S. Korea's 2nd spy satellite makes contact with local ground station

South Korea's second military reconnaissance satellite launched into space this week has made contact with a ground station in the country and is undergoing initial operations normally, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The satellite successfully entered orbit after being launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida at 8:17 a.m. Monday. It succeeded in communicating with an overseas ground station hours after lift-off. "Our second military reconnaissance satellite has currently e

April 9, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold regular defense talks on deterrence against N. Korea

South Korea and the United States will hold regular defense talks this week to discuss ways to bolster security cooperation and deter North Korean nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday. The Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue will take place in Washington on Thursday for discussions on a range of alliance issues ahead of the allies' Nuclear Consultative Group session in June. South Korean Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Cho Chang-rae, Ely Ratner, US assi

April 8, 2024

S. Korea successfully launches 2nd spy satellite into orbit

South Korea successfully launched its second indigenous spy satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida on Monday, according to the defense ministry. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 7:17 p.m. from the John F. Kennedy Space Center and sent the reconnaissance satellite into orbit approximately 45 minutes after the launch, the ministry said. It succeeded in communicating with an overseas ground station at 10:57 a.m., it noted. It is the second military sate

April 8, 2024

North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea

North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile into the East Sea on Tuesday morning. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, an intermediate-range ballistic missile was launched from the Pyongyang area at around 6:53 a.m. The missile flew for about 600 kilometers before landing in the water. The missile was detected from the moment of its launch, and the related information was shared with the US and Japan, the JCS said. The JCS condemned North Korea’s missile firing as a

April 2, 2024

S. Korea launches research center in defense artificial intelligence

The defense ministry on Monday established a research center aimed at overseeing artificial intelligence development in the defense sector as part of efforts to introduce advanced technologies to the military. A founding ceremony for the Defense AI Center took place at the state-run Agency for Defense Development in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of Seoul, attended by Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and Science Minister Lee Jong-ho, according to Shin's office. The launch came as part of South

April 1, 2024

Navy sailor dies overboard during drill in East Sea

A Navy sailor died after falling overboard while attending a maritime drill in the East Sea on Wednesday, the Navy said. The Navy sergeant aboard a fast patrol boat fell into the water during a live-fire exercise in the East Sea in the afternoon, the Navy's 1st Fleet said. He received first aid treatment and was sent to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead, the armed service said. The Navy said it is looking into the cause of the accident. He is known to have fallen into the water as h

March 27, 2024

S. Korea, US launch task force to block N. Korea's nuclear, missile programs

South Korea and the United States have launched a task force to effectively block North Korea from financing its unlawful nuclear and missile programs, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The inaugural meeting of the South Korea-US bilateral Enhanced Disruption Task Force was held in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday with over 30 officials in areas of diplomacy, intelligence, sanctions and maritime interdiction, according to the ministry. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to counter i

March 27, 2024

Korea stays course: 40 KF-21 fighter jets set for first mass production

The South Korean government on Friday greenlit the initial mass production plan for KF-21 fighter jets on Friday, totaling 40 units, but with signing contracts set for the production of only 20 units this year. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration emphasized the necessity of producing 40 KF-21 fighter jets, citing what it said was an urgent need to address the military capability shortfall resulting from the retirement of outdated F-4 and F-5 aircraft. "This project is anticipated

March 22, 2024

Govt. agencies probed for alleged neglect in NK guard post verification

The South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection has initiated an inquiry into allegations that the Defense Ministry and other government agencies neglected to verify the demolition of front-line guard posts, which North Korea was supposed to undertake according to the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. According to both the BAI and the Defense Ministry on Friday, an inspection began Monday, following an earlier audit request from the nonprofit organization Korean Retired Generals and Admirals

March 22, 2024

S. Korea, US stage urban warfare drills in border city

South Korea and the United States were staging combined urban combat training this week to bolster their readiness against threats in urban areas and underground facilities, Seoul's Army said Thursday. The five-day Army exercise kicked off at an urban operations training ground in the border city of Paju, 37 kilometers northwest of Seoul, on Monday. The exercise mobilized some 400 troops, including soldiers from the South's 9th Infantry Division, a US infantry platoon and other units,

March 21, 2024

S. Korea, US conduct river-crossing drills near border with N. Korea

South Korea and the United States have been conducting river-crossing drills near the border with North Korea to enhance the interoperability of their troops, Seoul's Army said Wednesday. The exercise has been under way on the Imjin River in the border city of Paju, located 37 kilometers north of Seoul, since March 11, according to the Army. Approximately 470 troops from the South Korean Army's 5th Armored Brigade and an engineering battalion under the US 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-US C

March 20, 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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