The Army is on course to delay its plans to launch a new military command body, initially designed to cope with North Korea's growing military threats, as inter-Korean relations show signs of an upturn, government sources said Sunday.The Army had been moving to integrate its First and Third Command bodies to launch a single ground operation command by October under a five-year defense reinforcement scheme.  (Yonhap)Defense Minister Song Young-moo, however, has recently ordered a reconsideration

The Military Manpower Administration said on Thursday that enlistment will be deferred for conscientious objectors who refuse the mandatory military service until they are legally able to perform alternative civilian services.The Constitutional Court ruled last week that a clause of the Military Service Act which does not recognize alternative service as a substitute for conscription is unconstitutional. The MMA said it has decided, in acceptance of the ruling, to postpone the enlistment of cons

South Korea's defense ministry has recommended the presidential office lease a new plane for presidential overseas trips, an official said Thursday.Cheong Wa Dae has used a modified Boeing 747-400 airliner leased from Korean Air under a 2014 deal worth 142.1 billion won ($127.2 million).The five-year contract is to expire in March 2020. (Yonhap)"(We) made a suggestion to the National Security Office and the Presidential Security Service that (Cheong Wa Dae) replace the aged jet with a new one,"

More than six decades ago when its headquarters was ensconced in central Seoul, the US Forces Korea faced the grim reality of a war-ravaged South Korea gripped by fears of communist expansion at the height of the Cold War.At present, however, the once impoverished ally is anything but weak. It boasts a well-equipped military, vibrant democracy and extensive diplomatic networks, not to mention economic wealth, on which the USFK relies for the upkeep of its 28,500 troops.Such a transformation, cou

　With the Constitutional Court for the first time urging the military to allow alternative service for conscientious objectors, the focus is now on whether the court would overturn its previous rulings that ban homosexuality in the military. 　According to legal experts and human right activists, Incheon district court has filed a motion with the Constitutional Court for a ruling on whether the current military criminal law violates the constitutional right to protecting sexual minorities.  　The

The South Korean military has put on hold reconstruction plans for army bases located in frontline areas within 5-10 kilometers of the Demilitarized Zone, government officials said Sunday."We have put off new building plans for some 90-100 army units categorized as Alpha in the Forward Edge of Battle Area," a government official familiar with the matter said. The FEBA has four categories -- Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta -- and Alpha is the nearest to the DMZ and within the Civilian Control Lin

PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province -- The US Forces Korea opened its new headquarters in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Friday, in a relocation project likely to broaden its security role long defined by deterrence against North Korea.The USFK held a ceremony to celebrate the relocation from Yongsan, central Seoul, to Camp Humphreys, a sprawling complex about 70 kilometers south of the capital, after a delay caused by residents' protests, budgetary issues and massive construction work to prevent floo

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States agreed on Thursday that they will continue to seek trust-building measures with North Korea for as long as Pyongyang engages in dialogue “in good faith.” 　During their meeting in Seoul, Defense Minister Song Young-moo and his US counterpart James Mattis stressed that their decision to suspend scheduled joint military exercises will support diplomatic efforts to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea. 　Having visited Seoul as a

South Korea has rejected a renewed demand from the United States for sharing the costs of deploying its strategic assets on and around the Korean Peninsula, a ministry official said Thursday.The US made the demand during its fourth round of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks with South Korea earlier this week on sharing the cost of stationing US troops here.In previous talks, Washington requested that Seoul share the costs stemming from strategic assets deployment. Seoul rejected the requ

The chief of US Forces Korea made an implicit call on Thursday for the South Korean Army to continue to remain capable of not only fighting and winning, but also keeping "discipline" amid the emergent peace mood.Gen. Vincent Brooks made the remarks amid the efforts by Seoul and Washington to facilitate dialogue with Pyongyang over the communist state's denuclearization through a set of de-escalatory steps, including the indefinite suspension of their combined military exercises."I am very proud

US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Thursday reaffirmed Washington's goal for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the peninsula, and its will to keep the current American troop level in South Korea.The Pentagon chief made the remarks at the start of his talks with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo in Seoul."US commitment to the Republic of Korea remains ironclad and the US will continue to use a full range of diplomatic and military capabilities to uphold th

Gen. Brooks says Trump is not interested in withdrawing USFK immediately

South Korea and the United States held another round of negotiations in Seoul on sharing the cost of maintaining American troops here amid their beefed-up cooperation over North Korea's denuclearization.The allies opened the fourth session of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks at the Korean National Diplomatic Academy building in southern Seoul. It will continue through Wednesday.At the start of the talks, Seoul's chief negotiator Chang Won-sam and his US counterpart Timothy Betts voiced

South Korea decided Monday to purchase US defense company Boeing's P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in a $1.7 billion project, Seoul's military acquisition agency has said.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that Seoul's defense project promotion committee convened to make the decision to purchase the aircraft through a government-to-government "foreign military sale" program."(We have decided) to purchase the latest maritime patrol aircraft for conducting patrol, search and

Top defense officials of South Korea and the United States agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation in facilitating ongoing diplomacy to achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula, Seoul's defense ministry said.South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo held talks with Adm. Philip Davidson, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, in Seoul amid a flurry of the allies' talks with the communist state aimed at Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament."Minister Song and Adm. Davidson shared the view