South Korea plans to complete the mass production and deployment of additional K-2 main battle tanks by 2020, three years behind the original target date, due to technical setbacks, the state arms agency said Friday.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration initially sought the domestic supply of a powerpack, which comprises transmission and engine, for the second round of mass production, in preference to the German-designed one used for the previous production run, which began in 2013.But

 South Korea and the United States will next month endorse a draft plan to establish a new command structure that will be applied when Seoul takes back wartime operational control of its country’s troops from Washington, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday. 　The scheme will be approved when the allies’ defense leaders hold their annual Military Committee Meeting and Security Consultative Meeting from Oct. 27-28 in Seoul, said the ministry in a report submitted to lawmakers during the first pa

The South Korean and US militaries will soon formalize a plan to create a new combined command, which will become effective when Seoul regains its wartime operational control of the country's troops, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.The allies plan to approve the scheme in their annual Military Committee Meeting and Security Consultative Meeting later this month, it told lawmakers.The MCM is an annual session involving the chairmen of the allies' joint chiefs of staff. This year's

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo has ordered the military to take measures to fend off North Korea's hacking attempts, his ministry said Thursday.The move came amid public criticism of the defense authorities over a fresh allegation that the North's hackers stole a vast cache of classified military documents in 2016. This image, provided by Yonhap News TV, represents hacking into the South Korean defense ministry`s database. (Yonhap)The leaked data includes a South Korea-US wartime o

South Korea's Navy said Wednesday it will soon begin a joint naval mine warfare exercise with the United States off the peninsula's southeastern coast.The two sides plan to kick off the weeklong training Saturday following a related symposium hosted by Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, who commands US Naval Forces Korea, it added.The three-day forum, which starts Thursday, will be joined by representatives from nine other countries -- South Africa, New Zealand, Britain, Japan, Canada, Thailand, Turkey, Aus

South Korea is short of critical military repair parts that should be in stock for possible combat operations, a lawmaker said Wednesday, warning the shortage could "considerably" hinder wartime missions.Citing reports from the defense ministry, Rep. Kim Hack-yong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said that the military had set a goal of acquiring 653,000 repair parts last year, but its actual stockpile stood at 512,000, or 78.4 percent of the target figure. This photo, taken Aug. 31, 2

A US nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine arrived in South Korea last weekend as part of its regional deployment, the US military announced Wednesday.The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) made a port call in Jinhae, also known as Chinhae, in the country's southeastern region Saturday, according to the Pacific Command."With a crew of approximately 150, Tucson can conduct a multitude of missions and maintain proficiencies of the latest capabilities of the submarine fleet," t

Two B-1B strategic bombers of the US Air Force trained with South Korea's fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula earlier this week in yet another show of force against North Korea, the allies said Wednesday.The bombers from Guam entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone at around 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, according to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff.They staged a simulated air-to-ground missile firing drill with two F-15K fighters over the East Sea and flew across the peninsula, it said.The

South Korea has successfully developed a combat system for its envisioned 3,000-ton attack submarine, the state arms agency announced Tuesday.The country plans to build a total of nine 3,000-ton submarines with its own technology in the Chang Bogo III project and the first is scheduled to be launched next year, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.They will replace the Navy's nine aging 1,200-ton subs in stages. It also has nine 1,800-ton diesel-electric ones. An image of

　South Korea’s arms maker Hanhwa Techwin has showcased a self-propelled howitzer in a major international trade show of weapons currently taking place in Washington, the US, the Seoul-based company said Monday.  　The K-9 Thunder was displayed at the 2017 Annual Meeting & Exposition of the Association of the United States Army, which is one of the biggest international military exhibitions in the Americas. It will run through Wednesday, local time. 　“South Korea has been an importer of US weapons

　South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it plans to use artificial intelligence in military operations to assist battle commanders in making informed decisions during a combat.　The ministry is seeking to develop the AI-based system by 2025 to support commanders’ decision-making process. The envisioned system will be distributed to front-line units following extensive field tests. 　Once it becomes operational, commanders will be able to rely on the intelligence provided by AI to come up

 　Bullying, violence and abuse occur most frequently among the Marines than in any other military branch, a lawmaker said Monday.　The number of Marines punished for military law violations in the past five years is more than twice that of the Army, Navy and Air Force, said Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the People’s Party, citing data from the Defense Ministry. 　A total of 69 Marines were convicted and punished by the military court, compared to 28 in the Army, 27 in the Navy and 24 in the Air Force. Mari

The recent death of a South Korean Army soldier near a local shooting range has been attributed to a "stray bullet" caused by poor fire safety procedures, the defense ministry said Monday.The findings come after it conducted a 10-day special investigation into the death of the 22-year-old private first class late last month.He was hit by a bullet in the head while walking back to his base in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, after carrying out some construction work. The firing range was located about

Defense companies belonging to South Korea's Hanwha Group have participated in a major defense expo underway in Washington D.C., as they strive to tap into the vast US and Latin American markets, coprporate sources said Monday.Hanwha is operating a booth at the AUSA 2017 Annual Meeting & Exposition that opened earlier in the day. Hosted by the Association of the United States Army, and attended by more than 600 defense companies from around the world. The annual event is scheduled to run through

South Korea plans to use artificial intelligence to assist local commanders make appropriate and timely decisions, a military source here said Monday. The source said the Ministry of Defense is working to establish an AI system by 2025 to help the decision making process at operational commands and it plans to distribute the system to local units after extensive field tests. Once the machine-assisted decision making system is set up and operational, military commanders will be able to use it as