South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo warned Tuesday that his country will launch a pre-emptive strike if there are clear signs of an imminent North Korean missile attack.His remarks came two days after the communist state fired another ballistic missile, which it claimed was a mid- to long-range missile capable of carrying a "large-size, heavy" nuclear warhead and targeting the continental United States. Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a parliamentary session at the National Ass

A high-profile US naval strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson, is staying near the Korean Peninsula on an open-ended mission, a defense official here said Tuesday.The San Diego-based aircraft carrier arrived in Korean waters late last month as a show of force against North Korea.The USS Carl Vinson, a US aircraft carrier, stages a joint exercise with South Korean warships. (Navy)It is apparently supposed to be replaced by the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which has its homeport in Japan

South Korea's defense authorities have raised the cybersecurity alert level by one notch amid reports of fast-spreading ransomware that may be linked to North Korea, an official said Tuesday.Many networks worldwide have been disrupted by the "WannaCry" malware. Some security researchers say the North may be behind the cyber assault. (Yonhap-ESTsecurity)The Joint Chiefs of Staff has already elevated the stage of "INFOCON," an information-related defense alert system, to Level 3 from Level 4, the

WASHINGTON -- The US THAAD missile defense battery recently installed in South Korea is now capable of intercepting North Korean missiles, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, amid heightened tensions in the wake of Pyongyang's latest missile test."This system has the ability to defeat North Korean missiles and clearly ... North Korean missiles are a threat to the region and very destabilizing," Capt. Jeff Davis said during a briefing at the Foreign Press Center. (Yonhap)"We recently completed the

The Defense Ministry has embarked on its review on the military reform plan from President Moon Jae-in, who pledged during the election campaign to shorten the period of conscription from the current 21 months to 18 months.After peaking at 36 months during the Park Chung-hee regime, the military service term -- based on the army -- has continued to reduce over the past few decades. It was 26 months between 1993 and 2003 and 24 months between 2003 and 2010.

South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it has started working-level preparations for the implementation of reform measures proposed by President Moon Jae-in during his campaign."With regard to the presidential campaign pledges on the defense sector, of course, we are reviewing conditions and ways for implementation," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters. (Yonhap)Moon's promises include shortening the service period for conscripted soldiers to 18 mo

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump severely berated National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster for undermining his efforts to get South Korea to pay for the THAAD missile defense system deployed to the country, a news report said Tuesday.The reprimand came after McMaster called his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, and assured him that Trump's demand for Seoul to pay for the $1 billion missile defense system was not official policy, Bloomberg reported, citing unidentified White House off

A United States warship collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in the East Sea on Tuesday, while conducting a joint military drill, the two countries’ militaries said. US cruiser USS Lake Champlain clashed with South Korean fishing ship 502 Namyang about 83 kilometers south of Ulleung Island at around noon, according to South Korea’s military. US-led Combined Forces Command also confirmed the incident.  Fishing ship 502 Namyang (Yonhap)There were no casualties and the exact cause of the inc

South Korea's defense authorities said Monday they are maintaining a heightened state of alert against a possible provocation by North Korea on the eve of the presidential election here.In recent months, there have been increased military tensions on the peninsula amid a series of the North's ballistic missile launches and speculation that it may conduct another nuclear test or fire a long-range rocket. Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (Yonhap)"We are maintaining

South Korea's Marine Corps commander inspected front-line troops near the tense maritime border Thursday and stressed any provocations by North Korea will be met with bold retaliations."Commander, Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo made an unannounced visit to the Yeonpyeong unit of the front-line Udo Island and carried out an operation inspection," the Marine Corps said. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo (Yonhap)The set of forefront islands lie just below the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border with North Korea,

A top US commander was found Wednesday to have said the country is working to create a “fully-integrated” regional missile defense scheme that includes South Korea, fueling controversy over the deployment of a US missile shield that US President Donald Trump wants Seoul to pay $1 billion for. Controversy has persisted over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here, which China argues constitutes Seoul’s de facto participation in the US-led global missile defense progra

North Korea said Wednesday that it has detained an American man for conducting "criminal acts of hostility" aimed at overturning the country.The man identified as Kim Sang-dok was arrested at Pyongyang's international airport on April 22, according to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). (Yonhap)"He was intercepted for committing criminal acts of hostility aimed to overturn the DPRK not only in the past but also during his last stay before interception," the KCNA said in an E

South Korea did not have any prior knowledge that the US might charge it for the deployment of a new missile shield, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, as controversy escalated here over US President Donald Trump’s surprise remark last week about possibly billing Korea $1 billion for the system, which the allies said is now “operational” with “initial capability.” The presidential office’s clarification came in response to a local report that claimed that a transition team for then President-elect Trum