WASHINGTON -- US concerns about President Moon Jae-in's policy could worsen after one of his special advisers suggested a willingness to consider scaling back joint military exercises with the US if North Korea freezes its nuclear and missile programs, experts said Sunday.Moon Chung-in, a Yonsei University professor serving as special presidential adviser for foreign and security affairs, made the remark during a Wilson Center seminar in Washington on Friday, saying President Moon has proposed t

WASHINGTON -- South Korea may consult with the United States about scaling back joint military exercises, such as downsizing the deployment of American strategic assets, if North Korea suspends nuclear and missile activities, an adviser to President Moon Jae-in said Friday.Moon Chung-in, a foreign affairs scholar and special presidential adviser, made the remark during a Wilson Center seminar in Washington, saying President Moon has proposed the idea as part of an incremental solution to the nuc

South Korea's defense ministry will soon launch a task force to craft a draft military reform plan in line with President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledges, officials said Sunday.Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk will lead the group to be created later this month. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a visit to the defense ministry on May 17, 2017. (Yonhap)It plans to draw up a report on defense reform measures and report it to a related special committee expected to be established under the presid

South Korea will soon begin the mass-production of its new mid-range hit-to-kill missile interceptor, code-named M-SAM, as it has passed an operational capability test, a defense official said Saturday.The M-SAM surface-to-air missile will serve as a core element of the country's Korea Air and Missile Defense System, currently in the making, against North Korea's threats. A file photo of a test of the Cheongung anti-aircraft missile in 2015. (Yonhap)"The prototype of the M-SAM (missile) to inter

South Korea's Navy said Thursday that it has kicked off an exercise on defending the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo, rebutting Japan's routine protest.The two-day training is part of efforts to defend Dokdo from the possible aggression of "outside forces," the Navy announced.It was apparently referring to Japan, which claims sovereignty over the Seoul-controlled islets in the East Sea.(Yonhap)This week's drill involves the 3,200-ton Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyer and six other ships

South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday called a recent drone infiltration, presumably by North Korea, a "grave" violation of the armistice agreement, saying his ministry will lodge a complaint through the Seoul-based UN Command."That a North Korean vehicle crossed the military demarcation line and flew into South Korean territory is a grave violation of the armistice agreement," Han told a parliamentary session. The accord halted the 1950-53 Korean War, but has left the two Kore

Thomas Shannon, US undersecretary of state for political affairs, plans to pay tribute to a South Korean soldier killed in Afghanistan, an informed source said Wednesday.Shannon is visiting here for meetings with South Korean officials mainly to discuss agenda items for the summit talks between the presidents of the two countries to be held later this month. Thomas Shannon, US undersecretary of state for political affairs (Yonhap)"He is scheduled to pay tribute to Army Sgt. Yoon Jang-ho in a vis

Maj. Gen. Yin Sung-hwan, the commander of the South Korean Army's 56th Infantry Division, was conferred the US Legion of Merit on Wednesday in recognition of his contribution to the combat capability of the allies.He is known for his expertise on the alliance and tireless efforts to help bolster it, having served as the deputy chief of the South Korea-US Combined Division for about a year from 2015. North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and test-launched a long-range missile during that

The defense ministers of South Korea and India will hold talks in Seoul later Wednesday on ways to deal with North Korea and expand bilateral military cooperation, Seoul's ministry said.It is the first meeting between the defense chiefs of the two countries in two years. Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a parliamentary session at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap)During the meeting with his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley, Defense Minister Han Min-koo will explain the security co

South Korean President Moon Jae-in appreciated the service of the allied forces against North Korea's military threats, paying a visit to the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command on Tuesday, the US Forces Korea said. Moon was greeted by Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of the CFC and the USFK, and Gen. Leem Ho-yong, deputy commander of the CFC, in his first visit to the US Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, where the CFC headquarters is located.President Moon Jae-in is escorted by Gen. Vince

Hanwha Group has pledged to donate $1 million to fraternities of former South Korean and US soldiers in a display of support for the alliance, company officials said Tuesday. Hanwha Techwin CEO Shin Hyun-woo (second from right) and other pro-alliance figures pose for pictures at the Alliance Dinner event for the Korea Defense Veterans Association and Korea-US Alliance Foundation held at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Monday. (Hanwha)The Seoul-headquartered conglomerate signed a sponsorship agreement

South Korea's vice defense minister recently made a visit to the deployment site of a US missile defense system amid political controversy here, an official said Tuesday.Suh Choo-suk, who took office last Wednesday, is a member of the inter-agency task force to follow up President Moon Jae-in's call for a review of "domestic procedures" associated with the deployment of THAAD at a former golf course in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.A THAAD interceptor

WASHINGTON -- South Korea could end up giving US President Donald Trump a pretext to pull American troops out of the country if it reverses the decision to host the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system, a US expert warned.Scott Snyder, chief Korea analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, made the case in an article in Forbes magazine after Seoul suspended the deployment of an additional four THAAD launchers pending an environmental assessment.(Yonhap)The remark suggests persisting

The United States Marine Corps. has brought light, off-road high mobility vehicles to South Korea to join an ongoing military drill, officials said Monday.The 3rd Marine Division stationed at a camp in Japan's Okinawa is conducting military maneuvers in South Korea by mobilizing US utility task vehicles, according to officials at the allies' marines. This image captured from the website of the US Defense Department on June 12, 2017, shows utility task vehicles which US Marine Corps. has brought