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[Feature] Seoul takes time mulling renewal of military intel-sharing pact with Japan

Koreans divided on GSOMIA as the deadline for renewal emerges on Saturday

Aug 19, 2019

[Newsmaker] Panel confirms widespread use of humidifier disinfectants in military

Humidifier disinfectants, suspected to have been a cause for at least dozens of deaths, were widely used in military barracks and hospitals in the early 2000s, a state-funded agency revealed Monday, raising speculation that a large number of service members could have been exposed to the chemicals.The Special Commission on Social Disaster Investigation said it has confirmed 12 institutions affiliated with the Army, Navy, Air Force and units under the defense ministry had purchased more than 800

Aug 19, 2019

Details for Dokdo defense drills yet to be fixed: ministry

South Korea is still reviewing the timing and the scale of semiannual maritime defense drills to be held on and around its easternmost islets of Dokdo, the defense ministry said Monday.This year's drills have been pushed back amid an escalating trade row with Japan stemming from differences over wartime forced labor. South Korea usually stages the drills in June and Dec. to better defend the rocky outcroppings and the surrounding waters.Japan, which has made territorial claims to Dokdo, has prot

Aug 19, 2019

Little progress in coming up with alternative service for conscientious objectors

Over a year has passed since the Constitutional Court addressed the need to come up with an alternative form of service for conscientious objectors, but little progress has been made at the National Assembly.According to the Military Manpower Administration on Sunday, as of late July 498 people had submitted applications to defer enlistment, citing religious beliefs. Previously, the authorities had uniformly charged conscientious objectors under the Military Service Act. But since the Constituti

Aug 19, 2019

US official to visit Seoul for defense cost-sharing deal before official negotiations begin

Timothy Betts, acting deputy assistant secretary and senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements, will visit Seoul this week to discuss the defense cost-sharing pact, sources said Sunday.Betts, who led the US negotiation team for the 10th defense cost-sharing agreement, will meet with Chang Won-sam, his South Korean counterpart, on Tuesday. Details on the venue and time of the closed-door meeting have not been revealed, but it may be held at a location other than the Foreign Ministry

Aug 16, 2019

Seoul yet to decide on sending Cheonghae Unit to Strait of Hormuz

The Ministry of National Defense Ministry said Thursday that it has not yet decided on sending the anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit to the Strait of Hormuz in response to Washington’s request to forge a coalition against Iran’s military activities amid heightened tensions with Tehran.“Sending (Cheonghae Unit) to the Strait of Hormuz has not been decided. … We are considering various ways to protect our vessels in the area, and are closely observing the situation,” the mi

Aug 14, 2019

S. Korea to acquire more anti-missile radars, interceptors to counter NK threats

South Korea plans to add two more ground-based anti-missile early warning radars and build three Aegis-equipped destroyers in the next five years in an effort to better detect and intercept incoming missiles from North Korea, the defense ministry said Wednesday.The plan was one of the key projects that the ministry unveiled in its five-year defense blueprint for 2020-2024 amid heightened concerns about North Korea's missile capabilities in the wake of a series of test-firings of what Pyongyang c

Aug 14, 2019

Cheonghae Unit sets sail for mission amid speculation of serving in Hormuz Strait

Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit on Tuesday embarked on its mission in the Gulf of Aden amid speculation that its final destination may be the Strait of Hormuz.As Washington has been calling for its allies to take part in the “international maritime security mission” in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tension with Iran, Seoul has been weighing its options. The naval Cheonghae Unit, one of Korea’s military troops deployed overseas, was seen as the most likely t

Aug 12, 2019

S. Korea mulling further delay of Dokdo defense drills

South Korea is considering conducting maritime defense drills on and around its easternmost islets of Dokdo later this month, military sources said Monday, far behind its usual schedule amid ongoing diplomatic and trade disputes with Japan.The military "plans to stage the drills at an appropriate time," defense ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told a regular briefing Monday, adding the authorities are reviewing "the exact schedule and scale."The drills, involving the Navy,

Aug 13, 2019

Trump ridicules S. Korea on defense cost-sharing

US President Donald Trump ridiculed South Korea at his reelection campaign fundraiser Friday, saying it was very easy to force Seoul to hike its share of costs for stationing American troops here.According to the New York Post, Trump referred to how as a boy he used to accompany his father to collect rent, saying: “It was easier to get a billion dollars from South Korea than to get $114.13 from a rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn, and believe me, those 13 cents were very important.&rdq

Aug 10, 2019

Allies to conduct summertime military exercise in earnest next week

South Korea and the United States are scheduled to kick off their combined military exercise in earnest next week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Saturday, despite North Korea's strong complaints against it. The computer-based "Combined Command Post Training" will be conducted for 10 days starting Sunday, which aims to better prepare the allies for the transfer of the wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul and to enhance their strong military readiness, the

Aug 9, 2019

S. Korean, US defense chiefs vow to support diplomacy for NK denuclearization

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper agreed Friday to work together to support diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea despite Pyongyang's saber-rattling amid stalled nuclear talks.During the defense talks held in Seoul, Esper also asked for South Korea to play a role in the US-led coalition to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials. The two defense chiefs "reaffirmed their commitments to supporting their diplomatic effort

Aug 8, 2019

US defense chief arrives in S. Korea

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in South Korea on Thursday for talks that are expected to focus on a series of requests Washington has been making to Seoul, including a greater financial contribution to the cost of stationing American troops here.Also expected to be on the agenda for Esper's talks with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo are the US initiative to secure the shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz and Washington's wish to get a military information-sharing pact

Aug 8, 2019

NSC members review agenda for upcoming high-level defense talks with US

South Korea's top national security officials on Thursday prepared for defense ministerial talks with the United States to be held this week.The new Pentagon chief, Mark Esper, is scheduled to arrive in Seoul later in the day. He will hold talks with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Friday in which a host of alliance issues, as well as how to deal with North Korea, are expected to be discussed. In the weekly session of the National Security Council standing committee, participants "thor