The Korea Herald

Assembly faces arduous April

Apr 7, 2015

The National Assembly’s April extraordinary session that kicked off Tuesday is expected to become a battlefield for rival parties as they lock horns over contentious issues including the reform of public servants’ pension system, a probe on resource diplomacy, and controversy surrounding the Sewol tragedy. Lawmakers from the ruling and the main opposition party are also expected to intensify attacks on each other ahead of the by-elections scheduled later this month, as the event is seen as a bar
S. Korea's military reshuffles top generals

Apr 7, 2015

South Korea's military Tuesday carried out a regular shake-up of two- and three-star generals, affecting some officers known as confidants to Park Ji-man, younger brother of President Park Geun-hye. Army Lt. Gen. Shin Won-sik, chief of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was appointed as deputy head of the JCS, according to the defense ministry. He attended the Korea Military Academy with the 57-year-old Park, who currently works as chairman of EG Corporation, an electronic materials prod
S. Korea, China to hold arms control talks

Apr 7, 2015

Senior officials from South Korea and China will hold regular talks in Beijing this week to discuss arms control and non-proliferation, a diplomatic source said Tuesday. Yoo Dae-jong, director-general of the International Organizations Bureau at South Korea's foreign ministry, is scheduled to hold talks with Wang Qun, director-general of the Department of Arms Control of China's foreign ministry, on Wednesday, the source said on the condition of anonymity. Yoo and Wang are also expected to e
Military investigators vow efforts against corruption, sex crimes

Apr 7, 2015

Military police and prosecutors here gathered Tuesday to seek ways to root out pervasive corruption and on-base sex crimes, the defense ministry said. Some 150 senior officials in the military law enforcement agencies under the defense ministry and all branches of service "discussed what causes sexual abuse cases among the servicemembers, how to better protect victims, and how to set up a cooperative mechanism to eradicate corruption in the defense industry," according to the ministry. The fi
Carter seeks to bolster capabilities to cope with

Apr 7, 2015

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Monday he will discuss ways to bolster joint defense capabilities with South Korea to cope with "an increasingly dangerous and provocative North Korea" when he visits Seoul later this week. Carter made the remark during a speech at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, outlining his trip to South Korea and Japan, designed to cement alliances with the two countries in a region marked by China's rise and threats fr
Security forum on Northeast Asia due in Japan next month: sources

Apr 5, 2015

A two-track regional security forum is to be held in Japan next month, involving government officials and scholars from the six nations engaged in multilateral talks on North Korea's denuclearization, sources said Sunday.Since its inception in 1993, the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue has served as a venue for informal dialogue among North Korea and its five dialogue partners on its nuclear program -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.Organized by the University of Cali
State Department approves possible missile sale to S. Korea

Apr 3, 2015

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible sale to South Korea of 400 air-to-surface Hellfire missiles as well as related equipment, parts and support, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Thursday. South Korea has asked to buy 400 AGM-114R1 Hellfire II Semi-Active Laser Missiles with containers, 100 ATM-114Q Air Training Missiles, and 12 M36E8 Hellfire II Captive Air Training Missiles from Lockheed Martin, the agency said in a statement. The estimated cost is $81 million, it sa
THAAD’s efficacy in dispute

Apr 2, 2015

Amid controversy over the U.S.’ potential deployment of an advanced missile defense battery here, defense experts are focusing on its military efficacy ― a topic that has been eclipsed by a dominant “U.S. vs China” discourse.The experts say that the public debate should center on whether the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system would really be helpful or necessary to counter North Korea’s missile threats ― rather than on whose side Seoul should take amid objections from China and Russia.Be
S. Korea did not receive THAAD information from Lockheed Martin: ministry

Apr 2, 2015

South Korea has not received any detailed information from the U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin Corp. on the firm's advanced missile defense battery, the defense ministry here said Thursday.Reuters reported on Monday that Lockheed Martin "has provided information to South Korea and the U.S. government to support a possible sale of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system," citing Lockheed Martin's senior manager for international air and missile business development, Dan Garcia.THAAD h
U.S. not to raise THAAD issue when Carter visits S. Korea next week: official

Apr 2, 2015

The United States will not bring up the issue of the THAAD missile defense system when Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visits South Korea next week, a U.S. official said Wednesday."After discussions between senior leaders at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and military leaders on the peninsula and at the Pentagon, it was decided that the topic of THAAD will not be discussed during Secretary Carter's trip next week," the official said.The U.S. wants to deploy a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defens
S. Korea to create task force for indigenous fighter project

Apr 1, 2015

South Korea plans to form an inter-agency team to handle the country's largest-ever acquisition project aimed at developing an indigenous fighter jet, officials here said Wednesday, which is already facing daunting challenges on the budget and technology transfer fronts.Seoul's arms procurement agency is trying to speed up the 8.67 trillion won ($7.84 billion) project, more than 10 years behind schedule. On Tuesday, it selected Korea Aerospace Industries, the country's sole aircraft maker, as th
[Newsmaker] Air Force to revamp command structure

Mar 31, 2015

The South Korean military has decided to reorganize the Air Force’s command structure to enhance efficiency in both peacetime and wartime operations, and better incorporate new weapons systems into its missions, the Air Force said Tuesday.Under the reorganization plan, the Air Force’s Southern and Northern Combat Commands will be refurbished into the Air Combat Command and the Air Mobility & Reconnaissance Command ― a shift from the hitherto geographically arranged command structure to a functio
Army major general gets jail term for sexual harassment

Mar 31, 2015

The military’s appeals court has sentenced a two-star army general to six months in jail for sexually harassing his female soldier, and ordered him to be put on the public list of sex offenders, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.The major general of the 17th Infantry Division, identified by his surname Song, was arrested last October for allegedly hugging a staff sergeant and kissing her cheeks in his office on five occasions between August and September last year.The High Court for Armed Forces
U.S. defense chief to visit in April

Mar 31, 2015

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is tentatively scheduled to visit South Korea from April 9-11 for talks with Seoul officials over an array of bilateral and regional security issues, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.His visit was announced amid an intense public debate regarding the U.S.’ possible deployment of an advanced missile defense asset, called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, to Korea. Observers expect his visit to set the stage for the allies’ official consultations over t
Arms dealer charged with US$90 mln fraud

Mar 31, 2015

Prosecutors said Tuesday they have indicted the chairman of a major local arms dealer on charges of swindling some 100 billion won ($90 million) from a transaction he brokered between South Korea and a Turkish firm in 2009.Lee Kyu-tae of Ilgwang Group is accused of exaggerating the price of an electronic warfare training system when South Korea's procurement agency was purchasing it from Havelsan, a Turkish software company.EWTS trains soldiers on using the electromagnetic spectrum to attack or