Defense Minister Suh Wook and US Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville reaffirmed commitment to alliance, while discussing ways to strengthen it and expand cooperation, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday. During a meeting at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, Suh asked Gen. McConville to continue coordinating with Seoul on its peace drive on the Korean Peninsula on the back of strong defense readiness. McConville responded saying he would help advance the bilateral t

A former Navy officer was sentenced to a year and a half in prison on Tuesday for leaking confidential information related to a project to build a next-generation destroyer, the defense ministry said. A general military court under the ministry said the former officer is guilty of leaking to defense company officials classified information related to the Korea Destroyer Next Generation (KDDX) project to build a 6,000 ton-class Aegis destroyer while in active service, according to the ministry.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong will visit Hawaii this week for talks on alliance issues with US military leaders in charge of space and air operations, his office said Tuesday. Lee will depart South Korea on Wednesday for a five-day trip at the request of US chief of space operations, Gen. John Raymond, to take part in the Chief of Space Operations and Air Chiefs Visit event hosted by the US military, according to the Air Force. During his stay, Lee will hold his first bilateral

The Cabinet approved an enforcement ordinance Tuesday to compensate local residents suffering from noise from military airport and shooting ranges. Under the law, people residing near military airports and ranges are entitled to receive up to 60,000 won ($52.4) per person per month without filing a lawsuit. Who is subject to the compensation and how much they can get paid will be decided every five years, according to the defense ministry. The law will go into effect on Nov. 27, and the gov

The Navy provided 10,000 facial masks and 2,000 units of hand sanitizers to the Philippines on Tuesday to express thanks to the country for fighting alongside South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, it said. The Navy's task group on an annual cruise training delivered the antivirus items to the Southeast Asian country's Conrado Yap ship in waters near Manila, according to the military. The Filipino patrol ship was named after a late Army captain who was killed during the war. This year ma

On Monday, South Korea’s military raised the social distancing rules in Greater Seoul to Level 1.5, a notch higher than its least restrictive level now, as coronavirus cases started rising. The military imposed tougher Level 2 rules in neighboring Gangwon Province.　 Effective Tuesday through Nov. 29, all military personnel are instructed not to visit entertainment facilities and to reduce on-duty travel and meetings. Those living near infection clusters in Seoul and neighboring Gangwon P

Defense Minister Suh Wook met with US Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville Tuesday and discussed ways to further boost military cooperation and the bilateral alliance, Seoul's defense ministry said. McConville arrived in South Korea late Monday for a three-day stay as part of his Asian trip, according to military officials. During the meeting in Seoul, Suh noted the US Army's contribution to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and asked for close coordinati

South Korea should send strong message to North Korea to make it refrain from provocations, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday, amid speculation Pyongyang could soon launch missiles to test the incoming Joe Biden administration. Ban made the remark in a keynote speech at a seminar in Seoul, saying the North's denuclearization issue is likely to be back "on a rollercoaster" following the inauguration of Joe Biden as the next US President. "There is a possibility

South Korea has completed the deployment of the K-9 self-propelled howitzer, about 20 years after it was first put into force in the country, the arms procurement agency said Friday. Manufactured by Hanwha Defense, a South Korean defense firm, the 155-millimeter K-9 artillery gun was first deployed on the western border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong in 1999. South Korea plans to continue to improve its capabilities, including its navigation equipment and operating system, and add remot

South Korea is in talks with the United States to continue close coordination on pending alliance issues following the appointment of Christopher Miller as the US acting defense secretary, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. On Monday, US President Donald Trump fired his defense chief, Mark Esper, just days after his election defeat to former Vice President Joe Biden. Esper was sworn in as secretary of defense in June last year. "We consider it a natural matter to communicate with t

South Korea will open a two-hour online course for reserve forces next week, the defense ministry said Thursday, after their annual field training was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic. The training sessions for the country's 2.75 million-strong forces were supposed to kick off in September, but the government decided not to conduct the field programs as part of nationwide efforts to stem the spread of the virus. From Monday to Feb. 21, volunteers for the distance learning can take c

Military prosecutors indicted an Air Force major Tuesday on charges of giving preferential treatment to an enlisted airman under his supervision, such as granting him frequent off-base trips, in return for expensive meals from his father, the Air Force said. Military investigators looked into the "emperor-like" military service case after allegations surfaced earlier this year that the staff sergeant enjoyed a variety of privileges, including having a noncommissioned officer do errand

GEOJE -- South Korea launched a new 3,000-ton-class indigenous submarine on Tuesday capable of firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles in an effort to boost underwater defense capabilities. The ceremony for the mid-class diesel-powered submarine, named after a prominent Korean independent fighter, Ahn Mu, took place at the Okpo Shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. in the southeastern city of Geoje. It is the second of three 3,000-ton-class Changbogo-III Batch-I subm

The arms procurement agency said Monday it completed the delivery of new medical helicopters to the Army last week to improve the military's capabilities to carry out evacuations of troops and citizens in emergency situations. The chopper was developed from 2014 to 2016 by adding emergency medical service equipment on South Korea's indigenous multi-role helicopter Surion, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. It is capable of transporting six patients, including two in

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is hosting two days of events in Busan this week to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War with UN veterans and dignitaries from their home countries. Twenty-two countries joined the US-led UN coalition and South Korea to counter an invasion from China-backed North Korea in the 1950-53 conflict that ended with an armistice, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war. On Tuesday, an international conference comprising delegates fro