The Korea Herald

Korea, US reaffirm THAAD deployment in national security advisers' phone talks

Mar 1, 2017

The national security advisers of South Korea and the United States held their first phone conversation Wednesday and pledged to carry out the deployment of a US missile defense system here as planned, the presidential office said.Kim Kwan-jin, chief of South Korea's National Security Office, and H.R. McMaster, the Trump administration's national security adviser, agreed to respond firmly to North Korea's military provocations during their talks that lasted for 30 minutes, the presidential offic
Korea, US defense chiefs vow to fight against any attack

Mar 1, 2017

US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis assured South Korea that any attack on the United States and its allies will be defeated, as the two allies kicked off an annual joint military exercise sure to draw angry protests from North Korea. Mattis made the remark in a phone call Wednesday (Korean time) with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo as the two countries launched the annual Foal Eagle military exercise that North Korea has denounced as a rehearsal for invasion.US Defense Secretary James
Military, Lotte conclude land swap contract for THAAD

Feb 28, 2017

South Korea’s military and Lotte Group on Tuesday officially signed a contract to exchange the land needed to station a US missile defense system here, boosting efforts to accelerate the deployment despite mounting pushback from China. 　In a written statement, the Ministry of Defense said the military had concluded the land-swap deal with Lotte Group, who handed over its golf course in the southeastern rural country of Seongju to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and received a
S. Korea calls THAAD installation self-defense against NK threats

Feb 28, 2017

South Korea reiterated on Tuesday that the planned installment of an advanced US missile defense system on its oil is a "self-defense" measure against North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.The government pledged to take necessary steps to protect its companies from any unfair treatment in China amid growing concerns that Beijing will ramp up what appears to be retaliatory action against the planned installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. Foreign Ministry spoke
S. Korea, US to begin joint exercise Wednesday amid NK tensions

Feb 28, 2017

South Korea and the United States plan to kick off an annual joint military exercise Wednesday amid heightening tensions following the North's recent missile test and the death of its leader's half brother."The allies will begin the Foal Eagle exercise tomorrow, which lasts through the end of April, and the Key Resolve exercise will be held starting March 13," an official at the defense ministry told Yonhap News Agency. This undated Yonhap News TV image shows soldiers and strategic assets during
US Air Force in Korea conducts quarterly exercise

Feb 27, 2017

The US Air Force in South Korea is conducting a weeklong combat exercise amid growing threats from North Korea, the US Forces Korea said Monday. Aircraft and personnel assigned to the 51st Fighter Wing in Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, are participating in the Exercise Beverly Herd to sharpen their combat skills by simulating sorties in a realistic threat environment, the USFK said in a statement. (Yonhap)The exercise "provides the 51st Fighter Wing with the ability t
N. Korea operating regiment-level biochemical weapons unit: military

Feb 27, 2017

South Korea's military said Monday that Pyongyang is presumed to be operating a regiment-level biochemical weapons unit, highlighting the need for the country to be prepared for unconventional attacks.Seoul is paying more attention to Pyongyang's development of biochemical weapons after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam was killed in Malaysia earlier this month. The eldest son of late former leader Kim Jong-il died on Feb. 13 at an airport in Kuala Lumpur after apparent
S. Korea needs to accelerate THAAD installation to minimize damage: expert

Feb 27, 2017

South Korea needs to speed up its planned installment of a US advanced anti-missile system on its soil in a bid to minimize any damage stemming from China's strong opposition, a local expert said Monday.In July, Seoul and Washington unveiled their joint plan to place the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system on the Korean Peninsula by the end of this year as part of efforts to better counter the growing missile threat from North Korea. China has been staunch in its opposition, saying it cou
Military reiterates no changes in THAAD deployment this year

Feb 27, 2017

The military reiterated Monday that the advanced US missile defense system will be deployed in South Korea as planned to counter missile threats from North Korea. South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun (Yonhap)"We don't expect any changes to the planned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea within this year," Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said in a briefing. Lotte Group plans to hold a board of directors' meeting to approve the l
Korea to conclude land acquisition for THAAD battery this week

Feb 26, 2017

South Korea is expected to conclude the land acquisition for the US advanced missile defense system this week with actual deployment to be completed by late June at the earliest, the military said Sunday.The defense ministry said administrative measures to take over the Lotte Skyhill Country Club in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, owned by local retail giant Lotte Group will be completed soon. (Yonhap)It said plans are already under way to start environmental impact evaluations on the
S. Korea, US moving to use latest detection gear to counter NK chemical biological threats

Feb 26, 2017

South Korea and the United States are moving to employ their latest detection equipment to prepare for North Korean chemical and biological weapons in the joint military drill planned for this year, sources said Sunday.The move is in response to Pyongyang being accused of using the lethal VX nerve agent to kill Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at a crowded airport in Malaysia on Feb. 13.(Yonhap)The allies have been conducting the Able Response chemical
Korea's troop level under volunteer system would be 150,000-200,000: KIDA

Feb 26, 2017

South Korea's troop level would hover around 150,000-200,000 if the country abandons its conscription system for a volunteer force, a state-run think tank said Sunday.The findings by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses based on an assessment of other countries that maintain a volunteer military showed on average that 0.4 percent of the population serves in the armed forces, which is roughly half of the number for places that rely on mandatory conscription.(Yonhap)"In the United States, it s
NK assassination to serve as momentum for adding Pyongyang to terrorism list

Feb 24, 2017

The recent killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader would serve as momentum for relisting the communist regime as a state sponsor of terrorism, a senior South Korean official said Thursday.Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of late former leader Kim Jong-il, died on Feb. 13 at an airport in Kuala Lumpur after apparently being poisoned by two Asian women. Malaysian police named eight North Koreans, including a diplomat, as suspects, though Pyongyang denies its involvement. (Yonhap)"There hav
NK moving solidly toward nuclear 'second strike capability'

Feb 24, 2017

North Korea's latest missile test shows the communist nation is moving solidly toward perfecting capabilities to strike back with a nuclear weapon if it comes under a nuclear attack, a US expert said Thursday.The North carried out the missile launch on Feb. 12 in its first provocative act since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. Pyongyang said the launch represented a successful test of a newly developed intermediate-range missile powered by solid fuel, calling it the Pukguksong-2.
Military harnesses advanced IT solutions to enhance capabilities

Feb 23, 2017

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it will expand experimental projects to apply advanced information and communication technologies to military equipment and networks. During a briefing on the "u-experimental project," the ministry reported that it injected 23.5 billion won ($20 million) into 41 projects between 2007 and 2016, and plans to spend more in the coming years. (Yonhap)Last year's major projects included a Radio over Internet Protocol-based mobile command and control system