South Korea has placed Israeli precision-guided missiles capable of striking North Korean coastal artillery on its Yellow Sea border islands, a military official said Sunday."Dozens of Spike missiles and their launchers have recently been deployed on Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands," an official for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "They can destroy (North Korea's) underground facilities and can pursue and strike moving targets."The satellite-guided Spike missile has a range of about 20

WASHINGTON— President Barack Obama plans to replace the top commander of U.S. forces in Korea, the Pentagon announced Friday, a move that comes as North Korea shows no signs of returning to dialogue aimed at easing military tensions and denuclearizing the peninsula.Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon would promote Lt. Gen. Curtis ``Mike'' Scaparrotti, formerly deputy commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, to the rank of a four-star general to serve as commander of the 28,500 troops

South Korea and the United States on Monday began two days of joint naval exercises off the east coast involving the nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier.The 97,000-ton USS Nimitz (CVN 68) left the southeastern port of Busan earlier in the day for the exercises with South Korea's Navy in the East Sea near Pohang, a senior military official said.The Nimitz Strike Group consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and guided-missile destroyers and cruisers.South Korea mobilized the Aegis-

The defense ministry on Thursday ruled out South Korea's participation in the American-led missile defense system, saying it will focus on developing its own program to defend itself from North Korea's missile threats.Whether to join a U.S.-led missile defense system involving ground-based interceptors and the X-band radar has been a prickly issue in South Korea, as it could spur a regional arms race involving China and further contribute to mounting costs in the national missile program. The is

The Defense Ministry has virtually rejected the Navy’s request to consider introducing the Standard Missile-3 mid-course interceptors, multiple sources privy to the issue told The Korea Herald on Monday.The Navy unofficially requested recently that the ministry weigh the option of purchasing the missiles to enhance the strategic value of its Aegis-equipped destroyers and better handle North Korea’s escalating missile threats. The ministry has made no response in an apparent rejection of the requ

Washington has sent a “letter of acceptance” for Seoul’s project to buy Global Hawk spy drones following congressional approval for the sale, Seoul officials said Thursday.“The LOA has been delivered to us for the sale of Global Hawks and we are going over it now,” an official at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said, declining to be named.Seoul made the purchase request to the U.S. in December 2005 and the congressional approval had been delayed for the sale of the high-flying, lo

The Defense Security Command is investigating a former weapons broker for the U.S. firm Boeing on suspicion that it had leaked classified military intelligence regarding Seoul’s projects to acquire attack helicopters and fighter jets.The Korean firm in question is suspected of leaking secrets in connection with the required operational capability, or ROC, of the military aircraft Seoul has sought to purchase through large-scale procurement competitions.Earlier this month, Boeing won the 1.8 tril

HONGCHEON, Gangwon Province (Yonhap News) ― A South Korean Army unmanned aerial vehicle crashed on Tuesday while attempting to land on an airfield, but no casualties were reported, military officials said.The drone, which has a 4.5 meter-long body and a wingspan of 6 meters, fell into a field in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, at 10:30 a.m. during a routine training flight using the remote control system, officials said.There were no injuries to civilians and no property damage, the Army said. Mili

South Korea’s project to develop the next-generation K2 battle tank faces another hurdle as its engine failed durability tests, officials at the Defense Acquisition and Procurement Administration said Monday, further delaying the project plagued with technical problems in past years.Designed to replace the aging K1 and the U.S.-built M48 tanks, the indigenous tank project worth more than 2 trillion won ($1.84 billion) first began in 2006 after a decade of research and development. But a series o