North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward waters off its eastern coast on Monday, in an apparent protest against combined military exercises between the South Korean and US navies that featured a US aircraft carrier in international waters near the Korean Peninsula. The US Navy’s supercarrier USS Nimitz, capable of carrying up to 90 aircraft, and its strike group that includes warships armed with guided-missiles were set to dock at a naval base in Busan on Tuesday, marking the first

South Korea's state arms procurement agency is seeking to sign a contract next year to mass-produce the homegrown KF-21 Boramae fighter, its officials said Thursday, in what could be a key milestone for the jet acquisition project. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration briefed lawmakers during a session of the National Assembly's defense committee on the development plan, including its push to complete a "provisional" combat suitability test on the jet in May this

WASHINGTON-- The United States strongly condemns North Korea's latest missile provocation, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday, while calling on all United Nations member countries to play their role in holding the country accountable. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the state department, said the North's latest missile launch on Monday was especially concerning as it simulated the use of a tactical nuclear weapon. "The United States condemned the DPRK&#

South Korea and the United States plan to conduct their "largest-ever" combined live-fire drills in June as part of a program to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their alliance, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday. The ministry unveiled the program designed to strengthen the allies' solidarity, demonstrate their militaries' technological edge and highlight their focus on "realizing peace through strength via action," according to the ministry. The allies h

The defense ministry initiated the process to normalize a military intelligence-sharing deal with Japan on Friday, following a summit agreement between the leaders of both countries the previous day. The defense ministry said it sent a letter to the foreign ministry requesting measures to normalize the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The foreign ministry is soon expected to send an official letter to its Japanese counterpart in response, officials said. On Thursday

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday said he has pledged to “normalize” the military intelligence-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan during the summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. The pact had been enmeshed in trade and historic disputes. Yoon said he “pronounced the complete normalization” of the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in Tokyo, as a

The South Korean Air Force’s major combat units conducted 36 hours of nonstop aerial drills to hone its combat capabilities in real war conditions during the 11-day Freedom Shield exercise of South Korea and the United States, the Air Force said Wednesday. The air combat exercises, conducted from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday, were designed to improve the readiness posture for war as well as strategic and tactical operations to ensure sustainability in battle. The main goals were to g

Daegu mosque protest is reflection of Koreans' excessive fear about foreigners, says professor

N.Korea conducts early-stage test to boast cruise missile capabilities, S. Korean military says

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup visited the Navy's submarine unit Thursday and called on troops to maintain a "full" combat readiness posture, his office said. His visit to the Submarine Force Command in Changwon, 398 kilometers southeast of Seoul, came amid concerns that North Korea could make provocations in response to a major South Korea-US military exercise set to begin next week. "You should not only maintain a full combat readiness posture ... on a day-to-day basis but

South Korea's military plans to launch a drone operations command as early as July, officials said Wednesday, in what would be a culmination of its efforts to bolster readiness following North Korea's drone incursions late last year. It has been working out details, such as the operational concept, command structure, personnel makeup and location of the specialized unit slated to open in the latter half of this year, according to officials at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After the North&

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Saudi Arabia agreed Tuesday to install a regular ministerial-level dialogue on arms industry cooperation during their talks in Seoul, the South Korean Defense Ministry, said. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his Saudi counterpart, Khalid bin Salman, held the talks as a follow-up to the two countries' summit in November last year, where their leaders voiced hope for stronger cooperation in defense, energy and other sectors. Lee and Khalid agreed to inst

The US Congress has urged the US Defense Department to take immediate measures to fix more than 1,000 errors on the Washington memorial wall erected to remember service members and Korean augmentees killed during the Korean War. Six bipartisan lawmakers, including chair of the House Committee on Armed Services Mike Rogers, on March 2 sent a letter to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “We find these errors deeply concerning and write to seek accountability on how the Remembrance Wall&rs

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Monday announced a new food service modernization program for this year that meets more of soldiers’ preferences, so that they could enjoy more varied options at barracks starting from the next month. The new plan seeks to end the previous military policy of providing meals to around 500,000 enlisted soldiers based on standardized menus and ingredients that were unilaterally imposed by the military authorities without considering soldiers’ pre

A US guided-missile destroyer visited South Korea's southern island of Jeju last week, the US Pacific Command said Sunday, in an apparent show of force and a warning to North Korea against missile provocations. It said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta docked at Jeju on Monday last week and left the island Friday after a "scheduled port visit." Rafael Peralta, the 9,200-ton forward-deployed vessel commissioned in 2017, is the US 7th Fleet's p