Dec 6, 2019

US flies more surveillance planes over Korean Peninsula: aviation tracker

The United States flew two more surveillance aircraft around the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Friday, on apparent missions to monitor North Korea amid concerns over Pyongyang's additional missile tests.The US Air Force's RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft was spotted flying over the East Sea at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account, without providing further details.As one of America's major intelligence-gathering assets, the aircraft collects data related to missile lau

Dec 6, 2019

Defense cost-sharing talks fail to yield concrete result amid US demand for hefty rise: Seoul negotiator

South Korea's top negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with the United States has said the allies have failed to produce a concrete result in this week's negotiations as Washington's demand for a sharp increase in Seoul's share remains unchanged.Jeong Eun-bo made the remarks Thursday following the fourth round of talks in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday over how to share the cost of stationing the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea under the cost-sharing accord, called the Special Measures Ag

Dec 5, 2019

[Newsmaker] 2 military intelligence officers investigated for alleged rape of N. Korean defector

Two Defense Intelligence Command officers are being investigated by the military prosecution for allegedly raping a North Korean defector multiple times, the Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday. The North Korean defector brought charges against a first sergeant surnamed Kim and a lieutenant colonel surnamed Sung, both working for the DIC, for repeated offences that took place over a period of more than a year.  The Defense Ministry’s Criminal Investigation Command in late November ref

Dec 5, 2019

S. Korea scraps conscription privilege for men from multicultural families

The government has abolished a regulation allowing men of multicultural backgrounds to serve their mandatory military service in the same unit with friends or relatives, citing low demand and its discriminative nature.The change has been reflected in the revised regulations on the recruitment of active duty soldiers, taking effect this month, the Military Manpower Administration said in a release. South Korea adopted the system in 2011, by which two or three men could be conscripted in a gr

Dec 5, 2019

US JCS official unaware of discussion of troop drawdown in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- A US Joint Chiefs of Staff official said Wednesday that he is not aware of any discussion inside the Pentagon of a possible drawdown of American troops in South Korea.Speculation of a possible reduction of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea has grown in recent weeks amid tough negotiations on how the allies will share the costs for the troops' upkeep.US President Donald Trump added to the uncertainty on Tuesday when he told reporters in London that the benefit of continuing the US m

Dec 4, 2019

S. Korea decides to push in earnest for development for indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile

South Korea decided Wednesday to push in earnest for the development of a home-grown long-range surface-to-air missile after years of research into the project, the arms procurement agency said.South Korea has been working to develop the long-range ground-based interceptor since 2014 as part of efforts to beef up its air defense capabilities in the face of persistent threats from North Korea. As a key element of the Korea Air and Missile Defense, the interceptor is designed to shoot down ballist

Dec 4, 2019

US flies surveillance plane over S. Korea: aviation tracker

The United States flew a naval surveillance aircraft over the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Wednesday, the latest in a series of flights of its aircraft to monitor North Korea amid concern over the North's military moves.The US navy's P-3C maritime surveillance plane was spotted flying over the Korean Peninsula at 22,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account without specifying the exact time of the operation. It also did not upload photos showing the flight route. Accordi

Dec 3, 2019

US cyber commander in Seoul for ‘important, timely’ discussion

Paul Nakasone, US director of the National Security Agency, has arrived in South Korea to discuss the two countries’ alliance and cyber cooperation, government officials here confirmed Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, Nakasone, who is also the commander of the US Cyber Command, met with Chun Jung-soo, commander for Korea’s Cyber Operations Command, to discuss reinforcing cooperation in the area of cybersecurity, a military official said. Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to South Korea H

Dec 3, 2019

US flies another spy plane over S. Korea: aviation tracker

A US reconnaissance aircraft again flew over the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Tuesday, the latest in a series of near-daily flights to monitor North Korea amid concern Pyongyang could undertake additional provocations after last week's rocket firings.The plane, believed to be an E-8C nicknamed JSTARS, was spotted in skies above the peninsula, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account without specifying the exact time of the operation. It also did not upload a related photo showing

Dec 2, 2019

[Herald Interview] ‘We will support conscientious objectors in fulfilling alternative service’

Military Manpower Administration chief stresses impartial, corruption-free draft system

Dec 2, 2019

US again flies spy aircraft over S. Korean capital areas: aviation tracker

A US reconnaissance plane flew above the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Monday, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea amid concerns the communist nation could undertake additional military provocations after last week's short-range rocket firings.The plane, believed to be a RC-135W Ribet Joint, was spotted flying in the skies above South Korea's Yellow Sea and capital areas "on task over the Korean Peninsula," Aircraft Spots posted on Twitter. It did not specify the

Dec 1, 2019

US flies reconnaissance plane over S. Korea

A US reconnaissance plane flew above the Korean Peninsula over the weekend, an aviation tracker said Sunday, in an apparent sign of beefed-up surveillance of North Korea following its recent test-firing of a multiple rocket launcher.The US Air Force's U-2S plane was spotted flying at an altitude of around 15,240 meters over the Seoul metropolitan area, northern Gangwon Province and central Chungcheong Province on Saturday, according to Aircraft Spots. The plane, nicknamed the Dragon Lady, is kno

Nov 30, 2019

US set to press S. Korea, NATO over burden-sharing next week

WASHINGTON -- Next week promises to underscore the Trump administration‘s demands that allies pay more for their defense, with a new round of negotiations over South Korea’s contributions to the upkeep of American troops in the country and President Donald Trump‘s attendance at a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders.In Washington, negotiators from South Korea and the United States will hold a fourth round of talks on renewing a cost-sharing deal, known as the S

Nov 30, 2019

S. Korea to build memorial inside DMZ to honor fallen Korean War heroes

A memorial to honor men in uniform killed during the 1950-53 Korean War will be built inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas next month, the defense ministry said Saturday.The plan comes as the military officially wrapped up its eight-month project to retrieve remains of the deceased soldiers on Arrowhead Ridge in Cheorwon, some 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul. “To honor the sacrifice of deceased soldiers and to let the people better feel the changing DMZ from a zone of c