The defense ministry said Wednesday it has proposed an 8 percent on-year hike in its budget for next year to strengthen national defense capabilities and better manage troops.According to a ministry report presented to the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, the ministry has asked the government to earmark 50.43 trillion won ($43.23 billion) for the budget for 2020, up from this year's 46.7 trillion won. If accepted, it will be the first time that the defense budget surpasses the 50

An unidentified object detected on military radars flying near the border with North Korea turned out to be a flock of birds, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday, after the detection prompted fighter jets to scramble.Earlier in the day, the JCS said that the military "is checking and taking measures after the military radar captured an unidentified object in the sky above the Demilitarized Zone in the central portion of the inter-Korean border in Gangwon Province at around 1 p.m.The objec

A defense ministry panel wrapped up a weeklong probe Friday into the border security failure that led to the undetected arrival of a North Korean boat at an eastern sea port earlier this month, military sources said.The investigation detected some problems in maritime and coastal surveillance operations, but the panel is yet to make a conclusion on if there were any false reports or attempts to cover up the case, they added. The panel involving 30 officials and experts launched the probe on June

The United States will ask South Korea to pay more for the stationing of American troops on the peninsula once the current cost-sharing accord expires at the end of the year, a US official said Monday.Joy Yamamoto, director of the US State Department's office of Korean affairs, noted that President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants US allies to pay "a fair share, a greater share of the cost of protecting themselves." "Korea comes under that," she said during a disc

Two Russian military aircraft violated South Korea's air defense identification zone on Thursday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighter jets in response, a military source here said.The Tu-95 bombers entered the KADIZ without prior notice above the East Sea once at around 3:37 a.m. and stayed in the zone for about 29 minutes, according to the source. The Air Force, in response, deployed multiple jets, including F-15Ks, to track them and send warning messages in accordance with it

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo apologized Thursday amid mounting public criticism that the military failed to detect a North Korean boat crossing the maritime border and tried to cover up the failure.The military has come under fire following revelations that the small North Korean wooden boat crossed the inter-Korean maritime border and sailed undeterred in the South's territorial waters in the East Sea for about three days before arriving at the port of Samcheok, Gangwon Province, on Saturd

Military fails to spot North Korean boat traveling in South Korean waters for days

The Navy and the Air Force said Tuesday they have conducted large-scale joint search and rescue drills in waters off the east coast as part of efforts to bolster the country's disaster relief capabilities.The joint exercises took place based on a scenario in which the military responds to a major maritime accident that leaves a massive number of people at sea waiting for help.  The maneuvers were launched last year, though the Coast Guard joined the recent drills for the first time.Upon a d

US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Monday began a three-month suspension of a curfew for his troops here, officials said, calling it an opportunity to show their ability to maintain good order and discipline.The curfew between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. was imposed in 2011, when public outcry surged over some USFK troops’ alleged sexual violence and other crimes. The temporary suspension of the curfew will continue until Sept. 17. “The suspension will serve as an evaluation perio

Concerns have been raised over the military’s surveillance capability after a North Korean fishing boat was found adrift in South Korean waters, assumedly hours after it entered. The North Korean fishing boat was found drifting some 150 kilometers below the Northern Limit Line in territorial waters of the South on Saturday. The boat, carrying four fishermen, was reportedly drifting after its engine broke.  South Korean fisherman first spotted the boat near waters off Samcheok Port in

The US House Armed Services Committee has revised its draft defense budget bill for next year to add a clause prohibiting a reduction in the number of American forces stationed in South Korea without congressional approval, the committee chairman has said.The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 2020 prevents the US government from curtailing the number of its troops in South Korea below 28,500, but the draft bill presented by the House committee earlier this m

The remains of a Canadian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War will arrive in South Korea this week for burial, the veterans affairs ministry said Monday.The remains of the late Albert Hugh McBride are scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Tuesday before being buried at the UN Memorial Cemetery in the southern port city of Busan the following day, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.McBride fought in the Korean War from November 1951 until Ja

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris on Friday renewed concerns over the security of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless network amid Washington's apparent campaign against Chinese telecom titan Huawei.The United States has recently been prodding its allies and other partner countries to stop using Huawei products on security grounds amid growing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. "We are naturally concerned about the security implications of how the 5G network will be insta

Seoul and Washington have agreed to appoint a South Korean four-star general to lead the envisioned future joint command and relocate its headquarters from Seoul to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan met in Seoul to discuss the pending issues and vowed to closely cooperate to back the on-going diplomatic efforts on the denuclearization of North Korea. During the 60-minute t