WASHINGTON -- The United States on Wednesday distanced itself from South Korean President Moon Jae-in's call to postpone the allies' military exercises until after the PyeongChang Olympic Games.Moon told US broadcaster NBC Tuesday that the two countries could review the timing of the regular drills to reduce tensions during the event, which will be held some 80 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border.The Winter Games are slated to run from Feb. 9-25, and the Paralympics from March 9-19. They

South Korea and the United States may delay their joint military exercises only for the duration of the Winter Olympic Games to be held here next year and if the North halts its military provocations, a ranking South Korean official said Wednesday.The remarks came one day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in an interview with US broadcaster NBC he has proposed delaying the military drills, which North Korea accuses of a war rehearsal, as part of efforts to reduce tensions during the

South Korea's state arms agency on Wednesday made public a list of 15,500 components of weapon systems in use here.It's the first measure taken in coordination with the ruling Democratic Party to promote the local defense industry.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the party had a policy consultation meeting the same day with a view to helping expand arms exports and create jobs. DAPA chief Jeon Jei-guk (Yonhap)The two sides agreed to cooperate on raising the global competitivene

South Korea and the United States may consider postponing their joint military exercise as part of efforts to reduce tension and invite North Korea to the Winter Olympic Games to be held in South Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday.Moon, however, said the move really depends on the way North Korea behaves."It is possible for South Korea and the US to review the possibility of postponing the exercises. I have made such a suggestion to the US and the US is currently reviewing it

South Korea will more than double the number of its female soldiers to 2,450 by 2022 as part of defense reform, the ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.Currently, there are 1,100 active-duty female troops, 5.5 percent of the country's 625,000-strong armed forces. The ministry plans to raise the ratio to 8.8 percent in the last year of the Moon Jae-in administration. Voluntarily enlisted female officers in South Korea's military. (Yonhap)It has also decided to scrap restrictions on assign

Hundreds of South Korean and US marines have teamed up for a winter training in the eastern mountainous region of PyeongChang, South Korea's Marine Corps said Tuesday.The three-week exercise began Dec. 4 at the Mount Hwangbyeong training camp as part of the Korea Marine Exercise Program.It involves more than 220 South Korean Marines and some 220 US Marines stationed in Okinawa, Japan. The two sides have staged such a combined winter drill since 2013, aiming to sharpen their combat skills in subf

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's latest announcement of the country's national security strategy reaffirmed the strong alliance between Seoul and Washington.Trump vowed Monday to "take care of" North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile threats as he unveiled his administration's first national security strategy. He said that cooperation with US allies is critical to responding to such threats."The strategy reaffirmed that the US will double commitmen

South Korea conducted a nationwide drill Tuesday to test its ability to respond to a nuclear crisis situation in Japan, a government commission said.Authorities examined the readiness to deal with possible radioactive materials coming in from nuclear power plants in the nearby island nation, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said. (Yonhap)The drill was based on the assumption of a massive earthquake hitting the Genkai Nuclear Plant and causing radioactive materials to be released into t

Five Chinese military planes on Monday entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone, prompting South Korea's fighter jets to make an emergency sortie, Seoul's military said.The Chinese aircraft were detected infringing on the KADIZ from the southwest of Ieo Island at around 10:10 a.m. and flying out of the zone at 1:47 p.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff."Our military confirmed that they are military planes of China through the Air Force's Master Control and Reporting Center," it

A missile expert has been promoted to head South Korea's state arms development agency, filling the post left vacant for seven months, the Ministry of National Defense announced Monday.Nam Sae-kyu, who served as vice president of the Agency for Defense Development, has been picked to assume the job for a three-year tenure.Having joined the ADD in 1978, he led the development of the Hyunmoo ballistic missile system. He also worked as the chief of a guided weapon system team. Nam Sae-kyu, new pres

South Korean and US forces conducted a joint training last week for infiltrating North Korea and removing weapons of mass destruction in case of conflict, military sources said.The "Warrior Strike" exercise was held at Camp Stanley, located north of Seoul, and other places from Tuesday to Friday, involving hundreds of soldiers from the two sides, they said.  Gen. Jung Kyung-doo (Yonhap)The US 2nd Infantry Division said on Facebook on Friday that Gen. Jung Kyung-doo, chairman of Joint Chiefs of S

A government-civilian committee on eradicating deep-rooted malpractices in South Korea's military proposed special legislation Thursday on forcing it to stay away from politics.It calls for heavy punishment against civil servants and defense officials seeking military intervention in political affairs.Military officials will also be required to reject any related order, instruction or request.It's among a set of measures suggested by the panel created by the Ministry of National Defense in Septe

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it will hold a town hall meeting with people who live close to a major US Forces Korea shooting range.The session, the first of its kind in four months, will be held at the city hall of Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, later in the day, and will be joined by Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk, Pocheon Mayor Kim Jong-chun and the US Eighth Army Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal. Around 50 residents also plan to attend. Suh will brief them on the results o

Two AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters of South Korea each fired a Stinger air-to-air guided missile at a target drone 2.5 kilometers away, the Army said Wednesday.It was the first live-fire Stinger missile drill by the country's newborn Apache unit, conducted at the Daecheon range off the west coast of the peninsula earlier in the day.The two Apaches were mobilized, with two others on standby. They first detected the Outlaw G2 target vehicles with their fire control radar, and the pilots

The US military is reportedly in talks with South Korea on the timing of large-scale annual military exercises that always infuriate nuclear-armed Pyongyang and could coincide with next year's Winter Olympics.The Foal Eagle and Key Resolve drills usually start in late February or early March and involve tens of thousands of troops from the two allies, which say they are purely defensive.(Yonhap)The North, though, sees them as rehearsals for invasion, and they always ratchet up the already high t