US President Donald Trump on Wednesday proclaimed July 27 as the national day to honor the American troops who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.That date, which falls on Thursday, is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that ended the conflict. "On National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, we honor the patriots who defended the Korean Peninsula against the spread of communism in what became the first major conflict of the Cold War," Trump said in a statement released by hi

The South Korean military will stop sending conscription letters to citizens reported missing, said the Military Manpower Administration on Wednesday. The military vowed to update its conscription legislation by conducting in-depth background research into potential soldiers. The current law allows the government to dispatch the letters to missing people if they hold an officially registered residence on record.  (Yonhap)The law had been the subject of controversy for its perceived lack of emoti

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Wednesday emphasized the need for closer cooperation with the United States to handle security risks on the peninsula.During an introductory meeting with Marc Knapper, the acting US ambassador to Seoul, the minister reaffirmed his commitment to a stronger alliance."The current security conditions on the Korean Peninsula are graver than any other time due to the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities," Song told the envoy in t

The US initially proposed deploying nine launchers of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile shield, instead of the typical six for one battery, during its consultations with South Korea last year, a government source told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. The official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details of the negotiations, said Washington floated the idea in the run-up to the two sides’ launch of a joint working group on the matter in March 2016. Wary

 　South Korea’s push for stronger ballistic missiles may boost its deterrence capability against North Korea, but it would require a renegotiation of a military pact with the US and may prompt opposition from China, experts said Tuesday.　In his first summit with US President Donald Trump last month, President Moon Jae-in floated the idea that the bilateral missile guideline pact be revised so that Seoul can double the maximum payload of its ballistic missile warheads from the current 500 kilogra

A C-130H transport plane from South Korea's Air Force left for the United States on Tuesday to join a multinational exercise.The Air Force said it is also sending 30 service members to the inaugural Mobility Guardian training organized by the US Air Mobility Command slated for early August.It is the command's largest regular drill, replacing the Air Mobility Rodeo, and focuses on airdropping paratroopers and cargo, as well as in-air refueling and medical evacuation missions. South Korean Air For

The United States will soon carry out another test of its THAAD missile defense system, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, amid heightened concerns about North Korea's missile and nuclear capabilities.The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is designed to intercept short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their final phase of flight.The last time the US tested THAAD, earlier this month, it said it successfully intercepted an intermediate-range missile target from the Pacific Spac

The South Korean government is pushing to revise the missile guidelines developed with the United States to double the maximum weight of warheads on Seoul's ballistic missiles from the current 500 kilograms to counter growing threats from the North, sources said Monday.The Seoul government proposed the revision in line with the Seoul-Washington summit last month, and is known to be planning to begin talks regarding the issue during the annual Security Consultative Meeting and the Korea-US Integr

South Korea plans to hold working-level talks with Ethiopia and Uganda this week on promoting bilateral military partnerships, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.A government delegation, led by Brig. Gen. Park Chul-kyun, deputy director general for international policy at the ministry, will make a weeklong trip to the African nations for the inaugural defense policy consultations with them. Moon Jae-in, elected South Korea`s new president, speaks to reporters while clad in a military u

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense plans to overhaul the cyber and security commands that have been under criticism for excessive oversight on civilian and military affairs during past conservative governments, military officials said Sunday. 　Led by new defense chief Song Young-moo, the overhaul measure would aim to prevent Cyber Command from interfering with domestic politics and Defense Security Command from surveilling innocent civilians and military officers.　“The move would include

Korea's foreign ministry will soon craft a mid-term plan to beef up cybersecurity measures, an official said Sunday.The move comes as government offices and other public agencies here face growing cyberthreats. The foreign ministry's website has been threatened by DDoS, or distributed denial of service, attack attempts amid the worldwide spread of ransomware. (Yonhap)The ministry plans to sign a contract with an outside cybersecurity agency next month to draw up the 2018-2022 road map within thi

The South Korean government has dropped a plan to conduct an on-site survey this week on THAAD electromagnetic radiation joined by local residents, an official said Friday.There have been public concerns here about electromagnetic radiation in areas near the US military base in Seongju, some 300 km southeast of Seoul, where a THAAD missile defense battery is in partial operation to help counter North Korea's ballistic missile threats.The THAAD system uses AN/TPY-2 radar, also known as X-band rad

President Moon Jae-in’s plan to reduce conscripted soldiers’ mandatory military service sparked debate Thursday, amid growing concerns over a shortage of young draftees and North Korea’s escalating military threat. 　The government says the measure is part of a bigger plan to transform the Army into a more modernized force based on career military officers, but critics warn that it runs the risk of undermining the country’s fundamental military capability, if confronted by the 1.2 million-strong

The chief executive of Korea Aerospace Industries offered to resign Thursday as the prosecutorial probe into the country’s sole aircraft manufacturer is expected to further expand on President Moon Jae-in’s vows to eradicate defense industry corruption. The prosecution is currently scrutinizing the allegations that KAI Chief Executive Ha Sung-yong created slush funds and illegally lobbied Cheong Wa Dae officials and lawmakers for his reappointment in May 2016. Earlier this week, its suppliers we

A contingent of South Korean troops in Lebanon commemorated the 10th anniversary of deployment there this week, military authorities in Seoul said Thursday. South Korean troops in Lebanon conduct a reconnaissance mission in this undated file photo provided by South Korea`s military. (Yonhap)The Dongmyeong unit, based in Tyre, a southern city close to the border with Israel, is the longest-serving South Korean force abroad, as it's active in support of the peacekeeping operation of the UN Interim