Every year, on the morning of June 25, the Korean War Veterans Memorial is greeted by a slew of government officials, military personnel and war veterans who gather to pay tribute to the fallen warriors of the Korean War that cost the lives of 130,000 Korean and 36,000 U.S. soldiers. But the 66th Anniversary this June had new additions to those honored -- fallen Korean soldiers who had served under the Korea Army Augmented to the 8th U.S. Army, or “KATUSA.” The names of 7,052 unknown heroes were

Seoul and Washington said Friday they plan to complete the stationing of advanced U.S. missile defense assets in the South within next year, adding that this will help counter North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. Following five months of consultations, the two countries said they have decided to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here and expect to unveil the site “within a couple of weeks.” Despite Beijing’s stringent opposition, the allies reiterated that the p

South Korea and the United States have agreed to deploy a high-tech antiballistic-missile interception system in the Northeast Asian country to upgrade the allies' defense against North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile threats, the defense ministry said Friday.The decision came after five months of negotiations between Seoul and Washington over whether to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, an advanced air defense shield that makes up the U.S.' mainland missile defense s

Korea's military has suspended the flight of locally-developed KUH-1 Surion helicopter after defects in the imported gearbox were reported following the deadly crash of a Norwegian chopper using the same European component, the defense procurement agency said Thursday.The EC-225 Super Puma chopper of Norwegian oil company Statoil crashed off the Scandinavian country's southwest coast on April 29, killing all 13 people aboard. Korea has recently been informed by the chopper's manufacturer, Airbus

Retired and in-service members of the U.S. Forces Korea plan to launch a fraternity group this year to foster camaraderie and support the two countries’ alliance, Seoul defense officials said Tuesday. The Korea Defense Veterans Association will be reportedly chaired by Walter Sharp, a former USFK commander from 2008-11, and joined by other ex-generals including Leon Laporte and James Thurman.  Former USFK commander Walter Sharp (Yonhap)Last month, Kim Jong-wook, chairman of the KATUSA Veterans A

The South Korean military was not aware of a U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bomber deployment last month that took place in the vicinity of the country, officials said Monday.According to Pacific Air Forces, strategic bomber crews and support airmen at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam conducted eight joint and bilateral training exercises across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region from June 13 through June 20.The exercises involved flying the nuclear capable B-52 Stratofortress for a training mission in

The United States sent two B-52 nuclear bombers to fly in skies near South Korea last month, military officials said Sunday, a move seen as a display of force against North Korea.The U.S. strategic bombers from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam conducted flights in skies near the Korean Peninsula and Japan between June 13 and 20, the officials said.(yonhap)The move was part of the U.S. Air Force's efforts to check its military capacity in the Asia-Pacific region, they added.In January the U.S. fle

The world’s largest international biennial maritime warfare exercise, Rim of the Pacific, began its five-week run at the Pearl Harbor meeting point Thursday, as naval forces from 27 countries gathered for what the officials said was the biggest joint drill to date.This year’s RIMPAC also features China which, despite territorial disputes in the South China Sea, has deployed five warships and some 1,200 troops to mark the third-largest contingent after the U.S. and Canada.It marks Bejing’s second