A new South Korean guided rocket designed to target North Korean vessels could be deployed as early as next year, military officials said Sunday.  The Agency for Defense Development said it recently conducted a successful test-fire of a 2.75-inch guided rocket. Following further tests in the next four months, the rocket could be deployed on the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea, located northwest of Seoul and just south of the border.  The ADD began development of the rocke

South Korea and the United States are to complete their annual joint military drill Foal Eagle this week, officials here said Thursday, amid Pyongyang's continued threat of retaliation.The allies' field training exercise kicked off on March 2 aimed at improving the combined forces' operation and combat capabilities against threats from North Korea. It is scheduled to end on Friday, according to the Combined Forces Command and Seoul's defense ministry officials. "The tactical training has been ca

The South Korean military is seeking to diversify the menu for its meal-ready-to-eat packages to meet the tastes of young conscripts, Army officials said Wednesday.Currently, there are 11 different MREs, but the military hopes to increase that number to 36. The military will hold a public hearing Tuesday with food companies and nutritional experts before finalizing the plan to update the menu, the officials said.The military is also considering reducing the number of types of MREs to two from th

China could increase its nuclear warheads if an advanced U.S. missile-defense system is deployed in South Korea, a Chinese scholar warned. Teng Jianqun, a senior researcher at the state-run China Institute of International Studies, has also said the possible deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to South Korea has become a "tough choice" for how Seoul is balancing bilateral ties with Washington and Beijing. China's concerns over the possible deployment of the THAAD battery

South Korea and Uzbekistan agreed Tuesday to expand cooperation in military education and personnel exchange.South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Uzbek counterpart, Kabul Berdiev, signed the memorandum of understanding on promoting bilateral partnerships following their talks here, according to Seoul's defense ministry."The MOU aims to promote the exchange among the two nations'service personnel and military students through which the two sides are expected to share military-related

President Park Geun-hye and her Peruvian counterpart, Ollanta Humala, vowed Monday to continue to cooperate in Peru's advanced trainer jet project, a move that could raise the prospects of a South Korean defense firm winning a lucrative deal.The move "is designed to further expand mutual cooperation in high-tech aviation technology," Park said in a joint news conference with Humala after their summit in Peru, the second stop on her four-nation swing to South America.The comments came as Korea Ae

Ministry to invest W9 trillion to deter N.K. nuke, missilesBy Song Sang-ho The Defense Ministry plans to spend nearly 9 trillion won ($8.31 billion) from 2016-2020 to secure military capabilities to detect and destroy North Korea’s nuclear arms and ballistic missiles, amid escalating security threats from the regime. It also plans to deploy unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to division-level units and establish a command and control system, which will provide field units with more visual informat

The military will allow enlisted soldiers to rent and use mobile phones at post exchanges or outside military installations as part of efforts to help them better communicate with family and friends, welfare officials said Monday.The Ministry of National Defense’s Welfare Agency said from Monday, soldiers who leave their bases for vacation can rent cellphones from PXs to use until they return to their units. All draftees were previously banned from using cellphones for security reasons.The agenc

North Korea will likely launch missiles and large-scale military drills for its military foundation day later this month, South Korea's defense ministry said Monday.The North is also capable of conducting a nuclear test with little preparation at its nuke test site at Punggye-ri in North Korea's northeast North Hamgyong province, the ministry added.Pyongyang conducted nuclear tests, in 2006, 2009 and 2013. The move comes as Seoul and Washington are to wrap up a months-long joint military exercis

South Korea said Monday it will sharply raise the defense budget over the next five years to beef up its capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.The budget injection of 8.7 trillion won ($8.03 billion) is based on the assessment that Pyongyang is believed to have reached a "significant" point in efforts to master the technology to miniaturize nuclear warheads that fit atop missiles. It is part of the ministry's budget plan for the 2016-2020 fiscal period, which calls for

The potential deployment of a THAAD missile defense unit to South Korea has become a "litmus test" for how Seoul is aligned between Washington and Beijing, according to a U.S. congressional report.The Congressional Research Service made the point in a report published earlier this month and titled, "Ballistic Missile Defense in the Asia-Pacific Region: Cooperation and Opposition," noting China's outspoken opposition to a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) battery in the South."In one se

South Korea bashed North Korea on Friday for its renewed pledge to cling to its nuclear weapons program, saying it would deal sternly with the communist nation's provocative act.The response by Seoul's defense ministry came after Hyon Yong-chol, the chief of Pyongyang's People's Armed Forces, claimed during an international security conference in Moscow on Thursday that its possession of nuclear weapons "is the direct result of the hostile policy by the United States and ... aimed at eliminating

The United States is in discussions about a potential deployment of the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the U.S. Pacific commander said Thursday.  Adm. Samuel Locklear made the remark during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, but did not elaborate on what those discussions are, including whether they are internal discussions in the U.S. military or whether they mean talks with South Korea.  "Our ability in the region to pa

North Korea threatened South Korea Thursday over the possible deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system in the South, saying it would only trigger an arms race between the Koreas.  A spokesman for the National Peace Committee of Korea, a propaganda organ, issued a statement condemning the move as an "unpardonable provocation" against North Korea and a "hideous sycophantic and traitorous act that may bring nuclear holocaust to the nation and reduce South Korea into the most dangerous nucle