Indonesia is seeking a reduction of its share of expenses in the fighter jet development project with South Korea, as it is running about 300 billion won ($254 million) in arrears. According to Indonesian news reports, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Wiranto reiterated the need to renegotiate the deal for the Korean Fighter Experimental, citing the government’s lack of budget.Korea and Indonesia have been working together to develop a new fighter jet for t

President Moon Jae-in said Friday he feels responsible for recent cases of lax military discipline and ordered his defense minister and military chief to take stern countermeasures."The people are concerned about the military's discipline and security posture due to several recent incidents. As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, I feel responsible," Moon said in a lunch meeting with retired military leaders at Cheong Wa Dae. The "several recent incidents" mentioned b

South Korea and the United States will conduct a joint military exercise as scheduled, the defense ministry said Thursday, though North Korea warned that the drill could scuttle ongoing efforts to resume its nuclear talks with the US.On Tuesday, North Korea warned that the planned "19-2 Dong Maeng" exercise between Seoul and Washington will affect the prospects for its working-level nuclear talks with the US. The planned joint exercise is meant to verify Seoul's capabilities for the en

Defense Minister Jeong’s position appears tenuous as opposition parties submit motion calling for dismissal

South Korea and the United States are preparing to stage a joint military exercise this fall, the Pentagon said Tuesday, after North Korea warned the drill will affect the prospects of working-level nuclear talks between the two countries.The North's foreign ministry issued the warning Tuesday, arguing that the "19-2 Dong Maeng" exercise, slated for around August, runs counter to the commitment that US President Donald Trump made when he held a surprise meeting with North Korean leader

An object that looks like a periscope of a submarine was spotted in the waters around Haengdam Island Service Area on the Seohaean Expressway, in South Chungcheong Province, Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. Police on patrol found the object “moving towards the north” and reported it to the military. The military said it is running an investigation, though it views it unlikely that a submarine would have passed through the area due to the shallow depth of the water

Two Japanese defense attaches in South Korea have returned back to their home country after they were found to have obtained classified military information, a local daily reported Tuesday. According to Dong-A Ilbo, the Japanese defense attaches obtained 54 classified military documents on information related to North Korea from a former official of the Korea Defense Intelligence Command and 20 documents from a North Korean defector.  Following the prosecution’s indictment of the info

The arms procurement agency on Monday announced a five-year plan to better ensure the quality of military supplies so as to boost the safety of servicepersons and enhance the competitiveness of homegrown materials.Under the blueprint, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration plans to set quality criteria in major development phases and set up and run a support team in charge of checking if products fully meet requirements.   The plan also calls for assigning "patrol" of

A Navy officer is under investigation on charges of forcing a soldier to make false confessions in an investigation launched after an unidentified person was found inside his naval base last week, officials said Friday.On July 4, soldiers on guard duty found the unidentified person near the ammunition depot inside the Navy's Second Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. When asked for a countersign, the person failed to give an answer and ran away, according to the Navy. An i

Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense on Thursday denied reports that the United Nations Command is seeking Japanese involvement in its operations.  “Japan was not a combatant in the Korean War, so cannot become a sending state,” a Defense Ministry official said, ruling out the possibility of Japan sending troops or participating in the UNC without Seoul’s involvement. A sending state is a country that provides troops, materials and other support necessary in a war si

An Army soldier jumped off a Han River bridge to his death, officials said Tuesday, after his unit came under fire for failing to detect a North Korean boat's arrival at a South Korean port last month.The 21-year-old private first class from the Army's 23rd division in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, threw himself into the Han River on Monday night. After being rescued, the solider, whose identity was withheld, was rushed a nearby hospital, but died soon after, Col. Jeon Ha-kyu said.  The man w

A new contingent of South Korean troops will be deployed to South Sudan later this month to carry out UN peacekeeping operations, the Army said Monday. A send-off ceremony took place in Incheon, west of Seoul, for more than 280 rotational troops to serve at the Hanbit unit in the African country for eight months.They are the 11th batch of troops to be sent there since South Korea began deployment in 2013, the Army said, adding that some of them will depart for the country later in the day, while

The military plans to deploy an additional naval ship, increase patrol flights by manned and unmanned aircraft and install more radars on and offshore to beef up security of the sea border with North Korea, a Defense Ministry report showed Sunday.The ministry reported the measures to the National Assembly as part of efforts to close holes in border security following revelations that the military failed to detect a North Korean boat until it traveled all the way to the port of Samcheok, about 13

President Moon Jae-in has reprimanded a national security advisor for security loopholes that allowed a North Korean boat to cross the eastern maritime border and float undetected in South Korean waters for several days, his office said Wednesday.Moon delivered a strong warning to Kim You-geun, deputy director of national security, over the security failure in the maritime border patrol, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said in a text message to reporters.The measure reflects Moon's view t

Top military chiefs reprimanded, an Army commander removed from post