South Korea's defense authorities said Thursday there has been no indication of an imminent missile test by North Korea, responding to US news reports that the secretive nation appears to be preparing to fire another intercontinental ballistic missile."There is no activity that would lead to an assessment that a missile provocation by North Korea is imminent," Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a press briefing. (Yonhap)He pointed out, however, that it's po

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday it has not considered withdrawing troops from the United Arab Emirates amid rampant speculation about ties between the two countries.“The Ministry of National Defense has not reviewed the pullout of the Akh Unit,” the ministry’s public affairs office said in a text message to reporters.It came in response to news reports here that the ministry had suggested South Korea withdraw the 140-strong Special Forces from the Middle Eastern nation by the end o

The United Arab Emirates purchased a net 967 billion won ($908.6 million) worth of South Korean stocks last November, raising its holdings of local equity by 7.8 percent from a month earlier, data showed Wednesday. The UAE, which held 9.4 trillion won worth of South Korean stocks at the end of November, had remained a net seller of South Korean stocks between June and October last year. It was not known why the UAE turned bullish on local equity in November, but stock market watchers said the ti

 Controversy over a top presidential aide’s visit to the United Arab Emirates last month escalated Tuesday, with speculation emerging that the trip was aimed at resolving bilateral disputes concerning a secret military pact signed during the Lee Myung-bak administration. 　Citing former government officials, local daily Hankook Ilbo reported that the Lee administration secretly signed a Mutual Logistics and Service Agreement with the UAE in 2013, under which South Korea is required to provide log

South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday its offer of military talks with North Korea is still valid amid cautious optimism that years of tensions on the peninsula will finally begin to ease.In his New Year's message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un proposed immediate dialogue between the two Koreas on his willingness to send a delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games slated for next month. Choi Hyun-soo, spokesperson for South Korea`s defense ministry, in a file photo (Yonhap)It re

South Korea's elite forces and engineering units have completed the deployment of an advanced but lighter device to detonate explosives via wireless signal, the state arms agency announced Tuesday.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration developed the Remote Activation Munition System in partnership with Huneed Technologies, a local defense firm, in 2014.In December, DAPA wrapped up the delivery of the system to the special forces of the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps, as well as engi

South Korea's Defense Minister Song Yong-moo said Friday his troops should turn 2018 into the starting year for full-scale reform to support efforts for bringing lasting peace to the peninsula.The top priority is to deter North Korea's provocations, Song said in his new year message issued on the eve of the holiday season.Another key task is defense reform to make the 625,000-strong armed forces as agile and strong as a leopard, he stressed. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo in a file

South Korea's Army said Friday it will select soldiers next year to serve in the envisioned "dronebot combat unit," which it describes as a potential game changer in warfare.The Army will create a related military occupational specialty in the coming year. It stopped short of revealing the exact schedule and size of the new team. South Korean troops use reconnaissance drones during training in this file photo provided by the Korea Army Academy at Yeong-Cheon. (Yonhap)"Drone operation troops will

South Korea on Thursday began a two-day military exercise for the defense of Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea to which Japan lays territorial claim."The Navy will conduct the regular Dokdo defense exercise aimed at preventing the infiltration of external forces into the South Korean territory in conjunction with a flotilla-level field exercise by the Navy's First Fleet," according to the Navy. The First Fleet is based in the East Sea.The exercise is conducted twice a year and involve

Pushing back joint South Korea-US military drills until after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games is worth considering, said former commanders of US Forces Korea in a Voice of America report Wednesday.  US warplanes on standby during the Vigilant Ace South Korea-US joint air drill held from Dec. 4 to Dec. 8. YonhapThe idea of postponing joint drills that coincide with the games was first publicly raised by President Moon Jae-in during an interview with US broadcaster NBC on

The Navy said Wednesday its 1,500-ton Chungnam frigate, known as a benchmark ship, will retire after playing a key role in the defense of South Korean waters for three decades.The Navy plans to hold a retirement ceremony for the ship, one of the first-generation warships here, and five other naval vessels -- three patrol ones and three high-speed boats -- at the Jinhae port later in the day.The country's indigenous Chungnam, 102 meters long and 12 meters wide, was commissioned in 1985.  The 1,50

South Korea's defense authorities decided Tuesday to ditch a program to develop a fixed long-range radar system against North Korea's aircraft.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed a contract with LIG Nex1, a local defense firm, for an indigenous radar to replace the aged Air Force ones established largely on hilltops.But the radar developed by the company failed in an operational test in 2014."Multiple defects were found in the test and a violation of contract terms was also det

South Korea's Army said Tuesday a mechanical flaw triggered the explosion of a K-9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer in August that left three soldiers dead and four others wounded.The howitzer blew up abruptly while in use at a shooting range in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. The Army has since suspended the operation of K9s for training purposes, although it remains operational for combat ones.The detonator ignited by itself and some components functioned abnormally, the Army said after a joint inv

South Korea's defense ministry announced Tuesday that it will launch a special team on North Korea in an organizational shift aimed at responding more effectively to increased nuclear and missile threats from the communist neighbor.Under the plan approved at a Cabinet meeting, the Ministry of National Defense will create a post to oversee its North Korea policy under the Office of National Defense Policy led by a deputy minister.It is to serve as the ministry's "control tower" on handling North

South Korea's military has begun to consider operating F-35B stealth aircraft from its newest amphibious landing ship slated to be deployed in 2020, as part of efforts to strengthen its naval power, sources said Sunday.The authorities have recently discussed whether the second 14,000-ton Dokdo-class vessel can carry the F-35B fighter, a short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the US-made fifth-generation warplane."I understand that the military top brass have recently discussed whether the