South Korea's defense ministry on Monday said it will check alternative sites for the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system after residents of Seongju county formally requested that other locations be examined for suitability.The announcement came as residents living near a state-chosen site for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense asked Seoul to review different sites within their county to deploy the defensive system, instead of the original site, which is currently used as a

South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual joint exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian on Monday to maintain their combined forces' readiness against North Korea's potential aggression amid Pyongyang's threats to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike.The allies' Combined Forces Command said the drill will run to Sept. 2, and involve about 75,000 troops, including 25,000 from the U.S. side.As the countries opened the command and control exercise earlier in the day, they told North Korea of

Three Chinese military planes "briefly" flew into an overlapping air defense intensification zone of South Korea and China amid tensions between the two countries over Seoul's decision to place a missile defense system on its soil, a military source in Seoul said Monday.The Chinese planes, including a bomber engaging in its own military operations, flew into the airspace near South Korea's southern island of Jeju on Thursday, without prior notification, but left shortly after the South Korean mi

South Korea's Army has launched a campaign to overhaul its deep-rooted heavy drinking culture, official sources said Sunday."The Army's top command started a campaign to discourage excess drinking among troops in late July," an insider said.The move is aimed at keeping rank-and-file troops more healthy and combat ready at a time when there is an escalation of threats from North Korea.He said that notices have been issued to remind military personnel to give up bad habits such as forcing people t

South Korea will kick off its annual Ulchi exercise this week to better prepare for national emergency situations, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security said Sunday.The drill that runs from Monday through Thursday is the 49th of its kind and comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's fourth nuclear test and long-range missile launch earlier this year.The ministry said this year, emphasis will be placed on dealing with North Korea's frequent global positio

South Korea's Navy will arm its latest frigates with tactical missiles that can strike deep into North Korea, a military source said Sunday.The plan calls for arming the Incheon-class ships with land-attack missiles that have a range of 150-200 kilometers. The missiles, to be loaded onto the ships starting in September, will allow the frigates the ability to attack key targets in the communist country's interior from the sea."Initially, the plan was to arm batch 2 Incheon-class ships with the ta

South Korea will select a new airport site to replace the one currently in operation in Daegu by the end of this year as an official analysis gave the relocation project a green light, the defense ministry said Thursday.In an assessment carried out by 21 experts, the government's plan to relocate the Daegu International Airport to another city within the Gyeongsang region garnered 800 points out of 1,000, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. The airport, located within the city

South Korea's defense chief on Wednesday defended the government's decision to select Seongju, a southeastern county, as the site for an advanced anti-missile system to counter threats from North Korea, according to military officials. In a meeting with representatives of Seongju residents held in the rural town from 2:00 p.m., Defense Minister Han Min-koo apologized for the selection process that did not provide an explanation in advance to residents about the deployment of the Terminal High Al