South Korea has temporarily suspended bidding for its next-generation fighter jet project as none of the contenders met the preset budget limit, the state arms procurer said Friday.South Korea is pushing to buy 60 fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets starting from 2017.Vying for the project are Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle; Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet; and the Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon from the European Aerospace Defense and Space Company.The Defense Acquisition P

The military’s Cyber Command signed a memorandum of understanding with the government-sponsored cyber security firm Korea Internet Security Agency on Friday, pledging to combine forces against future cyber attacks. A communication hotline will be established to quickly counter massive online attacks while the two institutions will also share intelligence concerning cyber security.“Our command’s MOU with KISA will undoubtedly enhance our nation’s cyber security capabilities,” said Brig. Gen. Ok D

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Australia discussed bilateral cooperation in securing peace on the peninsula and tackling other regional and global security challenges during their talks in Seoul on Wednesday. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith exchanged their views on North Korea’s nuclear threat and ways to bolster defense collaboration in various areas, including intelligence, Seoul officials said.The regular defense ministers’ meeting between the

The Defense Ministry plans to ban its staff from using smartphones, except for calling and texting, within its main building in an effort to prevent any leaks of military secrets. Visitors will also be required to leave their smartphones at the entrance, officials said Wednesday.The measures are taken as the ministry is proceeding with a 8.3 trillion ($7.3 million) project to introduce advanced fighter jets. Two military officials are under investigation on charges of leaking classified data rel

South Korea is revving up diplomatic efforts to put pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear programs when an Asian security meeting opens here next week, Seoul officials said Saturday.Top diplomats and senior officials from 27 Asia-Pacific nations are scheduled to begin a two-day ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Brunei on Monday. The annual meeting will also bring together North Korea and all other key players in Asia and the Pacific.The forum, hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeas

The second round of bidding for South Korea's multibillion dollar fighter jet project ended on Friday, with none offering a price below the 8.3 trillion ($7.3 million) budget, the state defense procurement agency said.  The next bidding session begins next Tuesday, said the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). South Korea is pushing to buy 60 jets to replace South Korean Air Force's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets starting from 2017. Competing are Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle; Lockhe

The Barack Obama administration is expected to maintain its strategy of letting South Korea play a leading role in engaging North Korea through diplomacy, a former senior U.S. official said Monday.Kurt Campbell, who served as assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs until February, said this stance reflects a "clear and subtle change" in Washington's approach towards Korea."I think in the past the leading edge of diplomacy with North Korea was often the relationship between

South Korea and the United States are likely to start high-level negotiations sometime next week to renew the cost-sharing agreement for keeping U.S. troops here, a Seoul government source said Monday."Opening the first round of cost-sharing talks in Washington is under final discussion ... The date (for the talks) will soon be decided," said the source, requesting anonymity.The talks come as the agreement, eighth of its kind and called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), expires at the end of