President Park Geun-hye met with hundreds of South Korean troops in the United Arab Emirates on Friday to boost their morale on the third and last day of her visit to the wealthy Gulf state."I am overwhelmed to see our troops in the UAE," Park, wearing a Navy jacket, said in a meeting with about 200 soldiers aboard the Dae Jo Yeong, a 4,400-ton South Korean destroyer, anchored at Zayed Port in the heart of the UAE capital.Park -- the first commander-in-chief to visit a South Korean warship deplo

Five U.S. Navy ships have arrived in South Korea to take part in an ongoing annual military exercise between the allies, the Combined Forces Command said Thursday.On Monday, Seoul and Washington kicked off the field training exercise Foal Eagle as part of efforts to improve the combined forces' operations and combat capabilities to deter threats from North Korea. The drill involves 200,000 South Korean and 3,700 American troops and is scheduled to run until April 24. "Five Navy ships from the U.

A malfunctioning safety control system caused a naval gun to be accidentally fired from a warship and seriously injure a seaman in January, Navy officials said Tuesday. Abrasion caused slipperiness between older and newer parts of the safety control system, leading to the accident. The 21-year-old seaman of the 2nd Fleet Command, surnamed Oh, remains in critical condition.The officials also pointed out that several crewmembers failed to comply with safety rules concerning the removal of a piece

A new submarine for the South Korean Navy will be named after a revered independence fighter, military officials said Sunday.The Navy announced that its sixth Type 214, 1,800-ton attack submarine will be named after Yu Gwan-sun (1902-1920), a female student activist who played a major part in the 1919 civil uprising against Japan’s colonial regime.“After holding policy meetings over the name of the submarine, we’ve christened it ‘Yu Gwan-sun,’” the Navy said in a statement.“This will be the firs

South Korea and the United States will kick off their annual joint military drills this week, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) said Sunday, amid North Korea's repeated threats against the exercises.The computerized command post exercise, called Key Resolve, will be held from Monday to next Friday to improve the combined forces' operation and combat capabilities to deter threats from the North.The two-week war game will involve about 10,000 South Korean and 8,600 American troops to test various

The new head of the South Korean Navy pledged Friday to build a strong and trustworthy naval force to regain public confidence after a series of scandals that revealed lax discipline.   Adm. Chung Ho-seop took the helm of the 70,000-strong Navy to replace outgoing Adm. Hwang Ki-chul, who stepped down to take responsibility for corruption allegations involving the country's indigenous salvage ship, the Tongyeong.  "We have to squarely face the reality where we've lost trust due to corruption alle

South Korea and the United States began joint naval maneuver drills in waters off the Korean Peninsula Friday as part of their annual major military exercise Foal Eagle, the Navy here said.  The allies' navies "will stage joint maneuver drills in the South, Yellow and East Seas in succession from today until mid-March to boost joint operations capabilities and to solidify the joint defense posture," the Navy said in a statement.  During the four-day joint drill that began earlier in the day in t

The U.S. Air Force plans to send F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets to an air show slated for October in Seoul, according to its Web site Wednesday.   According to the U.S. Air Combat Command website, the F-22 demonstration team plans to come to South Korea for six days starting Oct. 20, for the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2015.  It will be the first time for the U.S. tactical fighters to visit Korea for an air show, though it has been deployed here to carry out military o

A Korean teenager who went missing in Turkey last month is training to become a member of the Islamic State militant group, the National Intelligence Service said Tuesday. The 18-year-old tourist from Seoul, surnamed Kim, vanished on Jan. 10 after leaving a hotel in the border town of Kilis. He initially arrived in Istanbul on Jan. 8 and flew to the southern city of Gaziantep before reaching Kilis by car the next day, a typical route locals say is taken by aspiring IS jihadists. The Seoul police

South Korea and the U.S. plan to stage their annual joint military drills next month, the allies said Tuesday, as North Korea threatened a military response to what it called a “rehearsal for aggressive war.” Key Resolve, a computer simulated command post exercise, will kick off on March 2 for a 12-day run, involving some 10,000 South Korean troops and 8,600 American servicemen. The Foal Eagle field training drill, which will continue through April 24, is expected to mobilize about 200,000 South

South Korea's top air carrier Korean Air Line Co. and the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., placed their bids for Seoul's indigenous fighter development program Tuesday, the arms procurement agency said.  Codenamed KF-X, the 8.5 trillion won ($8.3 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.  "Korean Air in partnershi

South Korea and the United States will conduct their annual joint military drills next month, the Combined Forces Command said Tuesday, amid heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula following repeated threats against the exercises from North Korea.  The computerized command post exercise, called Key Resolve, will be held from March 2-13 to improve the combined forces' operation and combat capabilities to deter threats from the North, according to the CFC.  The two-week war game will involve ab