U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressed optimism Thursday over talks with South Korea on its push to develop greater ballistic missile capability."I think we are making good progress," he said during a joint press conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan also joined in, describing the outc

Korea’s Ministry of National Defense and U.S. Forces Korea have denied reports that U.S.F.K. commander Gen. James Thurman suggested keeping the Combined Forces Command intact after the handover of wartime operational control to Seoul in 2015.On Thursday a local daily reported that Thurman had suggested keeping the Combined Forces Command intact after the handover with the top post being held by a Korean general. The post is currently held by the commander of the U.S.F.K.Under the plans for the w

Kurt Campbell, a top U.S. diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific, said Wednesday that Washington hopes for "stable and enduring" relations between Seoul and Tokyo.He emphasized that the two Northeast Asian nations are key allies in the U.S. effort to promote both "multilateral and minilateral engagements.""What we want to see is a more stable, enduring engagement between Seoul and Tokyo going forw

Key instruments and performances of the three fighter jets competing for Korea’s FX-III fighter jet procurement program will be tested using simulators, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Wednesday.According to DAPA, all three models have some aspects that are still under development, limiting tests using the actual aircraft.The revelation comes less than a week since the DAPA came under fire over plans to test the F-35 using simulators due to incomplete development. The three f

Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that he would not take issue with South Korea's development of longer-range missiles if they are deployed in a "defense and non-threatening" way."If they want to do it in a non-threatening way, totally defensive way at its own expense, I don't have any problem going on," he said at the National Press Club.South Kore

The U.S. military in South Korea is asking the Pentagon to deploy more attack helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft and missile assets here to boost its war-fighting capabilities, its top commander said Tuesday. The remarks by Gen. James Thurman come at a time of renewed tension on the Korean Peninsula amid concerns North Korea may soon conduct a third nuclear test or carry out another military pro

CUSCO, Peru (Yonhap News) ― Peruvian rescue officials said Sunday they have recovered the bodies of all 14 people killed in a helicopter crash last week, including those of eight South Koreans.The wreckage of the ill-fated helicopter was discovered Saturday on Mama Rosa mountain at about 4,950 meters above sea level near Coline in southern Peru.The chopper had gone missing Wednesday while returning from a trip to a potential site for a hydropower plant near Mazuco in southeastern Peru. The South

Seoul to elevate rank of its cyber unit’s commander, boost number of specialistsSouth Korea is striving to bolster its cyber combat capabilities as North Korea continues to pose an increasing security threat with its advanced electronic warfare skills and personnel.Seoul’s Defense Ministry seeks to elevate the rank of its cyber commander to major general from the current brigadier general and increase the number of staff, a senior military official told media.“We have drawn up plans to strengthe

One out of five male lawmakers in the 19th National Assembly was exempted from military service mostly due to imprisonment or illness, a government survey showed.The Military Manpower Administration said of the total 253 lawmakers, 47, or 18.6 percent, were exempted from conscription.The exemption rate is 0.4 percentage point higher than that among members of the 18th National Assembly. However, the figure is 10.7 percentage points lower than the national average for men born between 1940 and 19

The U.S. will not send to South Korea some of its marines to be pulled out of Okinawa, Japan, the Pentagon told The Korea Herald.Maj. Cathy Wilkinson, a spokeswoman of the U.S. Defense Department, dismissed speculation that they will be dispatched to Korea on a rotational basis.Washington and Tokyo announced in April that they agreed to move some 9,000 U.S. Marines from the island to Guam and other locations in the Asia-Pacific. Reports had said that the U.S. was considering sending some of them