South Korea's Navy received a new 4,500-ton landing ship capable of speedier and long-distance military support operations during a delivery ceremony on Wednesday, the state arms procurement agency said.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration delivered the Nojeokbong vessel, named after a mountain peak in the southwestern city of Mokpo, to the Navy in the event at Hyundai Heavy Industries' shipyard in Ulsan, some 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Nojeokbong vessel (Yonhap)It is the Navy'

The new top commanding general of American troops in South Korea said Tuesday he will make every effort to beef up the allies' combined defense posture.In an introductory meeting with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Army Gen. Robert B. Abrams said, "The alliance is ironclad." (Yonhap)He added, "I have every intention to strengthen it even more as we move forward together."The general was sworn in as the leader of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea earlier this month, replacing Army Gen. Vincent

The Navy will promote a renowned trauma surgeon to honorary commander next month for his contribution to enhancing the armed service's image with his medical and public activities, its officials said Tuesday.Lee Guk-jong of Ajou University Hospital, best known for saving Seok Hae-gyun, the captain of a South Korean freighter who was shot during a mission to rescue the vessel from Somali pirates in 2011, will be honored with the new insignia on Dec. 3.(Republic of Korea Navy=Yonhap)"We recognize

South Korea's arms procurement agency on Monday launched an institution dedicated to supporting the country's defense firms seeking to advance into foreign markets.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration held an opening ceremony for the Defense Export Promotion Center at its headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, as Korea seeks to develop future growth engines in the defense industry."The opening of this center signals that DAPA is making a shift towards the export sector from its

South Korea has found five more sets of Korean War remains during its demining work in a notorious battle site inside the Demilitarized Zone, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday.Including the latest discovery, it has excavated a total of nine sets of remains from Arrowhead Ridge, a site of fierce battles during the 1950-53 Cold War conflict, since Oct. 1 when it began the land mine clearance operations.   Remains discovered on Nov. 5. (Yonhap)The Koreas have been demining the area to ensure saf

The first training ship of South Korea's Navy is set to be launched on Friday afternoon. The ceremony for the ATH-81 Hansando vessel, which will be deployed in early 2021, will take place at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in the southeastern city of Ulsan, the Navy said.ATH is the acronym of Auxiliary Training Ship Helo. (Yonhap)The 4,500-ton, 142-meter-long ship can sail more than 12,000 km at the speed of 18kts (33km/h). The maximum pace is 24kts. It's equipped with 76-mm and 40-mm g

The South Korean government is seeking to require 36 months of work in correctional facilities from those seeking alternative to military service, after the country’s top court recognized conscientious objection as a valid reason for rejecting mandatory military service. 　While the Ministry of National Defense and the conscription agency have yet to finalize plans for an alternative service program, they said their preferred option is to involve conscientious objectors serving at correctional fa

Military officials from South and North Korea and the United Nations Command held another round of working-level consultations at the border truce village of Panmunjom Tuesday on disarming the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone and allowing civilians to travel freely inside the restricted area.According to a government source, the three sides conducted a joint on-site inspection to further discuss the operation of surveillance equipment at the JSA along the inter-Korean border, as wel

South Korea’s first aerial refueling tanker was delivered to the Air Force on Monday, amid expectations that the long-sought-after asset will boost the country’s military capabilities. The Air Force said Monday an A330 MRTT arrived at an air base in the southern city of Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. The tanker plane is expected to become operational next month after undergoing a series of performance tests. The military expects that the tanker will boost South Korea’s air combat capability

South Korea's defense authorities made clear Monday that Seoul will continue the ongoing joint marine exercise with the United States, countering North Korea's claim that the exercises amount to a breach of a recent military agreement between the Koreas.Last week, the allies resumed the Korea Marine Exercise Program involving US Marines from Okinawa, Japan, and such military equipment as amphibious assault vehicles, ending a six-month pause. (Yonhap)The Ministry of National Defense stressed the

Military officials from South and North Korea and the United Nations Command opened another round of working-level consultations Monday on disarming the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone, the Ministry of National Defense said.The trilateral session at the Freedom House located on the southern side of Panmunjom is meant to focus on the operation of surveillance equipment at the Joint Security Area along the inter-Korean border.The three sides have turned Panmunjom into a fi

The South and North Korean militaries began destroying 20 front-line guard posts on Sunday after withdrawing troops and firearms as they implemented a comprehensive agreement on reducing tensions on the tense border, Seoul's defense ministry said.Seoul and Pyongyang signed the military agreement on Sept. 19, including measures to prevent armed confrontation along the Military Demarcation Line and on the Northern Limit Line, a de facto sea border in the Yellow Sea. DMZ (Yonhap)As part of the agre

The commander of United States Forces Korea said Sunday he supports an inter-Korean military agreement on reducing tension.Gen. Robert B. Abrams, who took command as head of US troops here last week, made the remarks as he visited the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)Seoul and Pyongyang signed the comprehensive military agreement on Sept. 19, including measures to prevent armed confrontation along the Military Demarcation Line and on

South Korea said Friday it will hold another round of negotiations with the United States next week on sharing the cost of stationing American troops on the peninsula.The two sides are running out of time for an agreement. The existing accord is to expire at the end of this year.South Korean officials said they aim to strike a deal in the four-day talks to open in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)It would mark the 9th round of negotiations the Special Measures Agreement."South Korea and the

South Korea's military said Thursday it has identified the remains of an American service member killed in the 1950-53 Korean War via joint work with the ally.The remains were excavated in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, in October last year by the Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification. (Yonhap)It conducted DNA and other analyses, together with representatives from the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), earlier this week.The remains were confirmed to be thos