The South Korean military will strategically focus on picking a candidate site for the U.S.missile defense system THAAD, rather than on a backlash from China and Russia, a high-ranking defense ministry official said Friday, as Seoul and Washington are poised to begin formal talks next week on the sensitive matter."Considering the stances of neighboring countries when (South Korea) picking an area to host the THAAD is not militarily (right)," the Defense Ministry official said on the condition of

Marines from South Korea, the United States and Thailand jointly carried out large-scale landing drills on the Thai beach of Hat Yao as part of the Cobra Gold military exercise, the Marine Corps here said Friday.South Korea mobilized the 4,900-ton Cheon Wang Bong-class amphibious landing ship along with eight amphibious assault vehicles and one tank for the trilateral drills. About 440 marine and navy forces joined as well. Another 400 forces joined from the U.S and Thailand, along with three wa

South Korea said Thursday it is conducting an unprecedented joint air force drill with the United States on special wartime infiltration operations as part of efforts to boost the combined defense posture following North Korea's recent long-range missile test."The joint combat control team exercise is being conducted from Feb. 3-18 in areas near Pocheon and Osan, Gyeonggi Province," South Korea's Air Force said in a statement.CCT represents special air forces that are ordered to infiltrate the e

South Korea and the United States will launch a task force later this month to discuss the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in the South, officials said Wednesday. The allies have begun formal discussions on the placement of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea to deter North Korean aggressions in the wake of its long-range rocket launch Sunday.The joint task force will handle the details of the discussions, including the location and cost of the THAAD

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday expressed concerns to South Korea's ambassador over Seoul's decision to begin formal consultations on bringing in the U.S. THAAD missile defense system to the country to defend against North Korean threats.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov conveyed the concern during a meeting with Amb. Park Ro-byug, the ministry said.Shortly after North Korea's missile launch on Sunday, South Korea and the U.S. jointly announced they would begin official discussi

South Korea said Monday that gaining the public's support is a prerequisite for Seoul to review whether to seek a pact on sharing military intelligence with Japan.Japan's Kyodo News reported Sunday that South Korea and Japan seem to hold the view that conditions are ripe for deepening military cooperation, saying that Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Seoul is mulling reviewing whether to clinch a Seoul-Tokyo pact on sharing military intelligence.In 2012, the two nations initialed such a pact to

A right-wing South Korean journalist insisted on Friday that South Korea and Japan push for their own nuclear armament for protection from North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.In a contribution to the conservative Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun, Cho Gab-je said that the two countries should be nuclear-armed for legitimate self-defense as long as a neighboring enemy is armed with atomic bombs. Cho, former president of Monthly Chosun, said nuclear armament is a very natural option for the sove

United States' special forces units have arrived in South Korea for a joint military drill with South Korean troops as the allies ramp up combined readiness on the prospect of North Korea's imminent long-range missile launch, the two countries' militaries said Thursday.The U.S. special operational forces, including those from the airborne 1st Special Forces Group and the 75th Ranger Regiment, came here to train with South Korea's Special Warfare Command and to increase joint special operations r

Two Chinese military planes recently entered the overlapping air defense identification zone of South Korea and China, prompting South Korea to ready a sortie of fighter jets, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.The Chinese jets entered the zone near Jeju Island on Sunday and flew out of it after South Korea sent a warning message, according to JCS spokesman Jeon Ha-kyu."We took necessary surveillance and tactical measures adequately," he said.The ministry put fighter jets on standby in case

President Park Geun-hye instructed Cabinet officials on Tuesday to beef up security at South Korea's main airport to ensure that safety breaches do not recur."Concerns have been raised about the security system in Incheon International Airport at a time when there is a growing terror threat," Park said in a Cabinet meeting, referring to a warning message found at the airport last week. The message, printed in Arabic on half an A4-size sheet of paper, read: "This is the last warning to you. God w