The South Korean and U.S. Air Forces are conducting their two-week-long regular aerial exercise in a bid to boost combined defense capabilities against North Korea, military officials said Wednesday.The allies will carry out the Max Thunder exercise, which kicked off last Friday and runs through April 29, according to the U.S. Air Force. It said the drills will involve more than 100 aircraft from the two sides.Max Thunder was officially launched in 2009 with an aim at fostering the allies' joint

The incoming commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Tuesday South Korea has been shouldering a "significant load" of the costs for the stationing of American troops in the country, rejecting Donald Trump's claims that Seoul pays almost nothing.Gen. Vincent Brooks, nominated to succeed Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti as USFK commander, made the remark during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, noting that it would cost more to have the 28,500 troops stationed in the U.S. than in South Ko

South Korea plans to pick an engine provider for its indigenous fighter jet project as early as this month, an official at the country's sole aircraft maker said Tuesday.European engine maker Eurojet Turbo GmbH and U.S. company General Electric are vying to become the supplier for the engines of the next generation combat planes to be built under the Korean Fighter Experimental program, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. said."We are in talks with the two companies to select an engine provider for

South Korea's science ministry said Tuesday it has signed an agreement with the military to make joint efforts against a possible electromagnetic pulse attack from North Korea.The National Radio Research Agency inked the memorandum of understanding with the Army Engineer School, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.It calls for the two sides to share EMP test equipment, develop preventive technologies together and exchange relevant specialists.An EMP occurs when a nuclea

The U.S. government auditor has urged the Defense Department to fix software problems associated with the F-35 fighter jet, saying the problems could result in taking the entire F-35 fleet offline.The Government Accountability Office said in a April 14 report that the Pentagon is aware of risks that could affect the F-25's Autonomic Logistics Information System, but does not have a plan to remedy the problems in a "holistic" manner.ALIS serves as the information infrastructure for the F-35, tran

The international community should seek an "interim freeze" on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as a denuclearization deal with Pyongyang will not be possible for the foreseeable future, a former senior U.S. official said Friday. During a forum on the communist regime in Seoul, Robert Einhorn, former special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control at the U.S. State Department, also said that should Pyongyang accept the freeze, the world should be prepared for "parallel talks" on

Headquarters for an anti-terrorism council will be set up when terror attacks occur in South Korea, the government said Friday, as part of its ongoing effort to strengthen the country against terrorism.Under a revised bill, the headquarters will be created under an anti-terrorism council at the Prime Minister's Office to oversee planning and management of anti-terrorism measures, an official source said.The bill will go into effect on June 4, he said.The council will be headed by the prime minis

The United States and South Korea are in formal discussions about the THAAD missile defense system with the aim of deploying the system at the "earliest possible date," a senior State Department official said.Frank Rose, assistant secretary of state for arms control, made the remark during a missile defense conference in London, saying THAAD will provide "an essential defensive capability" against North Korea's extended-range Scud and Rodong missiles."We also work closely with the Republic of Ko

South Korea ranks 11th in the world in terms of military strength, behind Japan at seventh and ahead of North Korea at 25th, according to an annual U.S. military power index.The South had a firepower index of 0.2824, right behind Italy's 0.2724, according to the Global Firepower (GFP) 2016, which takes over 50 factors into account to assess military power of countries.The smaller the index, the stronger a country's military power.South Korea's GFP ranked in ninth place in the 2014 index and seve

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called for increased naval combat readiness on Monday during his inspection of the Navy's combat commands, the JCS said.Gen. Lee Sun-jin's visits to the Navy's Fleet and Submarine Force Commands and the underwater demolition team came as North Korea has ratcheted up its belligerent anti-South rhetoric to an unusually high level. Over the last month, North Korea has threatened to launch nuclear attacks on South Korea and strike South Korea's presidential

South Korea and the United States kicked off an 11-day joint naval exercise along the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula on Monday to enhance their combined readiness to conduct search and rescue operations and other underwater missions, the Navy said.South Korea's Navy mobilized the 3,500-ton rescue vessel, Tongyeong, along with 12 specialized ship salvage unit personnel for the joint drill, which is part of the ongoing annual Foal Eagle field exercise. The U.S. side brought in the 3,300-to

Renewed calls in South Korea for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to the country or its own nuclear armament reflect concerns that U.S. security guarantees are "fragile," a U.S. congressional report said.The North's fourth nuclear test in January and its long-range rocket launch in February have led some leading members of South Korea's ruling party to make the case for nuclear armament, arguing that it makes no sense to rely on the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" as the North's nuclear

South Korea's Army chief will visit Japan later in the month to hold talks with his counterpart on ways to expand bilateral cooperation, the military said Sunday.The Army said its Chief of Staff Gen. Jang Jun-gyu will be in Japan on April 17 and 18 and hold a meeting with Gen. Kiyofumi Iwata, the head of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force.The talks will be the first of their kind since January 2008, when a meeting took place between the heads of South Korea's and Japan's ground forces in Tokyo."J