The massive corruption scandal threatening to unseat South Korean President Park Geun-hye could paralyze her government for months to come and pose greater opposition to the planned deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system, a US expert said.Park has been under growing pressure to step down following revelations that a long-time confidante, Choi Soon-il, exercised enormous influence over her and her handling of state affairs, while amassing huge ill-gotten wealth."Regardless of whether P

South Korea's trainer jet made its first test flight in the United States last week after the two countries agreed to mutually recognize its airworthiness certification in September, the defense acquisition agency said Thursday. On Saturday, the 'T-X' trainer, a modified version of the T-50 planes in service with the South Korean Air Force, showed off its flight performance as a candidate to replace the existing jets operated by the US Air Force in South Carolina, the Defense Acquisition Program

The White House on Wednesday welcomed the signing of a military intelligence sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan, saying it will bolster three-way cooperation between the two allies and the US in defending against North Korea.Earlier in the day, Seoul and Tokyo formally signed the information sharing accord, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), the first military pact between them since South Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule."

The US government has approved a proposed sale to South Korea of an anti-missile system designed to protect large aircraft, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.South Korea has requested to buy Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) systems for up to four aerial refueling tanker aircraft, and the State Department approved the sale, the agency said in a statement.The estimated cost is $141 million, it said.The LAIRCM system, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, is designed

South Korea will have to embrace an increase in its share of the cost of American troops stationed in the country if the incoming US administration makes such a demand, Seoul's arms procurement chief said Monday.Chang Myoung-jin, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, made the remark during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington amid keen attention as to whether President-elect Donald Trump would put into action his campaign pledge to ha

South Korea and Japan plan to sign a military intelligence-sharing pact this week to better counter mounting threats from North Korea, the defense ministry said Monday.  The two countries signed a provisional General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) last week, less than a month after they resumed discussions on Oct. 27.  "We are planning to formally sign the GSOMIA on Wednesday upon approval by President Park Geun-hye after it is passed by the Cabinet on Tuesday," a ministry o

South Korea and the United States plan to share information on their defense industry companies in a move to facilitate the trade of weapons, the state defense procurement agency said Monday. Chang Myoung-jin, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce H.Andrews will sign a memorandum of cooperation for information sharing on each other's weapons manufacturers in Washington, an official statement said. The bilateral pact will be reached Monday

A Seoul court on Friday sentenced former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Choi Yoon-hee to a year in prison on charges of bribery in the latest ruling that highlights the corruption in the country's defense industry.The Seoul Central District Court found the 63-year-old, who served as the JCS chief from 2013 to 2015, guilty of receiving 20 million won ($17,000) from an arms broker, identified only by his surname Ham, in 2014. Ham brokered the import of the AW159 Wildcat, which the Navy adopted in