South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday reiterated Seoul's determination to press ahead with the installation of a US missile defense system to the peninsula despite strong objections from China and liberal opposition parties.During a joint commissioning ceremony of major military academies, Hwang underscored the need to install a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in the South to cope with North Korea's possible nuclear provocations.Acting President

The powerful "X-band" radar, a core part of the advanced US missile defense system being deployed in South Korea, will be delivered within this month, a military official said Wednesday.On Monday night, two missile launchers and other equipment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul."X-band" radar (Yonhap)"The radar system for THAAD will be delivered within this month to undergo an operational test," the official tol

In a surprise move, South Korea and the United States began deploying the highly controversial anti-missile system here, just hours after North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles that it said were aimed at US bases in Japan. The allies confirmed Tuesday that two launchers of the US’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system arrived in South Korea’s Osan Air Base late Monday via the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. They are the first batch of the missile defense system designed to enhan

A US missile defense system being deployed here is expected to enhance the capabilities of Seoul and Washington to counter Pyongyang's escalating missile threats, though it may not be a panacea, officials and experts here said Tuesday.The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system will form an effective multiple-interception system at the terminal phase when it goes together with the PAC-3 system, they said. THAAD is designed to intercept short and mid-range missiles which have a range of up to

South Korea will stick to its policy of keeping the Korean Peninsula free of any nuclear weapons, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid growing talk of the US' possible deployment of its tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea to tackle North Korea's nuclear threats."I am aware that the various opinions are laid out amid North Korea's ever-increasing nuclear threats," ministry spokesman Cho Jung-hyuck said in a press briefing, referring to a recent US news report that the Donald Trump administ

The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that its annual excavation work for the remains of South Korean soldiers who fell during the 1950-53 Korean War will kick off in Gapyeong, east of Seoul, next Monday.This year's excavation will continue through Nov. 10 in fiercely contested areas during the war, the ministry said. (Yonhap)Some 100,000 soldiers will participate in the eight-month project with a goal of excavating about 700 remains of soldiers killed during the war and identifying them

The United States has begun the process of deploying an advanced missile defense system to South Korea, the US and South Korean militaries said Tuesday, a day after North Korea test-fired four ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan.Seoul and Washington have said the system is purely defensive and poses no threat to other countries in the region. But China has explicitly opposed it, saying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system's powerful radars could be used against it.Parts of THAAD

The South Korean government and the ruling party agreed on the need to push for more "effective" sanctions to counter North Korea's persistent provocations Tuesday, a day after Pyongyang fired off four ballistic missiles into the East Sea.The government and the Liberty Korea Party also agreed to closely communicate with Washington through the two-plus-two consultative institution, a key dialogue channel involving top defense and diplomatic officials, the party's policy chief Lee Hyun-jae told re

Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Monday that South Korea is capable of defending itself from any missiles launched by North Korea, after Pyongyang fired four projectiles earlier in the day.During his meeting with lawmakers, Han said North Korean missiles targeting the (southern part of) Korean Peninsula can be blocked with the South's defense systems under development, such as long-range surface-to-air missiles, mid-range surface-to-air missiles, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batte

The possibility of the United States redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on South Korean soil to counter North Korea’s evolving military threat is expected to fuel a fresh debate on national defense, sources said Sunday.The debate comes as the weekend issue of the New York Times reported that in the most recent meeting of US President Donald Trump’s national security deputies, discussion took place on the option of basing tactical nukes on the Korean Peninsula.The news outlet said the exchange

South Korea and the United States conducted a joint exercise last month to seize and destroy North Korean weapons of mass destruction, according to the US military.More than 400 soldiers, including 200 Korean Army soldiers, took part in the Warrior Strike 5 exercise at a live fire complex in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, from Feb. 14-17, the US 2nd Infantry Division's Web page showed. In this photo taken during a joint exercise to counter WMDs held last month in Pocheon, just north of S

South Korea will push forward with the installation of an advanced US missile defense system despite objections raised by China, Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Friday"The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery is a vital defense measure to meet national security needs and protect people's lives from North Korea's nuke and missile threats. I reiterate that it will not affect any other third country," Hwang said. "As China's protest against the deploy

The US Air Force's F-35B stealth fighter will take part in the ongoing Foal Eagle joint exercise with South Korea to hone its precision strike capabilities, military officials familiar with the matter said Thursday. The F-35B Lightening II fighter is expected to carry out ground attack maneuvers during the two-month-long exercise between Seoul and Washington, the officials told Yonhap News Agency asking not to be identified.  In this photo taken on Oct. 25, 2016, and provided by the US Departmen

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Finland held talks in Seoul on Thursday to enhance bilateral defense relations, military officials said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Finnish counterpart Jussi Niinistö discussed measures to promote military exchanges and defense industry cooperation, the defense ministry said in a statement. Finnish counterpart Jussi Niinistö (Defense Ministry)Han briefed Niinistö on threats posed by the North's nuclear and missile programs, the statement said."He as

The security chiefs of South Korea and the US on Wednesday vowed to accelerate bilateral efforts to station an advanced US missile defense system here, as the allies kicked off a joint annual military exercise designed to defend against North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations. During their first phone call, National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster reaffirmed the need to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here “without a