How ‘gas station in the sky’ boosts defense

OSAN AIR BASE, Gyeonggi Province -- “Refueling mission complete,” South Korean Air Force pilot Maj. Eum Ki-su announced aboard the KC-330 Cygnus tanker aircraft at 4,500 meters over the West Sea on Wednesday. Fueling up fighter jets in the sky, a tricky maneuver that requires extending a pipeline into a fuel cap the size of a golf hole, is essential to reinforce the Air Force’s combat and war-fighting capabilities. Air-to-air refueling and tanking enable Air Force fighter jets

April 16, 2023

S. Korea, US to kick off large-scale combined air drills this week

South Korea and the United States will kick off a large-scale regular joint air exercise later this week, the South's Air Force said Sunday, in the latest drill meant to step up deterrence against North Korea's evolving military threats. The 12-day Korea Flying Training will begin Monday at the Gwangju Air Base in Gwangju, 267 kilometers south of Seoul, mobilizing some 110 aircraft and more than 1,400 troops, according to the armed service. South Korea plans to deploy some 60 warplanes

April 16, 2023

S. Korea, US, Japan agree to hold missile defense, anti-sub drills regularly to counter NK threats

South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to hold missile defense and anti-submarine exercises regularly to counter growing North Korean threats during their senior-level defense talks in Washington earlier this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday. They reached the agreement at a session of the Defense Trilateral Talks on Friday, amid tensions caused by Pyongyang's recent weapons tests, including that of what it claims to be a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental balli

April 15, 2023

‘Mr. Sunshine’ returns home after century-long wait

The remains of the Korean independence fighter who inspired the hit South Korean TV series “Mr. Sunshine,” have returned home and been laid to rest at a national cemetery in South Korea after a century-long wait. Hwang Ki-hwan had been buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New York after dying alone in 1923. A century after his death, his remains arrived at Incheon Airport early on Monday morning after a 15-hour flight. Honor guards carried Hwang’s casket, which was covered with a

April 10, 2023

S. Korea kicks off Hwarang defense drills

South Korea's military kicked off an annual joint exercise with local governments, police and firefighting authorities Monday as part of efforts to maintain an integrated defense posture against North Korea's military threats. The Hwarang drills got underway in the southern city of Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province for a five-day run, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The exercise is also set to take place in five other major

April 10, 2023

S. Korea to launch new frigate with enhanced anti-sub capabilities

South Korea was set Monday to hold a ceremony launching a new 3,600-ton frigate with reinforced anti-submarine and anti-air capabilities, the Navy and the state arms procurement agency said. The ceremony for ROKS Chungnam, named after a central province, will take place at the shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the armed service and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Some 150 people plan to attend the event, including De

April 10, 2023

Over 60 percent of South Koreans support own nuclear armament: poll

More than 60 percent of South Koreans voiced the need for Seoul to independently build its own nuclear weapons, a survey showed Thursday, in the latest indication that the people are more open to atomic weapons amid growing military threats from North Korea. According to the poll of 1,000 adults commissioned by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, 64.3 percent replied that South Korea needs to develop its own nuclear weapons to counter Pyongyang's escalating nuclear threats. When asked the sam

April 6, 2023

S. Korea to extend W100b of trade financing to arms manufacturers this year

South Korea plans to extend 100 billion won ($75.84 million) in trade financing to subcontractors in the defense industry per year in the latest efforts to boost the country's global arms sales and prop up the domestic industry ecosystem, the industry ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and local banks signed a memorandum of understanding that calls for the financial support for smaller businesses in the field, a

April 6, 2023

Independence fighter's remains to return home from US next week

The remains of a Korean independence fighter who inspired a hit 2018 TV series will return home from the United States next week a century after his death, the veterans ministry said Tuesday. The remains of Hwang Ki-hwan, currently laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New York, will be sent to South Korea on Sunday before the centennial anniversary of his death on April 17, according to the ministry. It plans to inter the remains at the Daejeon National Cemetery in Daejeon, 139 kilometers so

April 4, 2023

S.Korea, US, Japan stage anti-submarine drills amid escalating NK underwater threats

South Korea, the United States and Japan kicked off their two-day large-scale combined maritime exercises, mobilizing the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, and its strike group to enhance combat readiness and interoperability against North Korea’s continued threats, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday. The South Korean and US navies along with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force started conducting anti-submarine warfare exercises and search and rescue

April 3, 2023

S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea's military has identified the remains of another soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, a dozen years after their discovery at a former battle site, the defense ministry said Thursday. The ministry's excavation team recovered the remains of Ssg. Heo Chang-sik in Inje, 119 kilometers east of Seoul, in 2011, and confirmed his identity based on a DNA analysis using a sample from his younger brother. Staff sergeant was the equivalent of the current corporal. Having joine

March 30, 2023

[From the Scene] Onboard USS Nimitz, allies vow ironclad defense

BUSAN — Dozens of aircraft were lined up on the flight deck of the USS Nimitz, with a flight deck about the size of three football fields and the top of the mast the equivalent of some 23 stories high from the keel. Aircraft ready for battle on the US Navy’s nuclear-powered supercarrier included the F/A-18 Super Hornet tactical aircraft, E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning and battle management aircraft, Sea Hawk submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopters and EA-18G Growler

March 28, 2023

USS Nimitz carrier to arrive in S. Korea in apparent warning to N. Korea

An imposing US aircraft carrier is set to arrive in the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday, officials here said, in yet another show of America's military might against growing North Korean threats. The nuclear-powered USS Nimitz carrier is slated to dock at ROK Fleet Command in the city, 325 kilometers south of Seoul, after its strike group trained with the South Korean Navy in the international waters south of the southern island of Jeju the previous day. Its presence here is expe

March 28, 2023

N.Korea fires 2 missiles as US aircraft carrier arrives in Busan

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward waters off its eastern coast on Monday, in an apparent protest against combined military exercises between the South Korean and US navies that featured a US aircraft carrier in international waters near the Korean Peninsula. The US Navy’s supercarrier USS Nimitz, capable of carrying up to 90 aircraft, and its strike group that includes warships armed with guided-missiles were set to dock at a naval base in Busan on Tuesday, marking the first

March 27, 2023

State arms agency to sign KF-21 mass-production contract next year

South Korea's state arms procurement agency is seeking to sign a contract next year to mass-produce the homegrown KF-21 Boramae fighter, its officials said Thursday, in what could be a key milestone for the jet acquisition project. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration briefed lawmakers during a session of the National Assembly's defense committee on the development plan, including its push to complete a "provisional" combat suitability test on the jet in May this

March 23, 2023

US condemns N. Korean missile provocation, urges UN members to hold Pyongyang accountable

WASHINGTON-- The United States strongly condemns North Korea's latest missile provocation, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday, while calling on all United Nations member countries to play their role in holding the country accountable. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the state department, said the North's latest missile launch on Monday was especially concerning as it simulated the use of a tactical nuclear weapon. "The United States condemned the DPRK&#

March 22, 2023

S. Korea, US set for 'largest-ever' live-fire drills to mark alliance's 70th anniversary

South Korea and the United States plan to conduct their "largest-ever" combined live-fire drills in June as part of a program to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their alliance, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday. The ministry unveiled the program designed to strengthen the allies' solidarity, demonstrate their militaries' technological edge and highlight their focus on "realizing peace through strength via action," according to the ministry. The allies h

March 22, 2023

Defense ministry sets out to normalize military intelligence-sharing deal with Japan

The defense ministry initiated the process to normalize a military intelligence-sharing deal with Japan on Friday, following a summit agreement between the leaders of both countries the previous day. The defense ministry said it sent a letter to the foreign ministry requesting measures to normalize the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The foreign ministry is soon expected to send an official letter to its Japanese counterpart in response, officials said. On Thursday

March 17, 2023

Yoon says will ‘completely normalize’ military intelligence-sharing pact

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday said he has pledged to “normalize” the military intelligence-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan during the summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. The pact had been enmeshed in trade and historic disputes. Yoon said he “pronounced the complete normalization” of the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in Tokyo, as a

March 16, 2023

S. Korean Air Force conducts nonstop aerial drills amid NK missile launches

The South Korean Air Force’s major combat units conducted 36 hours of nonstop aerial drills to hone its combat capabilities in real war conditions during the 11-day Freedom Shield exercise of South Korea and the United States, the Air Force said Wednesday. The air combat exercises, conducted from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday, were designed to improve the readiness posture for war as well as strategic and tactical operations to ensure sustainability in battle. The main goals were to g

March 15, 2023