North Korea warned of retaliatory military actions against South Korea and the U.S. on Sunday, denouncing the allies’ criticism of its recent missile launches and artillery drills.The North’s powerful National Defense Commission argued that the launches were not provocations as the allies have contended, but the legitimate exercise of its sovereignty to strengthen its self-defense capabilities.“The U.S. and South Korea should not dare to talk of the (North’s) provocations or threats anymore and

The Army chief called Monday for thorough reform efforts in the wake of last month’s deadly shooting spree at a border outpost, vowing to make his organization stronger and more efficient, the Army headquarters said. Gen. Kwon Oh-sung made the remark during the Army’s biannual commander meeting held at the Army compound in Gyeryong, some 176 kilometers south of Seoul.Last month, a 22-year-old Army sergeant fired on his comrades at his general outpost in the inter-Korean border town of Goseong, 2

South Korea's new Defense Minister Han Min-koo and U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel held their first conversation by phone on Saturday and discussed the alliance between the two countries, the Pentagon said.Hagel congratulated Han on his appointment, saying he looks forward to working with him to continue strengthening the alliance, the Pentagon said in a press release. Hagel initiated the call, according to the defense department.Han, a former chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, took off

South Korea and China have reached a consensus on establishing a military hotline between their defense chiefs this year to further boost cooperation, a Seoul government source said Sunday.After agreeing on "the necessity for the hotline, the two countries began discussing the issue in earnest from the end of last year and have reached a consensus to set it up within this year," the source said. He declined to be named."The two are likely to reach a final decision during their fourth round of th

South Korea's Air Force on Saturday refuted allegations that air traffic control played any role in the crash of a fire department helicopter that left all five crew members dead.The Eurocopter-built AS365 Dauphin medium-weight helicopter crashed Thursday in a residential area of Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul. The chopper and its crew were returning to a base in Gangwon Province after taking part in search missions related to the April 16 sinking of the Sewol ferry off the country's sou

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said that under a bilateral security arrangement, U.S. Forces Japan is required to secure Tokyo’s understanding should it want to send its marines to the Korean Peninsula in the event of contingencies here.His remarks at a parliamentary session on Tuesday triggered concerns in Korea that Tokyo’s political calculations could impede the rapid deployment of U.S. troops to the country if conflict occurs on the peninsula. “U.S. marines depart from Japan. As (tha

South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered the country's military Wednesday to swiftly retaliate against any provocation from North Korea amid heightened tensions over the North's recent missile launches and firing of artillery.Park gave the order during a luncheon with about 140 key military commanders, including Defense Minister Han Min-koo, saying the communist nation has become increasingly unpredictable in recent weeks.She especially noted that the North has made a "conciliatory gesture"

The sergeant who killed five soldiers in a shooting rampage last month had been taunted and ostracized while in high school and during his military service, the Army said Tuesday.Announcing the results of the three-week investigation into the June 21 shooting, the Army said that the 22-year-old sergeant, surnamed Lim, was driven to go on the shooting spree after being mocked by his senior and junior colleagues.A series of humiliating pictures that Lim’s fellows drew on the cover of the daily pat

The Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its prosecution had detained and indicted two uniformed officers on charges of leaking military secrets about Seoul’s defense procurement projects to a civilian broker that in turn gave them to three unspecified foreign defense firms.It also plans to indict one more officer and a civilian on the same charges.After being informed of the leak, the civilian prosecution launched a preliminary probe into the case in February 2013. Later, military prosecutors joi

 An Army sergeant went on a deadly shooting rampage at a frontline border outpost last month after being ignored and bullied by his superiors and comrades, military police said Tuesday. Announcing the results of its one-month probe into the rampage by the 22-year-old sergeant, identified only by his surname Lim, that killed five people and wounded seven, the military police also said Lim is suspected of planning the alleged crime for about four hours and committed it on his own.On June 21, Lim d