The United States believes the ongoing deployment of the THAAD missile defense system has nothing to do with the political situation in South Korea because it's a "very utterly reasonable step" against North Korean threats, a senior State Department official said Monday.Acting Assistant Secretary Susan Thornton made the remark during a Foreign Press Center briefing previewing Secretary of State Rex Tilleron's upcoming trip to Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing as South Korea prepares to elect a new leader

South Korea and the US launched their annual Key Resolve military exercise Monday, which involves scenarios for the employment of US anti-missile assets and special warfare forces tasked with removing North Korea’s leadership in a contingency. For the first time, the allies are expected to apply an operational guideline to use the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery during the initial phase of the computer-based drill to intercept incoming ballistic missiles from the North. Fighter jets,

Boeing has won a five-year contract to continue to provide maintenance services for South Korea's F-15K aircraft, the US aircraft company said Monday.Boeing has been sustaining the Korean Air Force's F-15K fleet since 2012, the St. Louis-based aircraft maker said in a statement released on Sunday (US time)."This approach guarantees materials and technical support required for aircraft maintenance over many years while managing costs," Tim Buerk, director of Boeing's F-15 sustainment in the Far E

The United States will deploy an unmanned attack aircraft to its military unit in South Korea to enhance its strike capabilities against ground targets in North Korea, a military official said Monday. "The US Army has begun the process to dispatch a squadron, which will operate the Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft, to a US unit in Gunsan (274 kilometers south of Seoul)," the official told Yonhap News Agency asking not to be identified.Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft (Yonhap)Escalating nuclear and missi

South Korea's Air Force said Monday that they are conducting a weeklong air combat exercise this week to practice their readiness against possible provocations from North Korea and their counterattack operations.Some 50 Air Force assets, including the F-15K and FA-50 fighters, and 500 airmen from 15 Air Force units are mobilized for the drill which began last Friday, the Air Force said in a statement.Air Force fighters participating in a drill. (Yonhap)The "Soaring Eagle" exercise, which runs th

Top South Korean and US military officials on Sunday visited an aircraft carrier taking part in the ongoing joint military exercises, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. JCS Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin and Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of US forces in South Korea, visited the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during the annual drill. "The aircraft carrier group's participation in the Foal Eagle exercise shows that US strategic assets could be deployed at any time to the K

South Korea and the United States will begin the Key Resolve joint military exercise Monday amid heightening tensions following the North's recent missile test and the killing of its leader's half brother, the defense ministry said.The computer-simulated command post exercise will be held until March 24.During the period the ministry plans to heighten the level of alertness against the North's possible provocations. The allies are also conducting Foal Eagle, a field training exercise involving g

The South Korean Army plans to study ways to introduce "swarming warfare" in its tactical operations, which uses scores of drones equipped with high explosive bombs, a military official here said Sunday. "We're planning to make a full-fledged research on applying military swarming, which is already in operational use in the United States, China and Russia, to our ground and naval operations," the official said. A group of 300 drones flies at a military festival at South Korea's military headquar

South Korea's top military officials on Friday called for vigilance against any possible North Korean provocations following the Constitutional Court's ruling to remove President Park Geun-hye from office. In a video conference with military commanders, Defense Minister Han Min-koo told them to maintain watertight vigilance against the North, the defense ministry said in a statement. In this photo, taken on March 10, 2017, and provided by the defense ministry, Defense Minister Han Min-koo holds

South Korea's military on Friday vowed to push ahead with the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system "as quickly as possible," unaffected by the political crisis following the ouster of President Park Geun-hye.Currently, Seoul and Washington plan to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea in a couple of months. (Yonhap)As the Constitutional Court approved the president's impeachment, the allies are expected to advance the deployment before a presidentia

South Korea plans to send more than 130 soldiers to the United Arab Emirates Friday to replace a similar number of service members tasked with boosting bilateral military cooperation, the defense ministry said.The 139-strong unit, composed of the Navy's UDT/SEAL and other special operation forces, will carry out the duty of helping train the Middle Eastern country's special forces and protect South Korean residents there in case of an emergency, the ministry said in a statement. In this photo ta

South Korea's foreign minister called for diplomats stationed overseas on Friday to do their utmost in assuring host countries that there will be no change in policy direction even after the president was impeached, the ministry said.(Yonhap)Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se made the appeal in a telegram sent to diplomats working at the country's overseas missions after the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Park Geun-hye over a massive influence-peddling scandal.The court ruling immedia

South Korea's military said Thursday the joint annual exercises with the United States will continue as planned one day after China requested a halt. On Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed that North Korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities in return for a halt in the war drills by Seoul and Washington. Defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun (Yonhap)In response, Moon Sang-gyun, spokesman for South Korea's defense ministry, said in a press briefing, "The joint exercise

The US THAAD missile defense system being installed in South Korea is "critical" to defending the Asian ally from North Korean threats, the White House said Wednesday."We're very troubled by the launch of missiles that have occurred from North Korea. I think that's why the THAAD missile system that we've started to deploy into South Korea is so important," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said at a regular briefing."We're continuing to work with the government of South Korea to make sure