South Korea’s defense acquisition agency has struck a deal with Korea Aerospace Industries, the country’s sole aircraft maker, to develop home-built military and civilian helicopters by 2022, officials said Wednesday.With the deal worth 1.64 trillion won ($1.49 billion), Seoul seeks to develop the “Light Armored Helicopter” to replace aging 500MD and AH-1S military choppers, based on the “Light Civil Helicopter” that will also be developed under the deal.For the development of the LAH and LCH, K

Senior officials of South Korea and Japan held their first security policy talks since 2009 in Seoul on Tuesday, as part of efforts to move their relationship forward amid escalating historical and territorial feuds.The meeting involving two senior foreign affairs and defense officials from each side came as Seoul felt the need to continue cooperation with Tokyo in “mutually beneficial areas” despite the spats over history and Japan’s claim to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.The talks

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it had no plans to seek a bilateral military logistical support deal with Tokyo, dismissing a news report that the defense ministers of the two countries would discuss the issue next month.“We have not been in any talks with Japan over the signing of the acquisition and cross-servicing agreement and have no plans whatsoever for any bilateral discussion of it,” said ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok during a press briefing.Japanese media reported Sunday tha

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- U.S. Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman called in both the South Korean and the Japanese ambassadors to Washington for separate meetings on Friday in a possible sign that the U.S. is stepping up efforts to help improve relations between the two key Asian allies.Sherman met with South Korean Ambassador Ahn Ho-young on Friday morning and discussed various issues, including historical tensions and the North Korean nuclear standoff, for about an hour, a diplomatic source s

The South Korean and U.S. Air Forces launched a large-scale, regular aerial exercise on Friday to boost combined defense capabilities.The biannual Max Thunder joint maneuver, set to take place in South Korean airspace through April 24, will "involve around 100 aircraft and 1,400 service personnel from the allies to display and hone our best combined air defense capabilities," the Air Force headquarters said in a release.Some 50 South Korean aircraft will join the exercise, including the F-15K an

South Korea and Japan will hold their first high-level security talks in more than five years next week, the foreign ministry here said Friday, amid renewed tension over historical and territorial issues.The so-called 2+2 talks, involving two senior foreign affairs and defense officials from each side, will be held in Seoul on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. They will be led by Lee Sang-deok, director of Northeast Asian affairs at the foreign ministry, and his Japanese counterpart, Ju

A military appellate court Thursday sentenced an Army sergeant to 35 years behind bars for beating his junior comrade to death.  The sergeant, surnamed Lee, was convicted of killing the 23-year-old Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, by inflicting injuries at their frontline unit on the east coast in April last year.  Yoon died after being hit in the chest by six of his colleagues, including Lee, while eating snacks at their barracks.   The assault caused a piece of food to obstruct his air

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will arrive in South Korea on Thursday in a bid to reaffirm America’s commitment to countering North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats and encourage U.S. troops here.His scheduled visit has drawn keen attention as Carter and his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo are expected to touch on the issue of the U.S.’ potential deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system during their talks Friday.Seoul officials said the THAAD issue was

South Korea said Wednesday it plans to launch a U.S. Korean War veterans group to honor them for their service and help enhance ties between the allies.   U.S. troops began to be stationed in South Korea in earnest with the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. Currently, some 28,500 soldiers are here to deter aggressions from North Korea.  "The defense ministry has a plan to set up the group for the American service personnel who had served here," a senior Seoul official said on condition of anon

South Korea Wednesday unveiled a five-year plan to localize the production of key parts of strategic weapons.   Under the 2015-19 scheme, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration plans to support local defense firms in producing dozens of key parts for 10 indigenous weapons in five areas -- vehicles, firearms, aviation, vessels and reconnaissance.  The 10 weapons are K-2 combat tanks, wheeled armored vehicles, Chunmoo artillery rocket ammunition, remote controlled munitions, the KUH-1 Suri