South Korea is conducting a military drill to defend its easternmost islets of Dokdo amid Japan's renewed claims to the territory, military officers said Friday. The Navy, jointly with the Coast Guard, "are carrying out the two-day drill from yesterday on and around the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea," said a Navy officer, requesting anonymity. "It is designed to deter any trespassers on our territory via a sea or air route."The exercise has been carried out twice a year since 1986, with the

South Korea has developed a new reconnaissance vehicle for use in chemical, biological and radiological warfare, the Defense Ministry announced Monday."Today, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration succeeded in developing a new-type CBR reconnaissance vehicle with domestic technology," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said.The state arms procurement agency launched a related project, worth some 22 billion won ($20.1 million), in December 2011 in cooperation with Doosan DST Co., a local de

North Korea carried out an underwater test-fire of a submarine ballistic missile, watched by its leader Kim Jong-un, the state media said Saturday, in an apparent move to boost its underwater missile capabilities that could pose a fresh threat in the region.  The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the mouthpiece of the communist state, reported that Kim issued an order for the test-fire and watched the ballistic missile from the submarine "soar into the sky from underwater."The article did not s

South Korea unveiled its sixth 1,800-ton-class attack submarine Thursday aimed at boosting its underwater warfare capabilities against North Korea.The launching ceremony for the 214-class submarine, manufactured by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. and named after revered independence fighter Yu Gwan-sun (1902-1920), will take place in the southern coastal city of Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, according to the Navy.The Navy plans to commission the submarine in November 2016, it

South Korea plans to stage a military drill to better defend its easternmost islets of Dokdo this month as Japan ratchets up its sovereignty claims, officials said Wednesday. The exercise is designed to stave off any illegal approaches and will be conducted jointly by the military and coast guard for two days late this month on and around the windswept outcrops in the East Sea, they said. Among the scheduled plans is a landing training exercise by the Navy’s Underwater Demolition and Sea, Air an

South Korea said Wednesday it will carry out a drill to deter trespassers on its easternmost islets of Dokdo later this month amid Japan's renewed claims to the island. The drill is scheduled to take place for a two-day period on the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea and in its surrounding waters with the detailed plan subject to change, a military officer said, requesting anonymity.  "The exercise aims to repel non-military forces that approach the islets via a sea or air route," he added.The

Debate has resurfaced over the possibility of South Korea’s nuclear armament as North Korea’s nuclear threat remains unabated with growing security rivalry in the region most recently stoked by Japan’s push for heavier armament.Lingering doubts over the reliability of the U.S.’ nuclear umbrella has also added to the possibility that Seoul could seek a more viable way to bolster its self-defense capabilities to fend off Pyongyang’s security challenges, analysts said.Charles Ferguson, head of the

South Korea said Thursday it is preparing to launch a special academy to train civilian experts in the defense acquisition field as part of efforts to weed out corruption by relevant military officers.   The move is one of the key measures Seoul's arms procurement agency put forth in the wake of corruptive cases involving its personnel mainly caused by cozy ties between businesses and former and current service personnel.   "We are drawing up concrete plans, including funding schemes, to establi

Two Army officers died Tuesday hours after falling unconscious during a training at a reservoir, authorities said.  The two were being trained for guerrilla warfare at around 3:30 p.m. at a four-meter deep reservoir in the southwestern city of Gwangju. They went missing while swimming through the reservoir, and was rescued around an hour later. They were taken to an Army hospital for treatment, but were pronounced dead later in the afternoon.  Sources said there were no rescue equipments nor med

South Korea announced a plan Monday to replace some of the barbed-wire fences along the east coast with unmanned border security equipment to help facilitate the lives of local residents there.  Under the agreement among the defense and home affairs ministries and the country's eastern province of Gangwon, the government will launch the project in the first half of this year to eliminate part of 26.4 kilometers of fencing set up in 41 areas on the eastern coastal border region.  The barbed-wire

A new guided rocket system will be deployed to South Korea’s border islands as early as next year to better counter growing infiltration threats from North Korea’s hovercrafts, according to the state-run Agency for Defense Development.Since 2012, the ADD has been developing the 2.75 inch-caliber rocket system with a budget of 70 billion won ($64.8 million). During the recent four rounds of testing, the system successfully hit targets, ADD officials said, noting the development project has procee