfare and the growing importance of cognitive oper

Nov. 22, 2024

Foreign troops train with K9 howitzer, K2 tank in S. Korea

South Korea has launched an education program on the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the K2 main battle tank for military personnel from seven nations, including Poland, Romania, and Qatar, the Army said Friday. Unlike the first round of the program held in July, which focused on the K9 howitzer, the second round of the three-week program that began Monday also includes education on the K2 tank, according to the Army. A total of 35 personnel from seven nations, up from 14 personnel from three nat

Nov. 22, 2024

Top air force commanders of S. Korea, US, Japan discuss cooperation

The top air force commanders of South Korea, the United States, and Japan have held talks to discuss ways to strengthen their cooperation, such as expanding joint air drills, officials said, the latest in their trilateral security cooperation amid North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. In the video-conferencing talks held Thursday, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su and his US and Japanese counterparts, Gen. David W. Allvin and Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, respectively, vowed to con

Nov. 22, 2024

Audit agency refers ex-security adviser to probe over delayed deployment of THAAD

The state audit agency said Monday that it referred a former national security adviser and three others to the prosecution as they had abused their powers to intentionally delay the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in a southeastern county. According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, Chung Eui-yong, who also served as foreign minister under the former Moon Jae-in administration, and other senior government officials were found to have intentionally delayed the publication

Nov. 18, 2024

South Korea to launch 3rd spy satellite from Vandenberg base by year-end

The South Korean military is close to launching a third spy satellite, to be a key asset in monitoring North Korea. The third military reconnaissance satellite will be carried into orbit atop Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket, like the first two, around the third week of December from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday. The upcoming launch is part of the South Korean military’s project to place five reconnaissance satellites

Nov. 18, 2024

S. Korea's homegrown long-range radar approved for combat suitability

A new long-range radar system developed with homegrown technology has been approved for combat suitability, the state arms procurement agency said Monday, with the equipment expected to bolster surveillance of aircraft in the country's air defense identification zone (KADIZ). The new radar system is capable of conducting around-the-clock surveillance in KADIZ and transmitting real-time data to the Air Force's Master Control and Reporting Center, the Defense Acquisition Program Administ

Nov. 18, 2024

Kim Jong-un oversees ‘suicide attack drone’ tests, calls for mass production

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw performance tests of newly developed “suicide attack drones of various types” at a test site on Thursday, where he underscored the urgency of establishing a serial production system “as early as possible” to commence full-scale mass production, North Korean state media reported Friday. The suicide drones, developed by an unnamed institute affiliated with the Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex and other unspecified enterprises, are d

Nov. 15, 2024

[Security Forum] Uncertainties cloud security on Korean Peninsula, experts say

A second Donald Trump administration is expected to bring a slew of uncertainties to the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, which calls for Seoul to bolster its alliance with Washington and find a key role in the US’ potential policy shifts, experts pointed out Wednesday. During a panel discussion at the Korea Herald Security Forum titled "Alliance After US Election 2024: A Seoul Perspective" held at the National Assembly in Seoul, four experts addressed looming concerns

Nov. 14, 2024

Proactive, calm approach needed in response to Trump 2.0

As US President-elect Donald Trump’s second term augurs the resurgence of his "America First" policy, a consistent message resonated at a timely Korea Herald forum: Seoul must forge a strategic pivot, carefully balancing its role as a US ally with its own autonomy and core interests. At the “Alliance After the US Election 2024: A Seoul Perspective” security forum held Wednesday at the National Assembly Museum, a pressing question took center stage: How can South Korea

Nov. 14, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Korea, don't repeat Hong Kong's mistakes on foreign caregivers'

Fifty-one years ago, during Hong Kong's "golden era" of social reform, then-Gov. Murray MacLehose established a framework to bring in low-wage foreign workers for domestic and care work. This policy aimed to encourage educated, upper- and middle-class local women to enter the workforce — a rationale similar to that of the Seoul city government's foreign caregiver pilot program today. Though now facing different socioeconomic conditions, some South Korean politicians and

Nov. 13, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan to hold 2nd trilateral Freedom Edge exercise this week

South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to begin their second trilateral multi-domain exercise on Wednesday, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, in ongoing efforts to strengthen security cooperation against North Korea amid its deepening alignment with Russia. The three-day exercise will take place in international waters south of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, the JCS said, around four months after the inaugural exercise was conducted in accordance with an

Nov. 13, 2024

Yoon launches group to prepare for Trump’s return

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday directed the immediate launch and operation of an ad hoc consultative body spanning finance, trade and industry to prepare for major shifts and potential ramifications expected with the inauguration of the Trump administration’s second term in January. Yoon highlighted that "significant changes in the global economy and security landscape" are expected as the second Trump administration takes office in Washington and sets its policy

Nov. 10, 2024

S. Korea holds live-fire ballistic missile drills after N. Korean missile launches

South Korea fired a Hyunmoo-II surface-to-surface ballistic missile into the Yellow Sea this week in a show of force after North Korea's recent series of missile launches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday. The live-fire exercise took place Thursday in the western coastal county of Taean, 108 kilometers southwest of Seoul, days after North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday and a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week. Under a scenario of a North Korean

Nov. 8, 2024

Cyberattacks suspected in Seoul military website glitches

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense website went down Tuesday afternoon after suffering potential cyberattacks. The Defense Ministry said Wednesday its website was targeted by a suspected distributed denial-of-service attack, which is when service is disrupted by a flood of traffic. The website of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was temporarily inaccessible Wednesday morning, with the Cyber Operations Command investigating whether attacks by foreign sources are responsible. While the JCS

Nov. 6, 2024

Yoon touts defense cooperation between S. Korea, Saudi Arabia

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday the defense industry cooperation between South Korea and Saudi Arabia will play a pivotal role in advancing the two countries' relations in a broad range of fields. Yoon called the oil-rich country a "key partner" for South Korea's economy and energy security during a meeting with Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud, Saudi minister of the National Guard, at the presidential office. "The defense collaboration between the two countries would no

Nov. 5, 2024