Senior defense officials of South Korea, the United States and Japan had a conference call Friday to discuss joint responses against North Korea's evolving missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said. The phone talks among Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Heo Tae-keun and his US and Japanese counterparts, Ely Ratner and Kazuo Masuda, respectively, came after a spate of the North's missile provocations, including Tuesday's intermediate-range one that overflew Japan. They

South Korea and the United States began another joint naval exercise, involving a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, in waters east of the Korean Peninsula on Friday in order to reinforce the allies' operational capabilities against North Korean provocations, Seoul's military said. The allies' navies kicked off the two-day maritime maneuvering drills in the international waters of the East Sea with a plan to stage operations later to escort the USS Ronald Reagan down to waters sout

Residents baffled by missile malfunction, lack of information fans rumors

Citizens living in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, were panicked and confused by an explosion, thundering noises and a subsequent fire at a military airfield late Tuesday, while the country’s military remained silent about the accident caused by a missile malfunction throughout the night. Residents in Gangneung said they saw a bright flash that accompanied loud noises at around 11 p.m. A video of an orange ball of flames emerging from an area close to the site wa

  A South Korean F-15K fighter fired two JADAM precision bombs at a firing range on a Yellow Sea island on Tuesday, in response to North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launch earlier in the day, the military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the F-15K dropped the Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs at a target in the range on the uninhabited island of Jikdo following air drills with U.S. warplanes in a combined strike package. The strike package consisted o

The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) plans to complete the relocation of its headquarters in Seoul to a key US military base south of the capital by the end of this month, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Seoul and Washington agreed late last year to move the CFC headquarters to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, within this year in a relocation that would end 44 years of its presence at the heart of Seoul. More than 700 South Korean and US personnel

The 53rd Air Demonstration Group of the Korean Air Force, nicknamed the Black Eagles, demonstrates a flying stunt at the ceremony to mark South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day on Saturday. The event held at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

South Korea's military demonstrated some of its major high-tech weapons at its headquarters in a central city Saturday on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day following a series of ballistic missile provocations by North Korea this week. The defense ministry held an official ceremony marking the anniversary at the Gyeryongdae compound, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, under the theme of "strong defense, robust military based on science and technology." That theme resonated throughou

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday takes part in a military parade held at the ceremony to mark South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day, held at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

 A US Forces Korea (USFK) unit carried out surgical strike drills involving its special commandos earlier this week at an American military base just south of Seoul, its public affairs office said Friday, following North Korea's missile provocations. The USFK's Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) revealed on its Facebook account a series of photos showing key activities of the Exercise Teak Knife at an airfield of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wedne

South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup expressed expectations Wednesday that the country's homegrown KF-21 fighter under development will play a "great" role in deterring evolving North Korean threats. Lee made the remarks at a ceremony celebrating the first flight of the jet that the country has been pushing to develop by 2026 under the 8.8 trillion won ($6.15 billion) project aimed at replacing the aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters and bolstering air power. Built by Korea A

South Korea, the United States and Japan will conduct a trilateral military exercise in waters off the Korean Peninsula, a South Korean lawmaker revealed Wednesday. The South Korean, US navies and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are set to stage an anti-submarine warfare exercise on Friday in international waters of the East Sea, Rep. Ahn Gyu-back of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea said on Facebook. Ahn said the trilateral exercise will be staged outside of the Korean Theater of O

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States are undertaking a joint naval exercise that is aimed at improving their interoperability and joint defense capabilities, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday. The remarks come after North Korea lashed out at the US for conducting a joint military exercise that it claims is aimed at toppling its regime in Pyongyang. "The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group began a series of exercises in the East Sea with the Republic of Korea Navy (on) September

Bilateral exercises aim to demonstrate allies’ strong will to counter N. Korean provocations, says S. Korea Navy

Deployment shows US commitment to face any challenge, threat with S.Korea