WASHINGTON -- A naval blockade may be the best feasible option to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program, according to a former US Navy officer.Retired Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Keeley made the argument in a recent contribution to The Hill, saying there is a history of successful naval blockades that forced the adversary into submission."The Trump administration seemingly has only two potential responses, both of them bad," he wrote. "Option one is direct kinetic military action to halt Kim's d

South Korea's top naval commander will travel to Thailand in order to promote bilateral military diplomacy and defense industry cooperation, his office said Friday.Adm. Um Hyun-seong, the Navy chief of staff, is scheduled to leave for the Southeast Asian nation later in the day at its official invitation.  Adm. Um Hyun-seong, the Navy chief of staff, delivers a speech in this file photo. (Yonhap)During his trip there, it added, he will attend an international ceremony to inspect warships on the

 Presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday that South Korea has no authority to change the rules of engagement applied to the Joint Security Area amid controversy over its soldiers’ decision not to return fire at North Korean soldiers who were chasing a defecting soldier. A Cheong Wa Dae official said the authority to change the rules falls under the United Nations Command. The UNC assumes operational control of the JSA, where the North Korean soldier had crossed toward the UNC-controlled

South Korean troops stationed at the joint security area of Panmunjeom acted in accordance with the UN rules of engagement governing the area when they decided not to return fire despite dozens of shots fired by North Korean forces, an official from the presidential office said Thursday."The engagement rules governing the JSA were drafted and are enforced by the United Nations Command," the official told reporters, asking not to be identified. "It is not something the Korean Defense Ministry can

 With a North Korean solider remaining in critical condition from multiple gunshot wounds he suffered as he dashed across the border to defect, some South Koreans are questioning why the South Korean soldiers did not provide covering fire for him. 　Four North Korean soldiers at the Joint Security Area inside the heavily fortified border zone fired about 40 rounds at the escaping solider. They shot southward. It is unclear whether they continued to shoot after the solider entered the South’s terr

South Korea's Navy said Wednesday it has set up a monument for a lesser known but significant victory in Incheon, west of Seoul, during the 1950-53 Korean War.Called the 2nd Incheon amphibious operation, it took place on Feb. 10, 1951, five months after the historic Incheon battle commanded by US Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur.Led by a joint commando unit of South Korea's Navy and Marine Corps, the second landing operation in Incheon, spelled Inchon at that time, helped the UN forces retake the str

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that it has appointed its top representative for the upcoming defense cost sharing negotiations with the United States.Chang Won-sam, the country's ambassador to Sri Lanka, was chosen as the top negotiator for talks aimed at renewing the current cost sharing deal for about 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea. He is known for his deep understanding of trade issues, the ministry said.  (Yonhap)The Status of Forces Agreement states that South Korea

The South Korean Army carried out its first air-to-surface missile firing exercise using eight Apache attack helicopters on Monday. Each of the copters fired one Hellfire guided missile at a shooting range in the waters off the western coastal city of Gunsan, according to the Army.They flew 60 kilometers before firing and all exactly hit the targets on the sea, the Army said. The Army introduced 36 Apache helicopters produced by Boeing in May last year and deployed them in January.  (Yonhap)The

Seoul’s former point man warns not to underestimate Kim Jong-un

Three US aircraft carriers joined an ongoing exercise with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea on Sunday in an unprecedented show of force against a provocative North Korea.The three flattops -- USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt -- entered the South's military operation zone, called the Korea Theater of Operations, for the four-day maneuvers slated to end Tuesday.It marks the first time that the country's Navy has conducted a combined training with three US aircraft carr

The United States and South Korea on Saturday started joint naval exercises that will involve three US aircraft carriers in what military officials describe as a clear warning to North Korea.The four-day drills that began in waters off South Korea's eastern coast come as President Donald Trump continues a visit to Asia that has been dominated by discussions over the North Korean nuclear threat.The battle groups of the USS Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt and the Nimitz will successively ent

South Korea and the United States will conduct a massive joint naval exercise involving three US aircraft carriers off the eastern coast Saturday in an unprecedented show of force aimed at deterring North Korea.It marks the first time for three US aircraft carriers to conduct joint exercises with South Korea's Navy. Mobilizing three aircraft carriers for a single exercise is also rare for the US military as well. The last such exercise took place in 2007 in waters off the US territory of Guam.Th

No unannounced deal was reached during this week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump, the presidential chief of staff said Friday, amid speculation the government could have committed to massive arms purchases from the US during the summit."There was no backside agreement whatsoever that can hurt our national interests," Moon's chief of staff Im Jong-seok said during a parliamentary steering committee meeting.  Presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok (YonhapAfte

　The United States wants South Korea to adopt America‘s finest military equipment, such as Aegis radar systems and P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, to step up deterrence against North Korea, the acting US ambassador to South Korea said Thursday.　Marc Knapper also welcomed Seoul’s recent agreement with China to get ties back on track following their dispute over the deployment of the US missile defense system in South Korea.　He made the remarks during a news conference to explain the results

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it has picked a retired lieutenant colonel as the chief of the ministry's policy office in a move toward civilian control of the military.Yeo Suk-joo, who left the Marine Corps in 2010, has become the first retired field-grade officer to take up the key ministry post which handles major pending issues, including a response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. It had usually been filled by former Army generals. Yeo Suk-joo, new policy chief at