US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to discuss responses to Russia's war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East during his trip to Seoul as part of a multination trip this month, his office said Wednesday. His nine-day trip, which includes stops in Israel, Jordan, Japan and India, is set to begin Thursday as Washington is striving to prevent an escalation of the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group while maintaining its strategic policy focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

Asan, RAND Corporation suggest redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Korean Peninsula as policy option

In a surprising move that underscores the growing importance of naval defense, Naval Operations Commander Vice Adm. Kim Myung-soo has been named the new chairperson of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Ministry of National Defense announced Sunday. Kim was promoted to four-star general in the military personnel reshuffle to replace incumbent JCS Chairperson Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, according to the ministry. The appointment marks a significant shift from the traditionally Army-dominated role a

The veterans ministry said Tuesday it will hold a remembrance ceremony for revered independence fighter Hong Beom-do this week to mark the 80th year since his passing amid a heated ideological debate over his ties to Soviet communist forces. The ceremony will take place Wednesday at Daejeon National Cemetery in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of Seoul, where his body lies at rest, with some 100 people set to attend the event, including Veterans Minister Park Min-shik, according to the ministry. Ho

Joint declaration expected to address security issues involving N. Korea, Ukraine, Israel-Palestine conflict

US nuclear-capable heavy bomber flanked by S. Korean, Japanese fighter jets fly near Korean Peninsula

The navies of South Korea and the United States have conducted a weekslong anti-submarine exercise in waters off the coast of Guam, the South's Navy said Sunday. The biennial exercise, known as Silent Shark, which began on Oct. 6 and lasted until Sunday, is designed to enhance the countries' anti-submarine warfare proficiency against North Korean threats, according to the armed service. South Korea earlier sent a 1,800-ton Son Won Il-class submarine and two P-3C patrol aircraft to part

South Korea and Britain staged combined high-tech military drills this month, Seoul's Army said Friday, amid efforts to bolster military cooperation between the two nations. The 11-day drills began last Tuesday at the Korea Combat Training Center, a facility employing advanced technologies for realistic ground drills, in Inje, 165 kilometers east of Seoul. The drills mobilized over 4,000 troops, including a company of the British Army's Scots Guards, as well as some 270 pieces of comba

First B-52 bomber landing in S. Korea affirms unwavering alliance, US Air Force officials say

South Korea's Navy said Thursday it has kicked off a multinational naval mine warfare exercise in waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday in an effort to enhance combined operational capabilities. Launched in 2016, the annual exercise is set to run through next Friday in waters southeast of the southern island of Geoje, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, involving five members of the US-led UN Command, according to the military branch. The Navy said the exercise is designed to help

South Korea's vice defense chief called for immediate international cooperation to curb North Korea's nuclear weapon development, emphasizing that insufficient efforts could lead to a catastrophic outcome. "North Korea's nuclear capabilities are rapidly advancing, and without immediate efforts from the international community to prevent it, this has the potential to turn into a catastrophe for the international community," Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul said Wednes

South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to conduct a joint aerial exercise for the first time near the Korean Peninsula next week, a source said Thursday, amid efforts to bolster three-way security cooperation against North Korean threats. The trilateral aerial exercise is scheduled for Sunday over the Korean Peninsula, involving the US strategic bomber B-52 currently deployed to South Korea. "The joint aerial exercise involving South Korean, US and Japanese Air Forces will consist of

The South Korean military has assessed that the fighting doctrine and tactics utilized by Hamas might be linked to North Korea, citing their resemblance in its analysis of the battlefield tactics employed by the Palestinian militant group during last weekend's attack on Israel. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday presented its interim evaluation of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which was initiated by Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. "Our asse

South Korea is set to open its largest-ever defense exhibition Tuesday to boost exports of its latest weapons and technologies, with aerial displays of the homegrown KF-21 fighter jet and U.S. strategic bomber B-52. The Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2023 takes place at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, until Sunday, involving 550 companies from 35 countries. It is expected to draw some 30,000 visitors, including over 114 military and defense officials from

A former US ambassador to South Korea called Monday for the United States to keep strengthening its "extended deterrence" commitment to the Asian ally as he portrayed North Korea's evolving military threats as "far greater" than before. During a virtual seminar, Harry Harris, who served as US ambassador to Seoul from 2018-2021, made the call as the recalcitrant regime has been doubling down on its nuclear and missile programs under an apparently aggressive nuclear policy