The chief of the conservative main opposition party on Wednesday renewed his call for the redeployment of US tactical nuclear arms to South Korea, arguing a "nuclear alliance" would help deter a belligerent North Korea.Hong Joon-pyo, the hawkish leader of the Liberty Korea Party, made the remarks in his Facebook post five days before he embarks on a five-day trip to Washington to drum up support for the redeployment."While the South Korea-US free trade agreement is an economic alliance, we have

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voices opposition to bringing back US tactical nukes

An opposition lawmaker on Wednesday called for an expanded application of a South Korea-US agreement that mandates the US military give prior notice about its planned drills only in regions north of Seoul.Kim Jong-dae of the progressive Justice Party proposed that such a notice also be given to other regions south of Seoul, where residents frequently complain about the disturbing sounds of military firearms and aircraft mobilized for unannounced exercises. This photo, taken Oct. 12, 2017, shows

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo will hold a series of bilateral meetings with chief foreign delegates at the Seoul air show this week, his ministry said Tuesday.The biennial Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition opened at Seoul Air Base earlier in the day, drawing 405 companies from 33 countries.Dozens of government delegates are here to attend the weeklong event. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo (Yonhap)Song is scheduled to have bilateral talks with minis

President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for a transformation of South Korea's defense industry to boost its exports, as well as for efforts to develop advanced systems to enhance the country's independent defense capabilities."We must widen our view to the world and form joint communities for defense cooperation with friendly nations," the president said in congratulatory remarks marking the start of the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition."We must break away from the current weapo

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump would not confirm Monday whether he plans to visit the demilitarized zone in Korea next month.Trump was asked by reporters during a press conference with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell about his reported plan to go to the buffer zone dividing the Koreas during his visit to Seoul."Well, I'll be going, as you know, to South Korea, to China, to Japan, to Vietnam for the summit," he said. "And I look forward to all of them. We haven't set the details,

 South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) chairman said Monday that the military is considering a new operational plan to counter "advanced" threats from North Korea.   Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo made the remarks during a parliamentary audit, noting it is separate from the existing operational plans formulated by Seoul and Washington to cope with the North's potential aggression and major provocations.   "We are envisioning a new operational plan in the face of the North's new advanced threats, base

The South Korean military is drawing up an offensive-defense strategy aimed at concluding a military conflict with North Korea within the shortest time possible. The plan, revealed by the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the parliamentary audit Monday, calls for the country’s surveillance and missile capabilities to be strengthened.  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo speaks during a parliamentary audit at the JCS in Seoul on Monday. Yonhap“A war plan designed to e

SEOUL AIR BASE, Gyeonggi Province -- The US Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter jet blasted off Monday, generating a deafening roar at this South Korean air base not that far away from North Korea.The fifth-generation stealth jet strutted its stuff for a 15-minute rehearsal flight on the eve of the opening of the weeklong Seoul air show, formally called the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2017.Demonstrating its agility and maneuverability, it wowed media crew and other spectator

With South Korea and the US kicking off their joint military exercise in a show of force against North Korea, Washington’s senior security and diplomacy officials have reiterated assertive stance against Pyongyang while remaining open to diplomatic solutions to calm the tension. National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster said President Donald Trump would never allow Pyongyang to threaten the US with a nuclear weapon and that the US has been constantly refining military options against Pyongyan

South Korea is pushing to develop an indigenous counter-rocket system to fend off persistent threats from North Korea's forward-deployed long-range artillery, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.In its report to the parliamentary audit, the JCS said that the state-run Agency for Defense Development has been working to develop core technologies for a rocket interception system that employs a "hit-to-kill" platform.The project comes amid concerns that the South is not sufficiently ready to h

The South Korean and US navies on Monday kicked off massive combined drills off the coast of the peninsula amid heightened tensions.The allies plan to continue the Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise through Friday in the East Sea and the Yellow Sea, also known as the West Sea.It involves the US 7th Fleet's aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers -- the USS Stethem (DDG-63) and the USS Mustin (DDG-89).The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), a U.S. airc

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Saturday emphasized the significance of the "regular deployment of US strategic assets" to the peninsula, citing continued North Korean threats.He made the comments while visiting the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN-727), which arrived at the Busan naval port on Friday for a routine tour. Defense Minister Song Young-moo and members of the National Assembly defense committee pose after visiting the US nuclear-powered submarine

The US said Friday it will dispatch a B-1B Lancer strategic bomber, F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets and several other types of key defense assets to a Seoul airshow to be held next week."Approximately 200 US personnel are expected to participate in the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2017, scheduled from Oct. 17-22 at the Seoul K-16 airport," the 7th Air Force said in a statement. (Yonhap)Among the US military aircraft to join the biennial event are the F-22 Raptor,

A guided-missile US nuclear-powered submarine arrived in South Korea Friday for a routine visit, the US Navy announced.The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN-727) arrived at the southern port of Busan as part of a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific, it said.It marks the sub's first visit here in nearly six months. The USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered submarine, arrives at the port of Busan in South Korea. (Yonhap)"The US and ROK (South Korea) navies have alw