Pentagon officials often say defense cooperation between South Korea and Japan shouldn't be affected by often prickly political and diplomatic ties between the two neighboring nations.   But they were guarded, if not speechless, when South Korean peacekeeping troops in South Sudan returned 10,000 rounds of rifle ammunition to Japan last week.   "We don't have anything on that issue," Maj. Robert Firman, a Pentagon spokesman handling Africa affairs, said.   Asked again via email, he replied, "St

The South Korean peacekeeping forces in South Sudan Friday returned 10,000 rounds of ammunition they borrowed from Japan through a U.N. mission last month to beef up security amid an escalating civil war there, the South Korean military said."We've returned the ammunition borrowed from the Japanese forces based in Juba through the U.N. mission in South Sudan," a senior official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.Two C-130 carriers departing from South Korea arrived at the Juba airport on Dec. 27

South Korea and the United States plan to resume their talks Saturday on sharing the cost of keeping 28,500 U.S. troops here with a view to finalizing a deal, defense sources said.The two parties are anticipated to come up with a final deal to end the 10th round of their negotiations that started Thursday to renew the latest five-year Special Measure Agreement (SMA).The two allies have so far failed to bridge their differences for a renewal, including the size of Seoul's contributions and rules

South Korea and the United States will start their annual military drills next month, military officials said Thursday, despite North Korea's rejection of family reunions citing the planned exercises.The computer-based simulation, called Key Resolve, will be held for two weeks in late February to early March to improve the combined forces' operation and combat capabilities to deter threats from the North. The Combined Forces Command (CFC) said forces of the two nations are currently preparing fo

U.S. mechanized battalion to be deployed north of Seoul this year

South Korea plans to kick-start a long-delayed program to build fighter jets despite lingering skepticism over its feasibility and technological barriers, officials said Sunday. The ambitious project, called KFX or Boramae, is aimed at producing F-16-class fighter jets. The military aims to introduce the first model by 2023 and deploy 120 units over the following several years, officials said. “The Boramae project will kick into high gear this year to develop 120 Korean-made fighter planes,” a s

The United States is making a hard push for a much larger South Korean share in the cost of stationing American troops here than what Seoul is willing to pay, local government sources said on Sunday, casting doubt over the two sides’ impending negotiations over the issue.The two countries will open a new round of talks on Thursday in Seoul to renew the Special Measure Agreement, under which they will decide how to split the cost of stationing 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.According to the so

The United States is making a hard push for a much larger South Korean share in the cost of stationing American troops here than what Seoul is willing to pay, local government sources said on Sunday, casting doubt over the two sides' impending negotiations over the issue.The two countries will open a new round of talks on Thursday in Seoul to renew the Special Measure Agreement, under which they will decide how to split the cost of stationing 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.According to the so

South Korea has dispatched a military expert to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to participate in international efforts to remove Syria’s chemical arsenal, a government source said Monday.“The Defense Ministry has recently sent an expert to the OPCW’s department related to activities to remove Syria’s chemical weapons,” the source said.The OPCW is carrying out a mission to remove Syria’s chemical weapons jointly with the United States under the U.N. Security Council Reso