The Korea Herald

Cabinet OKs creation of new presidential post of cyber security

Mar 31, 2015

The Cabinet approved the creation of a new presidential post handling cyber security, an official said Tuesday, the latest in a series of efforts by South Korea to better deal with possible cyber-attacks.Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said the new post of presidential secretary for cyber security is designed to strengthen the country's control tower over cyber security.Still, President Park Geun-hye has yet to name her pick for the new post.The move came after a series of cyber-attacks in
U.S. defense chief to visit S. Korea next week: source

Mar 31, 2015

The defense secretary of the United States will visit South Korea next week for talks with his local counterpart on key pending security issues, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, with attention drawn to the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile-defense system here."For now, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter is scheduled to come here on April 9 for a three-day stay," defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said at a regular briefing without further elaboration.A Seoul source, requ
KAI picked for fighter jet project

Mar 30, 2015

Korea Aerospace Industries, the country’s sole aircraft maker, was selected as the preferred bidder for an 8.6 trillion won ($7.8 billion) project to develop an indigenous fighter jet by 2025, Seoul’s military acquisition agency said Monday.The national defense acquisition program committee, presided over by Defense Minister Han Min-koo, made the decision to speed up the project, codenamed “KF-X,” which has been more than a decade behind schedule due to budgetary and feasibility issues. KAI beat
KAI picked as preferred bidder for S. Korean fighter jet project

Mar 30, 2015

South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Ltd., was picked as the preferred bidder for the country's indigenous fighter jet development program Monday, the arms procurement agency said.Codenamed KF-X, the 8.67 trillion won ($7.84 billion) project calls for South Korea to develop fighter jets of the F-16 class to replace its aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s. Some 120 jets are to be put into service starting around 2025, with the production to cost another 9.3 trillion
Korea, U.S. talk missile defense cooperation

Mar 27, 2015

The military leaders of South Korea and the U.S. discussed ways to enhance interoperability between their countries’ ballistic missile defense systems and their capabilities to counter North Korea’ evolving security threats, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday.South Korea’s JCS Chairman Choi Yun-hee and his U.S. counterpart Martin Dempsey held a meeting in Seoul, during which the two touched on an array of bilateral and regional security issues including the preparations for the conditions
S. Korea, U.S. kick off large-scale maritime drill

Mar 27, 2015

South Korea and the United States launched a large-scale joint maritime field training exercise on Friday to strengthen interoperability in amphibious operations between the allies' forces, the Navy here said Friday.The five-day war game in South Korea's southern port city of Pohang is part of the allies' annual landing drill -- known as Ssangyong in South Korea and the Korean Marine Exchange Program in the U.S. -- that began on Monday.For the maneuvers, some 7,600 marines and sailors of the two
President marks sinking of Cheonan with warning against N.K. provocations

Mar 26, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday called on Pyongyang to renounce “reckless” provocations and nuclear ambitions, urging it to pursue “genuine change” and end its international isolation. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of Pyongyang’s torpedo attack on the corvette Cheonan at the national cemetery in Daejeon, Park also called for a robust deterrence based on the country’s alliance with the U.S. to fend off the North’s possible provocations.“The North should dismiss the thou
U.S. military chief’s Seoul visit fuels THAAD speculation

Mar 26, 2015

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey arrived in Seoul on Thursday, drawing keen attention to whether he will initiate consultations with South Korean officials on deploying an advanced missile defense system.On the first day of his three-day visit to Seoul, Dempsey visited President Park Geun-hye, who conferred to him the Order of National Security Merit’s “Tongil Medal” for his contribution to enhancing the South Korea-U.S. alliance. He came here following his three-day visit to J
Military uniforms to display national flag

Mar 26, 2015

In a move to boost Korean soldiers’ sense of honor and duty, all military uniforms will display the Korean national flag within this year, the Ministry of Defense said Thursday.“We came up with the measure to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence and to encourage military personnel to feel more pride about their service,” Defense Ministry deputy spokesperson Na Seng-yong said at a news briefing.Currently, only select groups ― Korean soldiers assigned to the Korean Augmentation
S. Korea boosts defense posture after warship sinking

Mar 26, 2015

"Remember the warship Cheonan!"Under the simple but desperate slogan, the South Korean Navy has significantly bolstered its underwater capabilities and combat readiness since North Korea's deadly sinking of the corvette five years ago. On March 26, 2010, the 1,200-ton warship sank while on a training mission in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 out of the 104 sailors on board. A South Korean-led international investigation concluded that a North Korean submarine torpedoed the ship, though Pyongyang has
[Newsmaker] Navy beset by corruption

Mar 25, 2015

The South Korean Navy is faltering under a string of corruption and sexual scandals involving former and current senior officials, triggering public criticism and calls for sweeping reform amid North Korea’s continued maritime threats.The scandals have overshadowed the Navy’s efforts to honor this week the sacrifices of the 46 sailors who were killed in the North’s torpedo attack on the corvette Cheonan five years ago.Former Chief of Naval Operations Hwang Ki-chul (right) attends a farewell cere
Army to deploy new MLRS this year

Mar 24, 2015

The South Korean military is expected to deploy an advanced multiple launch rocket system to some of the Army’s frontline units from the latter half of the year, amid North Korea’s continued artillery threats, a military source said Tuesday.The new domestically made MLRS, called “Chunmoo,” will bolster South Korea’s artillery counterstrike capabilities as it has a range of up to 80 kilometers ― double the range of the currently deployed “Guryong” rocket system, the source said, declining to be i
Defense bolstered five years after Cheonan sinking

Mar 22, 2015

North Korea remains naval threat with continued saber-rattling
U.S. to increase multi-rocket system troops in S. Korea

Mar 21, 2015

The United States plans to send an additional multiple launch rocket system battalion to South Korea in May to better deter North Korea's artillery threats, U.S. Forces Korea said Saturday.The U.S. secretary of defense "approved the nine-month rotation of a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) battalion to South Korea to provide unique counter-fire capabilities supporting its defense," the 8th Army said in a press release.The first rotational battalion will join the 210th Field Artillery Brigade
Minesweepers' deployment faces delay due to faulty parts

Mar 20, 2015

South Korea's deployment of minesweepers is expected to be delayed by at least a year as their key parts fail to meet the military's requirements, the procurement agency said Friday. Under the 489.2 billion won ($435.6 million) project launched in 2010, South Korea has been pushing to acquire three Minesweeper Hunters for the Navy to better counter threats posed by naval mines. The vessels were supposed to be deployed from August 2015 to 2019. After a four-week inspection of the project, the D