Several North Korean submarines have disappeared after departing from bases on the eastern coast.According to reports, three or four North Korean submarines recently departed from bases on the east coast and have since remained outside South Korean surveillance. The submarines are thought to be 370-ton shark-class vessels. The North Korean submarine used in the attack on the Cheonan in March 2010 was a 130-ton salmon-class vessel. North Korea has between 70 and 80 submarines ranging from 1,500-t

South Korea will attack Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, in retaliation if the communist country strikes Seoul, the capital of the South, an official said Monday.South Korea has set up the principle of tit-for-tat retaliation in dealing with North Korea's possible aggression against Seoul and its adjacent areas, the senior military official said in a recent meeting with reporters.South Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The Pentagon remained mum Friday about the possible return of combat and scout helicopters to South Korea with the war in Afghanistan winding down.The commander of U.S. forces in Korea, Gen. James Thurman, has argued for such a move to the Hawaii-based Pacific Command and most recently on Capitol Hill.“Gen. Thurman has provided his assessments to PACOM, the Joint Staff, the Army ― and now Congress in his testimony; however, no decisions have been made,” an official at

The U.S. Third Marine Amphibious Corps has offered to provide the South Korean Marine Corps with 20 transport helicopters.According to the Ministry of National Defense, the Okinawa-based U.S. Marine Corps unit has offered to transfer the ownership of 20 CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopters that are to be decommissioned. “We have not been able to confirm whether the U.S. Department of Defense shares the position. At present it is a development between the commander of the Third Marine Amphibiou

The commander of U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula expressed concern Wednesday that North Korea’s new leadership will trigger a military conflict based on a “miscalculation.”Before the House Armed Services Committee, Gen. James Thurman said the North continues improving its ability to attack the South Korean capital of Seoul. “The first thing I worry about every day is a miscalculation on somebody’s part that causes a conflict that he hadn’t planned for,” he said at a hearing on the security c

Some continue to raise doubt despite conclusive findings Two years have passed since the South Korean warship Cheonan was sunk by North Korea, but the soldiers who survived the attack continue to be haunted by the incident.“I think of Sergeant Cha Seok-gyun the most. We served together on the Cheonan, and he was a dong-gi (people who have graduated from or joined an organization at the same time),” said Petty Officer First Class Kim Hyo-hyung, who was a weapons petty officer of the sunken warshi

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The United States said Wednesday it is suspending efforts to recover remains of thousands of fallen service members in North Korea, the latest sign that a recent thaw in relations is over.The U.S. was in the process of resuming the hunt for remains missing from the 1950-53 Korean War that had been on hold since 2005, the only form of cooperation between the two militaries.But North Korea announced plans last week to launch a satellite into space by rocket ― a step the U.S. says

The United States said Wednesday it is suspending efforts to recover remains of thousands of fallen service members in North Korea, the latest sign that a recent thaw in relations is over.The U.S. was in the process of resuming the hunt for remains missing from the 1950-53 Korean War that had been o

The Coast Guard said Monday it has deployed additional aircraft on the south coast to patrol nearby waters, including the rock outcropping of Ieodo, to which China recently laid claim.The CN-235 fixed-wing airplane can fly for up to seven hours at a speed of 400 kilometers per hour and is fitted wit

Asia tops other regions when it comes to weapon imports, according to a study released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).Over the past five years, Asia and Oceania accounted for 44 percent in volume of conventional arm imports, the institute said.That compared wi