President Moon Jae-in's security adviser said Tuesday it is difficult to predict whether another summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can take place, citing "many uncertainties." Suh Hoon, director of the National Security Office at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, made the remarks during a parliamentary audit, amid speculation Moon is pushing for another inter-Korean summit to help salvage his drive for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. "We have ju

Workers at South Korea’s chief weapons developer were offered no incentive pay, despite their efforts that President Moon Jae-in hailed as marking a new milestone in the country’s decadeslong drive to mount a self-reliant defense. The Agency for Defense Development -- which recently tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, making South Korea the first non-nuclear state to do so -- has yet to prepare guidelines on compensating those who build strategic assets like SLBMs, a

South Korea's military said Tuesday it will open its first hydrogen charging station this week, helping accelerate the country's drive to promote the use of renewable energy sources. The government has been proactive in efforts to boost the hydrogen economy under the goal of going carbon neutral by 2050. The charging station will open in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, also for use by civilians, according to the defense ministry. It has the capacity to power 60 sedans and

South Korea's military reported six additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,017, the defense ministry said. A Navy officer and a draftee stationed in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive after a virus case was reported at their base, according to the ministry. An officer of a unit under the direct wing of the defense ministry in Nonsan, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive after a family member was infected.

The military said Monday that it would ease regulations on conscripts’ hair length and introduce the same standards for both officers and troops, amid calls for a change in discriminatory practices. “We were asked to review our rules on haircuts, and to that end, we instructed each branch of the armed forces to draft revisions. We can’t say when the change will take effect, though,” Defense Ministry representative Boo Seung-chan said, referring to an advisory panel on hu

Nine additional people affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for COVID-19, the US military's infection tally showed Monday. Among the new cases counted from Oct. 15 to 21 were four American troops working at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The remaining individuals were four family members and a civilian contract worker, according to the USFK. The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated populat

South Korea's military reported seven additional COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,011, the defense ministry said. Four Navy officers and two draftees, as well as a civilian employee, tested positive for the virus, according to military data. Of the cumulative cases in the military, 1,951, or 97 percent, have been fully cured, with 60 still under treatment. (Yonhap)  

The military has identified the remains of four South Korean troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, about a decade after their excavation from former battle sites, the defense ministry said Monday. The identification and recovery of the remains came as the military has been carrying out a government project since 2000 to return remains of fallen troops to their families and remember their sacrifices. The remains of the four soldiers were excavated in Gangwon and North Gyeongsang Province

South Korean defense companies have signed business contracts worth $128 million in total during a biennial arms exhibition held south of Seoul last week, its organizers said Sunday. More than 250 local companies joined the five-day Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX), which ended Saturday. The event marked a rare opportunity for the companies to explore new opportunities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the finalized contracts, local companies ha

South Korea's military reported six additional COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 1,992, the defense ministry said. Four Army officers and two draftees tested positive for the virus, according to military data. Five of them were fully vaccinated. Of the cumulative cases in the military, 1,923, or 96 percent, have been fully cured, with 69 still under treatment. (Yonhap)

South Korea will kick off an annual military exercise next week to strengthen defense readiness, officials said Friday, amid lingering tensions over North Korea's recent submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test. The Hoguk exercise will run from Monday to Nov. 5 across the country, involving the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps., to enhance interservice cooperation, according to the officials at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The North has often responded angrily to such an exercise,

The Navy received an upgraded destroyer on Friday, after more than a year of refurbishment aimed at bolstering anti-submarine and other capabilities, the state arms procurement agency said. The 3,200-ton Gwanggaeto the Great destroyer was handed over to the Navy, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said, as South Korea seeks to strengthen subsurface operations amid renewed tensions over North Korea's recent test of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile. The destroyer was sent f

North Korea is still working on improving missiles, but its latest submarine-launched ballistic missile tested Tuesday is still an early-stage weapon that can be intercepted, Defense Minister Suh Wook told the National Defense Committee on Thursday. “We have to look at not just that single missile launch but a whole system that goes with it,” Suh said during an annual National Assembly audit, referring to North Korea’s capability to build a submarine big enough to fire multipl

North Korea's recently tested submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) appears to be in an early stage of development and can be intercepted, South Korea's defense minister said Thursday. Suh Wook made the remarks during a parliamentary audit session, as his ministry vowed to deploy more missile detection assets and reinforce cooperation with the United States to deal with the North's continued missile research activities. Tensions flared up anew Tuesday, when Pyongyang launched a new type

South Korea's Army on Wednesday hosted a forum on military logistics cooperation with Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries, the armed service said, in an effort to help support Seoul's policy toward Southeast Asia. The Korea-ASEAN+India Forum on Logistics took place on the margins of a biennial defense exhibition at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul. The forum brought together six partner countries of Seoul's signature New Southern Policy, as well as Australia and the Mald