Around 1,000 US airmen and fighter jets have teamed up with South Korea's Air Force in a joint combat training to ensure their readiness against North Korea's provocations, the Pacific Command announced Monday.The two-week Max Thunder exercise, one of the largest military flying exercises held annually in South Korea, is scheduled to run though April 28 at Kunsan Air Base in the southwest of the peninsula.South Korean and US fighter jets fly together in the 2016 Max Thunder exercise in this file

South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it will earmark 246.5 billion won ($218 million) to enhance its cybersecurity over five years to fend off growing threats from North Korean hackers. The ministry's plan to develop technology and train manpower for cyberwarfare was included in its midterm defense plan for 2018 to 2022.   An image of North Korea's cyberattacks in a photo provided by Yonhap News TV (Yonhap)The North has continued to improve its cyberwarfare capabilities. Most recently, its

South Korea will lease several military spy satellites from a foreign country next year and speed up the improvement of its combat power against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Ministry of National Defense announced Friday.It plans to pour 238.2 trillion won ($210 billion) into a number of projects aimed at boosting the country's military firepower between 2018 and 2022 under the revised mid-term national defense blueprint. Hyunmoo-3 cruise missiles. (Yonhap)The South, which has a

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday ordered the military to maintain a full readiness posture against "highly possible" provocations by the North ahead of its key anniversaries this month.Hwang made the remarks during a rare visit to the Army's Special Warfare Command, which he touted as a core war-fighting force capable of retaliating "strongly and decisively" if provoked. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (C) visits the Special Warfare Co

The new commander of South Korea's Marine Corps took office on Thursday calling on his 30,000 troops to be ready to "mercilessly retaliate" against North Korea's provocations.In a change-of-commander ceremony, Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo pointed out that the elite forces have played a key role in the front-line defense of the country. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo, new commander of South Korea's Marine Corps, in a photo provided by his office. (Yonhap)"The Marine Corps has protected places most difficult to def

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group heading to the Korean Peninsula has "no particular objective in its current course."Tillerson made the remark during a joint news conference in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in response to a question whether the US dispatch of the massive strike group signifies plans for military intervention in North Korea. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (Yonhap)"The Carl

Hundreds of white hackers and cybersecurity experts from both home and abroad gathered in South Korea to reinforce and show off their skills against hacking attacks.The Codegate 2017 International Hacking Competition and Global IT and Security Conference opened in Seoul for a three-day run. The annual event, the 10th of its kind, is hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.Audrey Tang, Taiwan's new digital minster, speaks during the Codegate 2017 International Hacking Competiti

Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday inspected a combined logistics training with US forces under way on the southeastern coast of the peninsula, the JCS said.Lee visited the exercise site in Pohang, North Geyongsang Province, along with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea.Gen. Lee Sun-jin (2nd from L), chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, shakes hands with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea, at Osa

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the top commander of US Forces Korea, has decided to skip upcoming congressional hearings in Washington DC to stay focused on his duty here amid increased tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the USFK announced Tuesday.He was supposed to attend the Armed Service Committee hearings to be held later this month for testimony, a routine activity for the leader of 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the top commander of

South Korea on Monday announced the appointment of a new Marine Corps commander while delaying the regular reshuffling of other top military officers until after the May presidential election. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo named to command South Korea's Marine Corps is shown in this photo provided by the unit. (Yonhap)Maj. Gen. Jun Jin-goo, currently deputy commander of the Marine Corps, has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and will assume command of the Marine Corps later this week, the d

Following the missile strike on a Syrian government air base, the US has sent a strike group toward the Korean Peninsula to bolster Washington’s presence in the region, as North Korea appears closer to conducting another nuclear and missile test. The Carl Vinson Strike Group is moving toward the peninsula after stopping in Singapore. The carrier strike group was originally scheduled to sail to Australia until the US Pacific Command changed its itinerary to the Western Pacific.The USS Carl Vinson

The South Korean Air Force is pushing to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to better defend its air bases across the country, officials said Sunday.The Air Force has recently commissioned a research project into the use of drones for operations over air bases, the officials said. (Yonhap)Currently closed-circuit television and other surveillance assets are used but the Air Force is seeking to further enhance monitoring around air bases with core assets including combat jets, air control systems an