DSC martial law document differs from military’s usual plan in allowing media censorship, lawmaker arrests

In thorny defense-cost sharing talks with South Korea, the United States has created a new category -- operational support -- in an apparent bid to sharply raise Seoul's share of the costs, officials here said Tuesday.It's a major sticking point in the Special Measures Agreement negotiations, as the two sides are preparing for another round of bargaining late next month.(Yonhap)The allies had the fifth round of talks last week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle.The US choice of the venue w

The Defense Ministry said Tuesday it will seek to withdraw troops and equipment from guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone, pledging to transform the heavily fortified area into a symbol of peace between the two Koreas. In a briefing to lawmakers, the Ministry of National Defense said the withdrawal plan would be sought “on a trial basis” until the conditions are in place for a complete withdrawal, following environmental and historical research on the cross-border region. A view of Camp Hum

South Korea and the United States will hold biannual working-level defense talks in Seoul this week over a range of issues, including the planned transfer of wartime operational control, Seoul officials said Tuesday.The 14th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue will take place from Wednesday through Thursday ahead of their annual minister-level Security Consultative Meeting to be held in Washington in late October. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo, left, and President Moon Jae-in. (Y

　The defense and justice ministries on Monday announced a plan to launch a joint investigation into the scandal-ridden Defense Security Command, amid mounting controversy concerning the military organization’s involvement in drafting a martial law document. 　According to the Ministry of National Defense, the joint probe team will consist of military and civilian prosecutors. The measure is expected to boost the transparency of the investigation into retired military and civilian government offic

Long road ahead for building trust and arms reduction with North Korea

　The government confirmed Friday that the martial law document drawn up by the Defense Security Command during the Park Geun-hye administration included a plan to deploy tanks in Seoul, censor the media and block the National Assembly from ending the emergency action. 　Presidential spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said during a press briefing that there were key differences from the usual plans for martial law, such as the people who would be in command, indicating the document in question was designe

The Marine Corps vowed Friday to conduct a "neutral and objective" probe into this week's deadly chopper crash during its belated press briefing on the accident that killed five service members.The armed service said that it is considering including civilian aviation experts, whom the victims' families recommend, in the probe team that currently consists of military and public officials. It also said that the officials have conducted the on-site investigation and secured witness statements and v

Documents submitted by the defense ministry show the earlier reported proposal from the defense intelligence agency to declare martial law may have been more deliberate than earlier believed, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday, apparently implying the military may have actually sought to go ahead with such a plan.Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said the military maintained and renewed its plans for a martial law every two years, but that the new documents submitted by the mi

Civilian experts will join a military team tasked with investigating this week's fatal Marine chopper crash in line with a demand from the victims' families for a "neutral, aboveboard" probe, a military source said Friday.The move came a day after Defense Minister Song Young-moo pledged to reflect the families' opinions in the formation of the probe team, which currently consists of military and public officials from the Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force. (Yonhap)The MUH-1 Marineone, the Ma

Tuesday’s Marine chopper crash might have been caused by mechanical defects in the latest deployed helicopter, military officials and experts said, as investigation into the fatal accident that killed five Marines and injured one continues.　The MUH-1 Marineone crashed at a Marine base in the southeastern city of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, killing five of the six Marines aboard and injuring the other. The helicopter caught fire after plunging to the landing strip from about 10 meters in t

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday swore in Adm. Sim Seung-seob as the new head of the Navy, raising him from the rank of vice admiral. Sim replaces Adm. Um Hyun-seong as chief of naval operations. The new Navy chief had headed the Chief Directorate of Strategic Planning of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Adm. Sim Seung-seob salutes President Moon Jae-in after being sworn in as the Navy`s new chief of naval operations on Thursday. YonhapSim graduated from the Korea Naval Academy, and served in a numb

The Air Force said Thursday it is planning to select 10 female college students each year to train as pilots.Two female students with majors related to aviation will be selected from each of the five Air Force ROTC units, which are at Korea Aerospace University, Hanseo University, Korea National University of Transportation, Sejong University and Yeungnam University. The students will be recruited at 19 years old during their freshman year of college.“Until now, the only way for a woman to becom

South Korea's Army has grounded more than 90 Surion helicopters in service, an official said Wednesday, as safety concern has grown since the deadly crash of a Surion chopper a day earlier.The MUH-1 Marineone, the Marine variant of the KUH-1 Surion helicopter, crashed at a military airport in the southeastern city of Pohang, killing five of the six marines aboard and injuring the other.The Marine Corps is investigating the cause of the incident."We will review whether to resume the operation (of

The Air Force and the Navy conducted large-scale joint rescue operation drills in waters off the east coast Tuesday, officials said, as part of efforts to bolster the country's disaster relief capabilities.The drills began near Gangneung, Gangwon Province, at 12:10 p.m., involving various military assets, including C-130 and CN-235 transport aircraft, HH-47 and HH-60 helicopters, the 3,200-ton Cheonghaejin salvage ship and deep-sea divers. An AW-159 Wildcat helicopter of the South Korean Navy ta