The Korea Herald

Seoul under fire for Tokyo military pact

Jun 28, 2012

Two countries set to sign defense intelligence agreement on FridayThe Korean government will push ahead to sign the first military accord with Japan on Friday, officials said, brushing aside growing criticism over its clandestine and hasty handling of the politically sensitive issue. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the General Security of Military Information Agreement to facilitate the sharing of intelligence on North Korea and search and rescue-related missions. The Foreign Ministry said Thurs
S. Korea, Japan set to sign military pact Friday: official

Jun 28, 2012

South Korea is set to sign a military pact with Japan on Friday, marking the first military agreement between the two historical rivals, a senior Seoul official said Thursday, despite lingering bitterness over Tokyo's colonial atrocities.Japan notified South Korea that its Cabinet would approve the pact Friday and the signing will be made in Tokyo immediately after the endorsement, the foreign min
Seoul, Tokyo to sign first military accord

Jun 27, 2012

South Korea is set to strike its first military accord with Japan, an official said Wednesday, despite domestic opposition over historical disputes and the possibility of the move aggravating North Korea and China.The Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed the General Security of Military Information Agreement to facilitate the sharing of intelligence on North Korea and related to search and rescue missions.It is also designed to set an institutional framework for the classification, protection and handlin
Navy investigating accidental discharge of torpedo in Yellow Sea

Jun 27, 2012

The Navy said Wednesday it is investigating a recent accidental discharge of a torpedo from a frigate during an exercise in the Yellow Sea.According to the Navy, a 2,300-ton frigate called Cheongju accidentally fired a deactivated torpedo during a drill in waters off Taean, South Chungcheong Province, last Thursday. The Navy said the torpedo didn't explode and sank to the bottom of the water."We b
Veterans, families of 2002 naval battle seek damages from former military brass

Jun 25, 2012

The families of the six South Korean Navy sailors who died during the second naval skirmish off the coast of Yeonpyeong-do in the West Sea filed a suit against the top commanders of the South Korean military at the time, a local news agency reported Monday. The second naval skirmish occurred on June 29, 2002, when North Korean navy vessels crossed the northern limit line and opened fire on South Korean Navy ships dispatched to ensure that they withdrew out of South Korean waters. According to re
University offers scholarships to kin of foreign war veterans

Jun 24, 2012

Irfan Gulyen was 23 when he volunteered to fight for South Korea during the Korean War. The Turkish soldier, who had never received any military training, arrived in Busan in 1952 and served as an artilleryman for one year. “Grandfather told me ‘When I first arrived in Korea, I thought I would never come back to Turkey. Gunshots and bombs were everywhere,’” his grandson Turget Alp Ozel, 23, told The Korea Herald. He currently studies in Korea under a scholarship program for descendants of foreig
U.S. carrier to lead drills in West Sea

Jun 22, 2012

A nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier is in position off the west coast of South Korea to lead large-scale military exercises aimed at honing the two countries’joint capability to cope with North Korean aggression, Seoul officials said Friday, amid the North’s saber-rattling.About 10 warships and submarines, including the George Washington Carrier Striker Group; 8,000 personnel; and hundreds of combat aircraft from the allies will take part in the three-day exercises from Saturday, said of
S. Korea, U.S., Japan kick off trilateral naval drills

Jun 21, 2012

South Korea, the United States and Japan started two-day trilateral naval drills on Thursday in waters south of the Korean Peninsula as North Korea bristled at the exercise as a "reckless provocation." The maneuvers off the southern island of Jeju are aimed at improving interoperability and communications between the navies of the three nations to facilitate cooperative disaster relief and maritim
8.3tr won fighter jet program hits rut

Jun 21, 2012

South Korea’s 8.3 trillion won ($7.2 billion) project to buy new fighter jets is stuttering with less than five months left in the government’s planned schedule.The Air Force plans to acquire 60 new fighter jets to replace aging F-4 and F-5 jets in the nation’s largest-ever single defense acquisition program, called FX-III.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration set the deadline for proposals for June 18, and plans to select the model by the end of October. However, the DAPA has been forc
High-income actor dodges draft on grounds of poverty

Jun 21, 2012

A rising actor earning about 150 million won ($134,000) a year won exemption from military service by citing poverty, the state audit agency said Thursday, showing how South Korea’s conscription system is still riddled with loopholes.The actor, whose identity was withheld, was declared fit to serve in the military in 2001, but repeatedly postponed his enlistment under a false pretext of preparing for a civil service exam until 2009.In 2010, he was given a military exemption on grounds of economi
Korea to export TA-50 jets to Philippines

Jun 20, 2012

The Philippines air force has decided to purchase 12 TA-50 trainer jets from South Korea in a project worth nearly $360 million, a Philippines broadcaster reported Wednesday.The aircraft produced by Korea Aerospace Industries will be delivered within next year, ABS-CBN reported citing air force officials. The trainer jets are priced at 1.25 billion pesos ($29.8 million) each, it added.Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, however, said that although it was working on exporting the
Korea suggests possible delay in picking winner for fighter jet bid

Jun 20, 2012

South Korea could put off a decision to select a supplier for a multi-billion-dollar purchase of advanced combat fighter jets if it is necessary for the "national interest," the head of the nation's arms procurement agency said Wednesday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration reopened bidding Tuesday for the fighter-jet contract worth upward of 8.3 trillion won ($7.1 billion), a day after
U.S. Forces Korea bolsters ground units ahead of wartime control transfer

Jun 18, 2012

The U.S. Forces Korea is moving to strengthen the capabilities of its ground units ahead of the wartime operational control handover to South Korean forces in 2015.The U.S. military is reported to be bringing MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System units to South Korea. In addition, the U.S. is replacing older tanks and armored vehicles with the M1A2 Abrams battle tank and the M2A2 Bradley armored vehicles.The changes are aimed at bolstering the allies against
Korea, U.S. boost missile defense cooperation

Jun 17, 2012

The South Korean and U.S. militaries will increase cooperation in countering North Korea’s missile threats, a Defense Ministry official said on Sunday. The U.S. forces will share intelligence and provide support for an air and missile defense system South Korea plans to launch in December, the official said. The increase in Seoul-Washington collaboration in missile defenses is thought to have resulted as part of a compromise in the negotiations over extending the range of ballistic missiles Sout
U.S. division may be converted into combined unit

Jun 15, 2012

Reorganization expected to strengthen deterrence against North Korea on frontlineSeoul and Washington are reportedly considering reorganizing the U.S. Second Infantry Division into a combined unit of both allies to maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea.The move comes amid lingering concerns that after the transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. in December 2015, America’s security commitment on the Korean Peninsula could diminish despite Pyongyang’s continuing saber-ratt