South Korea and the United States have strengthened policy cooperation in the science and technology sector for the past few decades, a U.S. senior official said Wednesday, as the two allies are in closer talks over toughened international sanctions against North Korea."South Korea and the U.S. cooperate in areas in which we have much to learn from each other and much leverage to gain by working together," John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in

President Park Geun-hye left for Washington on Wednesday for a summit with her U.S. counterpart Barack Obama and dozens of other world leaders on how to tackle the threats on nuclear terrorism and to strengthen an international regime for nuclear security.The biennial meeting, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, has been held every two years since Obama hosted the inaugural summit in 2010 as part of efforts to make the world free of nuclear weapons. This year's meeting is to be the final summit.T

South Korea plans to develop ground-to-ground GPS-guided munitions to better fend off threats posed by North Korea's latest multiple launch rocket systems, the Ministry of National Defense said in its five-year defense plan on Wednesday.North Korea's MLRS has emerged as one of the most imminent security threats facing South Korea since the communist country announced what it claimed was the final test of a new high-caliber multiple rocket launcher earlier in the month.With a range of 200 kilomet

The chief of a state-run diplomatic academy has raised the need for South Korea and the U.S. to explore effective nuclear doctrine, including a preemptive "first use" approach, to cope with the escalating nuclear threats from North Korea.In a report issued by the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security under the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Chancellor Yun Duk-min said that the allies need to review Cold War-era nuclear doctrine to find one suitable for the defense of the South.P

South Korea has been in talks with the campaign camp of key U.S. presidential candidates, including Republican front-runner Donald Trump, to improve each other's understanding of foreign policy issues, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.Concerns have grown in South Korea as Trump has made repeated claims that South Korea is getting a free ride on defense and paying little for the upkeep of U.S. troops on its soil. The real-estate mogul has also said he would allow South Korea and Japan to go nucl

South Korea on Tuesday renewed its calls for Japan to enforce a new package of contentious security laws in a way that contributes to regional peace and stability, as the laws took effect at midnight.The effectuation of the laws marked a significant shift in Tokyo's exclusively defensive security policy as they enable its Self-Defense Forces to exercise the right to collective self-defense, or the use of force to support its ally under attack, which used to be banned under the country's war-reno

South Korea's military is ready to deal with any possible North Korean provocations during President Park Geun-hye's visit to the United States and Mexico later this week, the country's defense ministry said Tuesday.Park is scheduled to fly to Washington on Wednesday to take part in the Nuclear Security Summit and hold talks with her U.S., Chinese and Japanese counterparts. She is also expected to visit Mexico to further bilateral economic ties and return the next week.Asked whether the ministry

The South Korean Air Force said Tuesday it has inspected the anti-terror preparedness of six civilian airports that share runways with the military.In the eight-day emergency inspection that ended on Tuesday, the Air Force examined the readiness posture of the airports in Gwangju, Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Sacheon and Wonju.The security inspection came amid a heightened terrorist attack alert in the wake of North Korea's recent threats to launch strikes on South Korea and specifically Cheong Wa D

South Korea's President Park Geun-hye will meet with the leaders of the United States, Japan and China later this week in Washington to coordinate how to deal with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.The back-to-back summits come after the U.N. Security Council slapped tougher sanctions on North Korea for carrying out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and a long-range rocket launch on Feb. 7.Tensions have also spiked on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea has

U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert on Monday dismissed accusations by Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump that South Korea is paying little to keep American troops on its soil.Without naming Trump, Lippert cited various reasons why the allegations aren't true, including the fact that South Korea shoulders 55 percent of all non-personnel costs and increases its defense spending by 3 to 5 percent annually."We feel very good about the resource sharing that we and the Republic of Ko

Defense Minister Han Min-koo called on a counter-artillery unit to "retaliate powerfully" against any North Korean provocations during a troop visit Monday.The trip to the multiple launch rocket system unit came as North Korea stepped up its artillery threats on Seoul. North Korea said last week it has conducted the final test-fire of a large-caliber MLRS that is ready for combat deployment.The imminent deployment of the multiple 300-millimeter caliber rocket launching system reportedly places h

South Korea is building up a comprehensive counter-artillery system to guard against growing threats posed by North Korea's multiple rocket launchers, the defense ministry said Monday.North Korea said last week it has conducted the final test-fire of a large-caliber multiple rocket launching system that is ready for combat deployment.The imminent deployment of the multiple 300-millimeter caliber rocket launching system reportedly places half of the South Korean territory within its range."Agains

Republican front-runner Donald Trump's remarks about allowing South Korea to nuclearize are adding fuel to a simmering debate over Seoul's potential nuclear option to counter Pyongyang's escalating threats, observers here said Monday.In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, the U.S. real-estate magnet said he would be "open" to allowing the South and Japan to build nuclear arms against the North and China. He argued they would go nuclear anyway if the U.S. keeps its "current path of we

South Korea and the United States agreed to strengthen cooperation in disaster control and security crisis management areas in the face of heightened terrorism concerns, the government said Sunday.The Ministry of Public Safety and Security said the two sides concurred during the weeklong disaster and security management meeting in Washington that there is a need to forge a close communication channel to exchange information on terrorism and ways to respond to disaster situations.The understandin

South Korea's top military commander checked the combat readiness of frontline troops on Friday as inter-Korean tensions have flared up in the face of North Korea's continuing provocations.Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin visited the VIII Corps and Navy 1st Fleet earlier in the day to look into their military preparedness, the military said. The Army corps is in charge of guarding the eastern part of the heavily militarized border while the Navy fleet defends the East Sea area. "N