Korea will spend some 1.04 trillion won ($925 million) this year to help pay for the stationing of US troops here, under an agreement that was preliminarily signed Sunday.Seoul has shared the financial burden for the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea since 1991 under the Special Measures Agreement.Korea’s contributions, increased by 8.2 percent this year, are spent to pay wages for Koreans hired by the USFK, for military construction and on logistics. Chang Won-sam (right), South Korea‘s delegate to

South Korea and the United States signed a provisional agreement Sunday on the sharing of costs to maintain US troops here, with South Korea raising its share by 8.2 percent. Seoul’s negotiator, Chang Won-sam, and his US counterpart, Timothy Betts, met in Seoul to ink the contract. Under the new deal, South Korea will pay about 1.03 trillion won ($890 million) to cover the costs of stationing the 28,500 members of US Forces Korea here throughout 2019. The figure reflects the rate of increase of

South Korea and Spain are expected to launch negotiations as early as this month on a proposed deal to swap military transport planes of the European nation with Korean trainer jets, defense officials said Sunday. The deal, if realized, would mark South Korea's first export of aircraft to Europe. (Yonhap)According to government and military officials, South Korea has been reviewing Spain's proposal to trade some of its A-400M transport planes made by Airbus for KT-1 and T-50 trainer jets produce

South Korea’s defense ministry on Saturday denied a Japanese newspaper report claiming that it had lodged additional protests over a Japanese military plane‘s low-altitude flyby of a South Korean naval ship.Earlier, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that South Korea lodged protests with Japan between late January and early February over a Japanese maritime patrol plane’s threatening flyby. (Yonhap)However, the South Korean defense ministry said that such a report is not true, adding that

South Korea and the United States have postponed the announcement of plans for their combined springtime military exercises until after the second summit between Washington and Pyongyang slated for late this month, a government source said Friday.If the allies press ahead with their annual training programs, ongoing preparations for the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may be affected. There's also a possibility that the leaders will reach a deal to ca

South Korea's defense ministry maintained a cautious approach Thursday toward springtime joint exercises with the United States amid preparations for a second summit between Washington and Pyongyang.Seoul and Washington have been discussing how to proceed with their combined exercises, counting on their potential impact on ongoing diplomacy for Pyongyang's denuclearization and peace on the divided peninsula. (AFP)The Seoul-based conservative daily Chosun Ilbo reported that the two-week Key Resol

South Korea and the United States may conclude their drawn-out negotiations on defense cost sharing as early as Thursday, a ruling party lawmaker said, adding Seoul's share will likely be set at around 1 trillion won ($889 million)."The defense cost sharing negotiations have entered their final stage," Rep. Lee Soo-hyuck of the ruling Democratic Party told reporters. (Yonhap)"(The sides) have agreed to set the amount only for this year, and are in the process of narrowing their differences to ar

South Korea and the United States are currently discussing when to announce the dates of their scheduled joint military exercises, Seoul's defense sources said Tuesday.The two countries have already decided on the schedule and scope of their combined exercises that are scheduled for the first half of this year, they said. (Yonhap)"(The two sides) finished arbitration on the method of S.Korea-US military exercises slated for the first half of the year," said a defense ministry source who asked no

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Friday implemented a new policy allowing conscripted soldiers to leave their barracks for personal affairs up to twice a month.All able-bodied Koreans between 18 and 38 years old are required to serve military service for 21 to 24 months. Conscripts are prohibited from leaving their barracks unless they are granted vacation authorized by the military. (Yonhap)The ministry eased the restriction from Friday, allowing soldiers to leave their barracks after work fro

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and his US counterparts vowed to maintain a strong defense posture Friday. According to South Korea's military, Park held separate phone conversations with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford and Philip Davidson, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, to reaffirm their alliance and cooperation. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki (Ministry of National Defense)“Korean and US military authorit

As the Seoul-Tokyo spat over Japanese warplanes’ flights over South Korean Navy ships continues, eyes have turned to the possible intervention of the US in the escalating dispute between its two core allies in Asia. While the US has been maintaining its silence on the issue, Harry Harris, the US ambassador to Korea, made an unannounced visit to the Ministry of National Defense to speak with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Monday.  (Yonhap)The Defense Ministry said the ambassador’s visit was

South Korea‘s Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo met Harry Harris, Washington’s top envoy here, Monday to discuss a range of pending issues, Jeong‘s ministry said.　The ambassador’s unannounced visit to the Ministry of National Defense came amid a deadlock in the allies‘ negotiations over Seoul’s share of the cost of stationing U.S. troops in Korea.Harry Harris (Yonhap)　They might also have discussed the issue of a recent military spat between Seoul and Tokyo, America‘s two core Asian allies, over

　South Korea bought US weapons worth a total of $6.73 billion from 2008 to 2017, becoming the third-largest importer of arms produced by its ally, according to an annual analysis of the defense market.　According to the 2018 Global Defense Market Yearbook by the state-run Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, Saudi Arabia topped the list of importers of US weapons, followed by Australia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.　In the decade starting 2008, Saudi Arabia imported $10.63 billi

South Korea's defense ministry called on Japan on Friday to offer clear evidence to back up its rebuttal of Seoul's claim over its warplane's "threatening" low-altitude flyby earlier this week.On Thursday, the ministry released five photos of the flyby to substantiate its assertion that the Japanese P-3 maritime patrol plane buzzed Korea's 4,500-ton destroyer Daejoyeong at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and just 540 meters away in international waters south of the peninsula Wednesday.According t

South Korea's defense ministry called on Japan on Friday to offer clear evidence to back up its rebuttal of Seoul's claim over its warplane's "threatening" low-altitude flyby earlier this week.On Thursday, the ministry released five photos of the flyby to substantiate its assertion that the Japanese P-3 maritime patrol plane buzzed Korea's 4,500-ton destroyer Daejoyeong at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and just 540 meters away in international waters south of the peninsula Wednesday. (Yonhap)Ac