The South Korean and United States navies conducted a joint training exercise on Friday, in remembrance of the sailors and soldiers killed in recent clashes with North Korea, the military said FridaySouth Korea commemorated the deaths from the three past inter-Korean skirmishes near the western sea border area on Commemoration Day, which has been designated on the fourth Friday of March.In 2010 alone, 48 soldiers were killed in two military conflicts between the rival Koreas. In March that year,

The naval chiefs of South Korea and Japan will hold talks next week on ways to increase collaboration in joint search and rescue exercises, anti-piracy operations and other military issues, the Navy said Thursday.The high-level talks between South Korea's Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jung Ho-sub and Adm. Tomohisa Takei, chief commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, will be held on Monday in the Gyeryongdae military headquarters in central South Korea.The main topics of discussion w

The military is developing a new bulletproof vest that could resist armor-piercing ammunition, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, the state-run quality control agency for defense goods, is currently gauging the level of technology needed for the body armor development, the ministry said in a release to the media.It was in response to a report by the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea that accused several defense officials of taking

South Korea is seeking to develop a highly mobile patrol craft as part of its efforts to bolster naval defense along the maritime boundary with North Korea, military officials said Wednesday.Through a civilian-military cooperative project, the military plans to develop a 20-ton "high-speed interceptor craft" that can travel faster than 60 knots per hour, or 111 kmph, the officials said.The military plans to launch the project within this year and produce a prototype in five years so they can be

The defense ministers of South Korea and Indonesia will hold talks on Wednesday to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in Seoul's project to develop an indigenous fighter jet and other bilateral defense issues, the Ministry of National Defense said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Indonesian counterpart, Ryamizard Ryacudu, will meet in the ministry's compound in central Seoul for the talks, which officials here say will focus on strengthening bilateral defense ties.Topping the agenda is ensu

The navies of South Korea and the United States kicked off a four-day joint naval exercise Tuesday to enhance their readiness against potential military provocations by North Korea.The joint maritime exercise, scheduled from Tuesday to Friday, is part of the ongoing Foal Eagle annual field training exercise the allies launched two weeks ago.Some 50 naval vessels and submarines from both countries joined the exercise in the Yellow and East seas, according to the Navy here.A group of South Korean

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Lee Soon-jin and Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the chief commander of American troops stationed in South Korea, jointly inspected a U.S. aircraft carrier on Monday that is participating in a combined military drill here.The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), arrived in South Korea earlier in the month to join the Foal Eagle field training, along with its 7,000-strong carrier strike group. The allies kicked off the annual joint ex

South Korea's Navy will launch new patrol boats to bolster defense along the tension-prone western maritime sea border with North Korea, the military said Monday.The Navy will start work to build the 200-ton guided missile and gun armed patrol boats. The boats are updated versions of the Yoon Young-ha-class boats that are already in service with the armed forces.Seoul is expected to launch some 20 of these patrol killer guided B (PKG-B) boats in the coming years to replace the existing fleet of

About 400 U.S. troops will deploy to South Korea later this summer to help deter North Korean aggression, the Department of the Army announced Sunday.The troops with the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division will make a rotational deployment to the Asian ally, the department said in a statement."Our Soldiers and units are skilled, tough and stand ready around the clock to defend America. They are ready ... to deter North Korean aggression," Lt.

South Korea has expressed its concern to relevant international organizations over North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, putting further pressure on the communist regime, a government source said Sunday.In a letter to the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization, South Korea said the North's launchings of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles earlier this month were "dangerous" as they came without prior warning.Under international con

The Marine Corps has formed a new mobile unit tasked with attacking North Korea from the rear in the event of a contingency, a military official said Sunday.The regimental-level unit of 3,000 troops was launched in the southeastern coastal city of Pohang on March 1, dubbed "Spartan 3000," the official said.The troops will be on standby for deployment to all parts of the Korean Peninsula within 24 hours, tasked with destroying key military facilities in the North's rear during contingencies. In p

A festival highlighting Korea's traditional paper folding art titled "K-Jongie Jupgi" will be held in Paris in October, its organizer said Thursday.The Seoul-based Korea Paper Culture Foundation-World Jongie Jupgi Organization and the Korean language (hangeul) school in Paris signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining the plan in the French capital.Under the MOU inked on Wednesday (local time), the two sides agreed to make a concerted effort to help globalize the traditional Korean pap