The Korea Herald

Tokyo nears goal of collective self-defense

May 12, 2014

Tokyo’s push for collective self-defense is picking up pace as it is poised to announce its stance toward the reinterpretation of its war-renouncing constitution this week to attain its long-cherished security goal.The announcement is expected to further unnerve South Korea and China, the major victims of Japan’s past militarism, as the pursuit of collective self-defense ― the use of force to support allies under attack ― comes without Tokyo fully recognizing its wartime atrocities.Japanese Prim
Korea, U.S., Japan eye defense talks

May 11, 2014

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are seeking to hold trilateral defense talks on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore later this month, to discuss North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and other issues of mutual concern, a Seoul official said Sunday.During the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual meeting of defense ministers in Singapore, the top defense officials of the countries are also expected to talk about the three-way intelligence cooperation, which the leaders of South Korea and
Seoul finds ‘smoking gun’ proving N.K. sent drones

May 8, 2014

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that its probe team had secured the “smoking gun” confirming that the three crashed drones, discovered in frontline areas in March and April, came from North Korea.Announcing the result of its investigation, the investigation team, consisting of South Korean and U.S. experts, presented its analysis of photos and mission data from the drones’ cameras and memory chips, which revealed that they took off from the North and were programmed to return to the North
Seoul finds smoking gun for N.K. responsibility for drones

May 8, 2014

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that its probe team had secured the “smoking gun” confirming that the three crashed drones, discovered in frontline areas in March and April, came from North Korea.Announcing the result of its probe, the investigation team, consisting of South Korean and U.S. experts, presented its analysis of photos and mission data from the drones’ cameras and memory chips, which revealed that they took off from the North and were programmed to return to the North.“Analy
U.S. to send 20 marine brigades in case of N. Korean invasion

May 7, 2014

The U.S. has established an operational plan to deploy 20 marine brigades to the Korean Peninsula in case of a North Korean invasion into the South, U.S. House Armed Services Chairman Howard McKeon said Tuesday.During a forum in Washington, McKeon said that U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos told him that most of the U.S. marines are to be dispatched to defend South Korea under the plan, according to Yonhap.The Republican lawmaker said that with the congressionally mandated budget cuts
Allies rack brains over OPCON transfer

May 6, 2014

Transfer is expected to come in early 2020s
Seoul to upgrade missile defense

Apr 28, 2014

South Korea on Monday approved a plan to purchase scores of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles from the U.S. for deployment from 2016-2020, the state defense acquisition agency said.During a top defense decision-making meeting presided over by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, Seoul endorsed the plan that also includes upgrading the current missile interception system from 2014 through 2020. The upgrading work includes enhancing radars, launchers and control programs.The government has set asid
Strategic rivalries escalate in East Asia

Apr 28, 2014

As U.S. President Barack Obama completes his four-nation Asian tour to promote the diplomatic, economic and security aspects of the U.S. “rebalancing” toward the Asia-Pacific, the region continues to grapple with strategic uncertainties. While reactions to China’s cumulative rise on the global stage have varied, but virtually none of the regional actors are comfortable with its increasing military capabilities and more assertive policies, particularly in the deepening territorial disputes over s
Obama warns N.K. of U.S. military might

Apr 27, 2014

U.S. President Barack Obama warned Saturday that Washington was prepared to use military force to defend its allies, while ratcheting up pressure on North Korea to renounce its nuclear ambitions.During his visit to Yongsan Garrison, the U.S. military headquarters in central Seoul, he also underscored that the South Korea-U.S. alliance would not waver with “each bout of Pyongyang’s attention-seeking.”His strongly worded speech came as the communist state has warned of a “new form” of nuclear test
‘3-way military info sharing to focus on N.K.’

Apr 27, 2014

Seoul officials said Sunday that the envisioned sharing of military intelligence among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan would be limited to issues concerning North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.Presidents Park Geun-hye and Barack Obama recognized the need for the three-way intelligence cooperation during their summit in Seoul on Friday ― a move that unnerved some Koreans, who are against any military collaboration with their onetime colonizer.Seoul’s Defense Ministry said that it would see
Park, Obama pay joint visit to Combined Forces Command

Apr 26, 2014

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama paid a joint visit to the command center for joint military operations between the two allies on Saturday in a symbolic move underscoring their unity in deterring North Korea.It marks the first time for the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. to make a joint visit to the Combined Forces Command (CFC) since it was established in 1978. During the visit, the two leaders received a briefing on the countries' readiness against threa
Military conducts high-level reshuffle

Apr 21, 2014

The Defense Ministry on Monday appointed Lt. Gen. Kim Yu-geun, the commander of the 8th Army Corps, as the deputy Army chief in a high-level military reshuffle.The ministry also promoted Maj. Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo, the southern combat commander, to the rank of three-star general and appointed him as the deputy Air Force chief. It also made Maj. Gen. Park Jae-bock, a senior intelligence official at the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, a three-star general and named him the Air Force oper
Japan says ready to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force to help rescue efforts

Apr 18, 2014

Japan is ready to dispatch its Maritime Self-Defense Force and coast guard to assist the search-and-rescue operation for the sunken ferry Sewol, Japanese Defense Minister Isunori Onodera said Friday.“We have not been asked by (the Korean government), but once requested, we are ready to make a speedy move,” Onodera told reporters, Kyodo News reported. The statement came after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged his Cabinet members earlier in the day to “make sure to give a swift response whe
S. Korean military begins excavating Korean War remains

Apr 17, 2014

The South Korean military has begun a seven-month project to excavate remains of fallen soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, the defense ministry said Thursday.About 100,000 soldiers will dig out sites in 74 regions across the nation until the end of November to find remains of missing servicemembers, the ministry said.The excavation team will analyze the registry of missing soldiers and conduct DNA tests to trace their families after retrieving their remains, it said.Since 2000, the S
Allies discuss timing of OPCON transfer

Apr 16, 2014

South Korea and the U.S. opened high-level defense talks Tuesday over an array of bilateral security issues, including the delay in the transfer of wartime operational control.Represented by Deputy Defense Minister Yoo Jeh-seung and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia David Helvey, the two sides discussed the issue at the two-day Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue at the Pentagon.Seoul and Washington reportedly agreed on the need to postpone the OPCON handover and are discuss