The new commander of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea said their mission is to protect the South against outside aggression and maintain stability in the region.In a posting entitled "Command Philosophy and Priority" on the homepage of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), Gen. James Thurman said in order to accomplish that mission, "readiness is essential.""To stay ready, our combined forces must be led

Korea will acquire a new generation of stealth fighter jets from overseas to better counter North Korean provocations, the local defense procurement agency said Wednesday.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it has narrowed down the candidates to four fighters: the F-15SE Silent Eagle by Boeing, F-35 Lightning II by Lockheed Martin, Eurofighter Typhoon by the European Aeronau

Investigators say area D test results expected to come out by late JulyA joint Korea-U.S. team investigating the alleged burial of Agent Orange at one of the American army camps here detected no traces of drums underground at one of the alleged burial sites, a government source said Wednesday. The team said earlier this month that they found “anomalies” beneath the helipad at Camp Carroll located

Measures to include disbanding of units found to have serious problemsThe Marine Corps is seeking to introduce a set of severe measures to stamp out physical and verbal abuse in its units, which have been blamed for suicides and a shooting rampage in recent months, officials said Monday.It plans to take the red name tag, a long-standing marine emblem, off the uniforms of those caught mistreating f

China disclosed a J-10 fighter jet base to the visiting South Korean defense minister last week, a defense official in Seoul said Sunday, a move signaling Beijing's intent to further strengthen bilateral defense and military exchanges.South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin visited a Chinese air force training base in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, on Saturday, the last day of his three-day visit

BEIJING (Yonhap News) – South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin requested China's cooperation for the safe return of South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) who are currently in China following their defection from North Korea where they had been held since their capture during the 1950-53 Korean War.The request came at Kim's meeting with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping as the South Korean mini

The Cabinet has passed a new ordinance on war preparation to allow the military to mobilize some reservists and civilian vehicles in case of localized provocations, officials said Thursday.This move comes as South Korea is striving to reform its armed forces and bolster defense capabilities in the wake of North Korean provocations including the sinking of the corvette Cheonan and the artillery att

South Korea's top Marine commander has offered to resign to take responsibility for the deadly shooting rampage by a marine in his barracks early this month, a military official said Thursday. Marine Corps Chief of Staff Yoo Nak-joon submitted his resignation to Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin on Tuesday, the official said on the condition of anonymity. "Gen. Yoo conveyed his intention to resign at

An Army private first class died in an apparent suicide last Thursday, officials said Wednesday. The 21-year-old PFC, surnamed Lee, was transported to a nearby hospital right after he was found to have hanged himself at an Army regiment-level unit last Monday. He died on Thursday. Investigators are not ruling out the possibility of him opting to take his own life due to mental or physical abuses b

The Navy has decided to expand a helicopter landing facility on Ulleung Island and dispatch two more military helicopters to it, according to a lawmaker.The move comes as Seoul seeks to bolster its capabilities to defend the easternmost islets of Dokdo over which Japan has been persistently making sovereignty claims.Rep. Song Young-sun of the minority Future Hope Alliance party said that the Navy

The Navy will expand its air base on an East Sea island in a bid to ensure better protection of the nation's territorial waters surrounding the easternmost islets of Dokdo, a lawmaker said Wednesday.According to Rep. Song Young-sun of the minor opposition Future Hope Alliance, the Navy recently inked a project to expand its base on Ulleung Island by about threefold to cover 5,040 square meters of

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin will depart for China on Thursday for a three-day schedule that includes talks with his Chinese counterpart and other top government officials there, officials here said Tuesday.During their talks slated for Friday, Kim and Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie will discuss a wide range of regional security issues including those concerning North Korea and ways