WASHINGTON -- The US missile defense system deployed in South Korea, THAAD, is a purely defensive system that is only designed to protect South Korea and its people against threats from North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, also insisted any call or demand from other countries to withdraw THAAD would be "inappropriate." "THAAD is a prudent and limited self defense capability designed to counter a D

South Korea's military reported 715 additional COVID-19 cases Sunday, raising the total caseload among its service members to 260,260, the defense ministry said. The new cases included 464 from the Army, 93 from the Air Force, 60 from units under the direct control of the ministry, 57 from the Navy and 41 from the Marine Corps. Currently, 7,666 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

The Navy on Sunday wrapped up an annual operation to collect underwater waste near a northwestern border island as part of efforts to help protect the maritime ecosystem and ensure safer fishing activities, the armed service said. Using a 3,500-ton towing ship, the Navy gathered 13 tons of maritime waste during the 19-day operation near Yeonpyeong Island. The mission proceeded in cooperation with the state-run Korea Marine Environment Management Corp. and other related agencies. The operation is

A former chief of the Defense Security Command (DSC) indicted in 2018 for the military's allegedly illicit online political maneuvers was sentenced to three years in prison in a retrial by an appellate court Friday. The Seoul High Court gave the sentence to Bae Dek-sig, who led the DSC from 2010-2013, after finding him guilty of abuse of power and ordered his immediate detention. Bae was first indicted four years ago over the allegations that his command ran a team that posted about 20,000

Russian military aircraft entered South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice Tuesday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighters to the scene, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The JCS did not provide details, like the number of Russian planes and their types. The entry into KADIZ came amid tensions between Seoul and Moscow over the latter's invasion of Ukraine and the former's participation in international moves against the armed conflict. "Regarding

Ulchi Freedom Shield presents real-life scenarios including N. Korean attacks on key infrastructure, GPS jamming

South Korea and the United States agreed to develop cybersecurity cooperation through steps including regular cyber defense exercises, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Thursday. South Korea’s Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of US Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, on Thursday in Seoul. Both sides discussed recent cyber threats, countermeasures and ways to develop cyber cooperation between Seoul and Washington, South Kore

Key NATO members, Indo-Pacific countries will jointly conduct aerial maneuvers

South Korea's military announced a master plan Thursday to relocate its air base in the southeastern region of Daegu to the nearby area of Uiseong and Gunwi, both in North Gyeongsang Province, by 2030 in an 11.4 trillion-won ($8.6 billion) project. Under the plan, the military will relocate several Army and Air Force units currently stationed at the base, home to F-15K fighter jets, to the envisioned facilities, as well as those of the US Forces Korea (USFK), according to the defense minist

Seoul, and Washington underscores importance of alliance’s missile defense system against N.Korean threats

S. Korea, US, Japan conduct ballistic missile defense exercise off Hawaii

A special prosecution team has requested a warrant to arrest an Air Force officer who allegedly leaked information about a probe into the suicide of a servicewoman and defamed the deceased victim, authorities said Monday. The public affairs officer is accused of leaking information about the probe into the suicide a female Air Force servicewoman and fabricating the cause of her death, according to the prosecutors. The Seoul Central District Court will decide on his arrest warrant after a he

Full-scale operation of THAAD battery, trilateral security cooperation will be key agenda topics for KIDD

Jung Kwang-sun, first project leader, explains how S. Korea developed KF-21 aircraft from scratch

Defense chief says Pyongyang moves to lay ground for provocations in the run-up to large-scale combined military exercise