South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo stressed Monday there will be no "compromise or concession" on issues directly related to national security when inspecting the ongoing annual combined military training with the United States.In contemporary wars, he said, it's important to secure the capability of sustaining fighting if necessary through the rapid deployment of additional troops and stable logistical support, he said. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a visit to

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived at a port in Busan on Wednesday to take part in the annual military drills by Seoul and Washington in a naval show of force against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier made a port call at a naval base in South Korea’s Fleet Command, along with the Carrier Air Wing 2 and USS Wayne E. Meyer destroyer, which constitute Carrier Strike Group 1. The group left San Diego on Jan. 5 and arrived in the

The ongoing deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea is a self-defense measure aimed solely at North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, a senior foreign ministry official here said Wednesday.South Korea and the US recently started the process of installing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.They said that it is aimed at better coping with the North's missile threats, but China has voiced strong objection claiming that the shield equipped with a strong radar could be u

Marine Corps officials from South Korea and the United States on Wednesday called on troops to stay vigilant against  threats of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction.South Korean Marine Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Lee Sang-hoon and Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, visited the 6th brigade on Baengnyeong Island near the western maritime border with North Korea, to check military readiness against the North and discuss countermeasures, the

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier on Wednesday arrived at South Korea's southern port of Busan to participate in the ongoing joint exercises by Seoul and Washington in the latest show of force against North Korea, the US military said.The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is anchored at the port of Busan on March 15, 2017. (Yonhap)The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier plans to conduct bilateral exercises with forces from the South Korean Navy in the waters around the Korean Peninsula during the

South Korea's presidential security advisor said Wednesday he will hold talks with his US counterpart this week over North Korea's growing military threats and ways to further strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance.Kim Kwan-jin, the chief of the National Security Office, made the remarks shortly before departing for Washington for talks with H.R. McMaster, the US national security adviser. Kim will stay in the US capital for two days and return home on Friday. Kim Kwan-jin, the chief of the Na

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is to arrive at South Korea on Wednesday to participate in the allies’ annual military exercise as an extended deterrence measure against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, the US military said Tuesday. USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, including its flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Carrier Air Wing 2 and USS Wayne E. Meyer destroyer, will make a port call at a naval base in Busan, according to US Naval Forces Korea. USS

South Korea has reorganized the public security ministry to beef up its emergency response capability, officials said Tuesday, in the wake of North Korea's recent missile provocations and its apparent use of a lethal chemical agent to kill its leader's half brother.The Ministry of Public Safety and Security has elevated the status of its emergency civil defense policy division by putting it under the vice minister's office and created a crisis management support team tasked with preparing agains

South Korean Army commandos conducted an exercise Tuesday to simulate fending off North Korean terrorist attacks.About 200 special operations forces joined the one-day drill in the compound of the Army's 2nd Operational Command in Daegu, 302 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Army.A total of 18 military helicopters were mobilized, practicing quickly transporting backup forces to battle fields or strategically relocating combat forces.Under a scenario of the North Korean military carryin

South Korea's defense minister on Tuesday stressed the importance of joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, saying that they will help bolster the South's defensive power, ministry officials said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo made the remark during his visit to the command post of South Korea-US Combined Forces Command as the allies kicked off their military drills on March 1.Defense Minister Han Min-koo visits the Marine Corps Command in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on Feb. 20, 2017

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn ordered troops Tuesday to be on guard against North Korea's possible provocations in the wake of President Park Geun-hye's ouster.Hwang made the remark during a visit to the wartime command post of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where South Korea-US military drills are under way. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)It marked his first on-site inspection since the Constitutional Court ruled to dismiss Park over a corruption scand

South Korea, Japan and the United States began a missile warning drill meant to enhance trilateral cooperation in detecting and tracing North Korean missiles, the South Korean Navy said Tuesday.During the simulation exercise in the sea between South Korea and Japan, three Aegis-equipped destroyers -- Sejongdaewang from South Korea, Curtis Wilbur from the US and Kirishima from Japan -- will detect and trace a mock hostile target fired as if by the North, according to the Navy.The three countries

The US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson plans to arrive in South Korea this week for joint military drills in the country, the US military said Monday, in the latest show of force against North Korea.The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, which will lead the Carl Vinson Strike Group, is set to make a port call in Busan, about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Wednesday to participate in the allies' annual drills.USFK Commander Vincent K. Brooks (far left) and Seoul's JCS Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin (4

The US plan to deploy a military drone in South Korea is part of efforts to bolster defenses for the Asian ally and American interests against North Korean threats in addition to the THAAD missile defense system, the State Department said Monday.State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner made the remark, confirming Yonhap News Agency's report that the US Army plans to permanently station a Gray Eagle unmanned aerial system company at Gunsan Air Base in South Korea to enhance its strike capabil