The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan will meet bilaterally in Thailand next week just days before the planned expiry of their intelligence-sharing pact, Seoul officials said Saturday.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is scheduled to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, on Sunday, in the Thai capital of Bangkok on the sidelines of the 6th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), the officials well-versed in the issue said.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper told South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday he will try to persuade Japan to "smoothly" resolve the dispute over the two neighbors' military information-sharing arrangement, according to the presidential office.During a 50-minute meeting with Esper at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon explained his government's basic position that it's "difficult to share military information" with Japan, which has imposed export restrictions against South Korea for a

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday that South Korea should pay more for the defense the US provides as it is a wealthy country, amid ongoing talks on a bilateral military cost-sharing deal. Esper traveled to Seoul to hold an annual Security Consultative Meeting with South Korea’s Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo. “South Korea is a wealthy country and could and should pay more to help offset the cost of defense,” Esper said in a press conference following the meeting.

South Korea and the United States held annual defense ministers' talks in Seoul on Friday as the allies face tricky issues such as a soon-to-expire intelligence-sharing pact between Seoul and Tokyo and defense cost-sharing negotiations. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper held the 51st Security Consultative Meeting for "in-depth discussions on various pending security issues," the defense ministry said.Details of their discussions were not immediate

The top military commanders of South Korea and the United States discussed the allies’ military readiness and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula at the 44th Military Committee Meeting in Seoul on Thursday.South Korea’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Park Han-ki and his US counterpart Gen. Mark Milley were joined by some 20 officials from South Korea and 17 officials from the US, including US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Philip Davidson and US-ROK Combin

The Defense Ministry said Thursday the military authorities of Seoul and Washington support the diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of North Korea, while the US defense chief hinted at the possibility of adjusting the scope of joint military drills.On the plane to Seoul to attend Friday’s Security Consultative Meeting, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday he is open to adjusting the combined military exercises with South Korea if it can provide room for diplomacy with

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that he is open to the possibility of altering American military activities in South Korea if it would help advance a diplomatic deal with North Korea to eliminate its nuclear program.In an interview with reporters flying with him to Seoul, Esper said any changes in military exercises or training would be done in ways that did not jeopardize troops' combat preparedness. And he said they would be done in consultation with the South Ko

The top military commanders of South Korea and the US will meet in Seoul on Thursday to discuss the allies’ military readiness and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula at the 44th Military Committee MeetingThe agenda for the meeting is likely to include issues surrounding Seoul’s General Security of Military Information Agreement with Tokyo, and the ongoing defense cost-sharing negotiations. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley arrived in Seoul on

Wartime OPCON transfer is contingent upon conditions being met, says top US military official stationed in Korea

South Korea launched a new frigate on Monday featuring advanced sonar and power systems to boost anti-submarine capabilities in coastal operations, the Navy said.The launch ceremony for the 2,800-ton FGG-II Seoul took place at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.'s shipyard in the southeastern port city of Ulsan, according to the Navy. It is the third frigate to be built under the project to secure a second batch of such vessels to replace the Navy's aging frigates and patrol combat corvettes. The

Former commanders and deputy commanders of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command will gather to discuss the future of the alliance this week, forum organizers said Monday.The Korea-US Alliance Foundation said it will host the first Former Combined Forces Command CDR-DCDR Forum at Millennium Hilton Seoul on Wednesday. The theme will be the Republic of Korea-US alliance.Four former US commanders -- John Tilelli, Walter Sharp, James Thurman and Curtis Scaparrotti -- and four former deputy commanders -

South Korea is not considering postponing the termination of the soon-to-expire military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, the defense ministry said Monday.The General Security of Military Information Agreement between South Korea and Japan is to expire on Nov. 23, following Seoul's decision in August to end it after Japan announced export curbs on Seoul, citing security concerns.As the deadline draws near, some media have speculated that South Korea is considering an option to put off its t

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Friday she sees a point in claims that the possible termination of a military intelligence-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan could benefit North Korea and China.Kang made the remarks as the General Security of Military Information Agreement is set to expire on Nov. 23 unless Seoul retracts its decision to end the agreement seen as a symbolic framework to foster the US' trilateral security cooperation with its two Asian allies. "I think we can ma

South Korea and the United States will hold their annual defense ministers’ talks in Seoul next week to reaffirm their alliance and discuss issues including the transfer of wartime operational control, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his US counterpart Mark Esper will attend the 51st Security Consultative Meeting on Nov. 15, where they are expected to touch on pending issues, such as Seoul’s intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo. Esp

A female South Korean Army brigadier general was promoted on Friday to become the country's first female two-star general, the defense ministry said.Kang Sun-young, 53, became a major general in a regular reshuffle of top uniformed officers and was appointed by President Moon Jee-in to lead the Army's Aviation Operations Command, the ministry said. It will also be the first time that a female commander will take the helm of the aviation command, according to the ministry. "Maj. Gen. Ka