The North, with its 1.19 million-strong military, boasts the world’s greatest number of special forces soldiers. According to Seoul’s defense whitepaper, the number increased to around 200,000 last year from some 120,000 in 2006 and 180,000 in 2008.The North has been bolstering its special troops as it apparently believes it can effectively defeat its potential enemies ― South Korea and the U.S. ―

U.S. maritime alliance with S. Korea becomes stronger

A joint commissioning ceremony for all Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps cadets will be held to avoid a “leadership vacuum” while top military officers attend what have previously been separate academy events.The Ministry of National Defense will hold the joint ceremony in the Gyeryongdae military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province in early March, officials said Wednesday.It will be t

South Korea and the United States plan to expand a program that simulates removing weapons of mass destruction in this year’s joint military drills to deter threats from North Korea, military sources here said Friday.Forces of the two countries have annually carried out joint war games, with last year’s 11-day Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise involving some 18,000 American troops and about 20,0

Korean marine and naval troops are to participate in a multinational humanitarian exercise to take place from Feb. 7-18 in Thailand, officials said.It is the second time for Korean troops to join the Cobra Gold exercise, which the U.S. Pacific Command and the Thai military command have annually organized to practice multinational peace-keeping operations since 1981.The exercise, which will occur i

South Korea’s Army held a send-off ceremony Thursday for 350 troops set to depart for Lebanon to replace its military contingent serving as U.N. peacekeepers in the Middle East nation. The “Dongmyeong” (East Light) unit has been stationed in Lebanon since 2007 as part of the U.N. interim forces’ efforts to oversee a cease-fire and set up a buffer zone between Lebanon and Israel.About 1,200 people

North Korea proposed holding high-level military talks with South Korea on Thursday, a day after the U.S. and China called on the communist state to end provocations.The proposal is the latest in a series of recent overtures from the North for dialogue with its southern neighbor against which it made two deadly attacks last year.“Under the name of Kim Yong-chun, minister of the People’s Armed Forc

The Army is pushing ahead with a plan to allow master sergeants to lead squads, small military units currently led by second lieutenants, a military source said Friday, amid a growing shortage of entry-level officers."The Army is working to appoint master sergeants as heads of squads as part of its reform measures," the source said on condition of anonymity. "From as early as next year, master ser

Members of the nation’s Reserve Forces will be deployed to front-line areas for the first time during joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises later this year, officials said Sunday.“Two battalions of the Reserve Forces will be deployed close to the border with North Korea while participating in two South Korea-U.S. joint military drills ― the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise in March and the