The United States said Thursday any military attacks on South Korea will be defeated with an "effective and overwhelming" force amid ever-growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. In the annual Security Consultative Meeting held in Washington, Defense Secretary Ash Carter reaffirmed the extended deterrence protection by the US of its key Asian ally, as the North continues to ramp up its provocative acts.  The defense chief warned any attack will be crushed and the use of nuclear weap

The US Army said Wednesday it has started to rotationally deploy an armored combat brigade to South Korea as part of Washington's "extended deterrence" protection offered to its close ally against North Korean provocations."Extended deterrence" refers to the commitment to use nuclear weapons to deter attacks on allies. The US has provided extended deterrence to South Korea, after withdrawing nuclear warheads from the country in the early 1990s. The arrangement includes placing Seoul under Washin

South Korea and the United States agreed Wednesday to launch a high-level dialogue to discuss how to carry out the US "extended deterrence" protection of the Asian ally from nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.The agreement to establish the "Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group" was reached in "two plus two" alliance talks that brought together South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Defense Minister Han Min-koo, and their US counterparts, Secretary of State John K

The United States is deploying the best military personnel and assets in the Asia-Pacific region under President Barack Obama's "rebalance to Asia" policy, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday.Carter also said in an article contributed to Foreign Affairs magazine that the Asia-Pacific security networks, including one involving the US, South Korea, and Japan, help ensure stability in the region amid a number of security challenges, including North Korea. "In the rebalance's second phase ...

South Korea's foreign and defense ministers arrived in Washington on Tuesday for security and alliance talks with their US counterparts that are expected to focus on how to counter ever-growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Defense Minister Han Min-koo will join US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Wednesday's "two plus two" talks, a biennial gathering designed mainly to demonstrate the firmness of the alliance and

South Korea will speed up the planned deployment of advanced weapons by a couple of years to better counter nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea, military officials said Tuesday. The defense ministry is planning to advance the deployment of missiles and other weapons systems from the original schedule of the mid-2020s due to the North's continued provocations, a senior defense ministry official said in a press briefing.Under the "three-pillar" system, South Korea aims to detect the N

North Korea's latest missile test shows why the United States and South Korea are working together to deploy the THAAD missile defense system in the South, the White House said Monday.The North test-fired a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile on Saturday, but the missile exploded shortly after take-off. It was believed to be the seventh test of the missile this year, coming after June's successful launch in which the missile entered space and re-entered Earth's atmosphere."We strongly c

South Korea's military chief stressed the need to strengthen the country's missile defense capabilities to counter North Korea's missile threats before a US anti-missile system is to be deployed on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's military said Friday.Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the remarks during Seoul and Washington's Military Committee Meeting held in Washington on Thursday with his counterpart, Gen. Joseph Dunford, it said."The generals agreed to cont

South Korea's military said Tuesday it will greatly expand the capabilities of its special forces to strike key North Korean command facilities and its leadership in the event of a crisis.In a parliamentary audit, the Army said it is striving to be ready to carry out independent special operations against the North's provocations, with a plan to secure hardware, such as the latest MH-47 series choppers, compact satellite links and advanced small arms."The Army is seeking to have a special operat