The South Korean government will hold counter-terror drills later this month as part of its preparations for the upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup, Seoul officials said Tuesday. (Yonhap)The drills will be held in Suwon, some 46 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 16 to practice procedures to respond to a number of terrorism scenarios. The international competition is slated to take place in six cities -- Suwon, Jeonju, Incheon, Daejeon, Cheonan and Jeju -- from May 20 through June 11.The scenarios for

American troops in South Korea confirmed Tuesday that their advanced missile defense system, called THAAD, has been put into operation despite controversies over its deployment here and cost."US Forces Korea confirms the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is operational and has the ability to intercept North Korean missiles and defend the Republic of Korea," the USFK's spokesman Col. Rob Manning said in an emailed statement.He was calling South Korea by its official name.(Yonhap)The anno

South Korea said Tuesday former and current US Forces Korea service members will launch a new fraternity association in Washington DC this week after years of preparations, adding it would be the largest pro-Seoul group there.The Korea Defense Veterans Association will be born in a ceremony to be held at the official residence of the South Korean ambassador to the US on Wednesday (local time), according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.It will have as many as 3.5 million members

WASHINGTON -- The US THAAD missile defense system installed in South Korea is now operational, a US defense official was quoted Monday as saying."It has reached initial intercept capability," the unidentified official told AFP.(Yonhap)The THAAD battery has been deployed in southeastern South Korea to defend better against North Korean threats, despite Chinese pretests that the system hurts its strategic deterrence.The battery has also been a focus of attention after US President Donald Trump dem

South Korea paid 932 billion won ($828 million) to host American soldiers here last year, according to government data. The amount that Seoul paid was in accordance with the allies’ defense cost-sharing agreement. It has increased by nearly nine times compared to 107 billion won in 1991, the first year when the contribution was paid officially.Seoul’s share of the cost of stationing nearly 28,000 US soldiers here is set out in the Special Measurement Agreement under the Status Forces Agreement b

Controversy continues as Trump administration hints at renegotiation

Security chiefs of South Korea and the United States reaffirmed the initial agreement on a US advanced missile defense system that Washington would shoulder expenses for deploying and operating the weapon system, Seoul’s presidential office said Sunday.The reassurance came amid growing jitters here over US President Donald Trump’s surprise remarks that South Korea should pay $1 billion for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, some of whose key components have arrived on the peninsula.

The USS Carl Vinson, a US aircraft carrier, on Saturday started a joint naval drill with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea amid heightened tensions from North Korea's failed ballistic missile launch earlier in the morning, defense officials here said."South Korea and US strike forces began a drill in the East Sea from 6 p.m. today against the backdrop of the current security situation," the South Korean Navy said. A photo of the USS Carl Vinson (Yonhap)No specific schedule for the rendezvous

South Korea and the United States on Sunday wrapped up their two-month combined defense drills amid unrelenting tensions on the Korean Peninsula."The Foal Eagle exercise is ending today as scheduled," a South Korean military official said. South Korean and US troops hold joint logistics drills in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, as part of their Foal Eagle exercise. (Yonhap)The allies kicked off the annual Foal Eagle drills, a major field-training exercise, at the start of March involving more

South Korea said Friday it has begun the construction of another large-scale amphibious landing ship to be used by the country's Navy.A keel-laying ceremony for the 14,500-ton vessel was held the day at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. in Busan, according to the state arms procurement agency. The ship, 199.4 meters long and 31 meters wide, is scheduled to be launched in April next year. It will be delivered to the Navy in 2020 after a trial operation, said the Defense A

Security chiefs of Seoul, Washington discuss “smooth” installment over telephone

A South Korean task force on the recovery of remains held a special event Thursday for foreign defense officials at embassies in Seoul as part of what it calls "defense diplomacy, marking the 10th anniversary of its establishment.The Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification at the Ministry of National Defense took note of the decisive help of 60 nations that sent troops and materials for South Korea fighting against the invading North Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War. Foreign defense officials at

The security chiefs of Seoul and Washington discussed the ongoing "smooth" installation of a US missile defense battery in South Korea on Thursday, a day after some of its key components were delivered to the deployment site in a southeastern county.National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and his US counterpart H.R. McMaster held a 25-minute telephone conversation over the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system and other security issues, Seoul's presidential office said i

South Korea's Navy will start the trial operation of an unmanned ship next month, the country's newly developed weapon mainly for use on the tense sea border with North Korea, the state arms procurement agency said Thursday.The Defense Acquisition Program Agency launched a 3.3 billion won ($2.9 million) project in late 2015 to develop an unmanned surface vessel in partnership with LIG Nex 1, a local defense firm. A newly developed unmanned surface vessel cuts through the water. (Defense Acquisit