The Korea Herald

Korean Air Force to acquire 2 more Peace Eye AEW&Cs: source

Oct 9, 2016

South Korea's Air Force plans to acquire two more Peace Eye airborne early warning and control aircraft down the road to boost its operational capabilities, a government source said Sunday. The move will increase the number of E-737s to six and give the Air Force better situational awareness, greater ability to gather signal intelligence and better control over its aerial assets. The presence of the planes can act as a deterrence against the North which does not have similar platforms. The E-737
7 out of 10 Americans support US troop presence in S. Korea: survey

Oct 7, 2016

Seven out of 10 Americans support the US troop presence in South Korea, an all-time high that shows they don't buy Donald Trump's argument that the US should pull out of the Asian ally unless it pays more for the troops, according to an annual survey released Thursday.The Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey of 2,061 people showed that 70 percent support keeping military bases in South Korea, up from last year's 64 percent. Support among Trump backers was even higher at 72 percent, according
Questions linger over defense against NK nukes

Oct 6, 2016

Despite the envisioned deployment of an anti-missile system here, doubts linger over South Korea’s defense capacity in the face of ever-growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. Defense Minister Han Min-koo touts that the military’s own three-legged defense system, along with the upcoming US-provided missile shield, would be able to neutralize the North’s armed capacity, but not all seem convinced. The “3Ks”“Our military is maintaining firm readiness against any provocations from the
Anti-ballistic missile radars stopped 21 times in 3 years: data

Oct 3, 2016

Two anti-ballistic missile radars were found to have stopped 21 times in the past three years due to a glitch in their systems, defense ministry data showed Monday.The data, which was submitted to Rep. Lee Chul-gyu of the ruling Saenuri Party ahead of a parliamentary audit, showed that of the two Green Pine radars stationed in South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong provinces, one had stopped 13 times in the period since July 2013, while the other had stopped eight times in the same period.The r
Governor says Korea should prepare for nuclear armament

Oct 3, 2016

A South Korean governor who is believed to be a potential presidential candidate for the ruling party has said the country should prepare for nuclear armament in the face of North Korea's growing nuclear threats.Gov. Nam Kyung-pil of Gyeonggi Province made the remarks in an interview with Yonhap News Agency Sunday, citing concerns the United States may withdraw its nuclear umbrella from over South Korea."It's time for us to consider various options, and one of them is to prepare for nuclear arma
The Philippines considering additional purchase of S. Korean FA-50s: report

Oct 2, 2016

The Philippines is considering a move to purchase additional FA-50 light attack aircraft from South Korea to bolster its defense capabilities, a news report picked up in Seoul on Sunday said.According to the latest issue of IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, Manila may be weighing the need to acquire 36 planes from Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) as part of its Flight Plan 2028. (Yonhap)The weekly cited a source from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at the Asian Defense and Security 2016 exhibition
THAAD battery from Texas to be deployed in Seongju: sources

Oct 2, 2016

The U.S. military is expected to move one of its operational Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries from Texas to South Korea to better counter Pyongyang's evolving nuclear and missile threats, local sources said Sunday.Government sources said Washington is considering moving a battery from Fort Bliss to Seongju by late 2017 as part of an agreement with Seoul. The move will involve the deployment of the AN/TPY-2 radar and associated equipment, a command and communications unit, an
Fuselage of crashed military chopper recovered: Navy

Oct 2, 2016

South Korea's Navy said Saturday it recovered the fuselage of a helicopter that crashed into the sea off the country's east coast earlier this week during joint drills with the United States.The fuselage of the Lynx helicopter was found at about 3:13 p.m., and will be moved to a military base in Jinhae, 410 km south of Seoul, for investigation to figure out the cause of the crash, according to the Navy. A Navy official said that it has not yet been confirmed whether the chopper's flight data and
Korea's military cyber command hacked last month

Oct 1, 2016

South Korea's cyber command established to counter external hacking attempts on the country's military was found to have been hacked last month, a lawmaker said Saturday, raising speculation that North Korea might be behind the latest cyber attack. Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, a lawmaker of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, told Yonhap News Agency in a telephone interview that the hacking targeted the "vaccine routing server" installed at the cyber command. Kim is a member of the parliament's nati
Military picks new THAAD site; holds no briefing

Sept 30, 2016

South Korea and the US military on Friday decided on a new location within Seongju-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, as an alternate site for the upcoming US missile defense system deployment, flip-flopping on its original decision in July due to residents’ dissent.But the Defense Ministry’s refusal to officially and publicly make the announcement to the press aggravated growing doubts over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system. The THAAD system deployment has been behind the
Alternate THAAD site to be announced soon

Sept 29, 2016

The South Korean and US militaries are planning to announce an alternative site for the advanced US missile defense system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, by as early as Friday, sources said Thursday.“The assessment on three alternative options inside Seongju-gun has been completed with only final approval pending with the authorities of the two countries,” a source said on condition of anonymity.“I believe that the announcement on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system deployment
Navy aims to deploy speedier transport vessel in 2020

Sept 29, 2016

South Korea's Navy will build a speedier transport vessel in the next three years to counter growing threats from North Korea along the tense maritime border, a military official familiar with the matter said Thursday. "The plan is part of the government's efforts to beef up preparedness and combat capabilities against relentless provocations from the North along the tense sea border with North Korea," the official told Yonhap News Agency. Starting from 2020, the Navy aims to deploy the new high
US to deploy THAAD on 'accelerated basis,' 'as soon as possible': Russel

Sept 28, 2016

The United States intends to deploy the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea "on an accelerated basis" and "as soon as possible," given the ever-growing missile threats from North Korea, the top US diplomat on Asia said Tuesday.Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel made the remark during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, stressing it's important to upgrade defensive systems to cope with the North Korean threats."I can't speak as assistan
Navy grounds Lynx choppers after crash

Sept 27, 2016

The South Korean Navy on Tuesday said they had suspended operations of all 20 Lynx multipurpose military helicopters, a day after one of them crashed into the East Sea.According to the Navy, the helicopter crashed at around 9:05 p.m. during a joint nighttime drill by Seoul and Washington. Three officers were onboard when the aircraft lost communication and disappeared from radars, about 48 kilometers south of the Northern Limit Line and 52 kilometers east of Yangyang, Gangwon Province.The pilot
Helicopter crashes into East Sea in military drill

Sept 27, 2016

A South Korean Navy helicopter crashed into the East Sea during a joint maritime drill between South Korea and the United States, the Navy said Monday.The Linx helicopter crashed into the East Sea at around 9:05 p.m., and a search is currently under way, the Navy said. Three soldiers were on board, it added.The ill-fated chopper was participating in the combined maritime exercise in the East Sea as part of a show of force against North Korea's provocations. (Yonhap)