South Korea's defense authorities approved a 3.94 trillion-won ($2.97 billion) plan Friday to deploy some 20 additional F-35A radar-evading fighters by 2028 as part of efforts to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, according to the state arms procurement agency. The Defense Project Promotion Committee endorsed the "basic" procurement plan, which is subject to adjustments following a feasibility study and other procedures, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Ad

South Korea's Navy on Friday launched a new aviation command to be armed with high-end surveillance aircraft, choppers and drones, as part of efforts for stronger, longer-range maritime security capabilities, officials said. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lee Jong-ho hosted a ceremony launching the command at an airport in Pohang, 370 kilometers south of Seoul, pledging to pursue "perfect" maritime aviation operations. The newly minted command has grown out of the now-defunc

F-35 fighters fly to South Korea for combined exercise for first time since 2017

The new US ambassador to South Korea vowed Wednesday to work towards strengthening the two countries' alliance into a "comprehensive strategic" one, while expressing that there was "no better partner" than Seoul. Philip Goldberg made the remarks in his speech during a reception marking US Independence Day at his residence in central Seoul, just days after he arrived in the country to begin his duty. "We'll continue to expand the ironclad security alliance we've built

S.Korea plans to conduct assessment needed for wartime operational control

South Korea's military reported 565 additional COVID-19 cases Sunday, raising the total caseload among its service members to 182,022. The new cases confirmed as of 2 p.m. on the day included 445 from the Army, 60 from the Air Force, 28 from the Navy and 16 from the Marine Corps, according to the Ministry of National Defense. There were also 16 cases from units under the direct control of the ministry. (Yonhap)

S.Korea’s strategy is to concurrently pursue development and production phases from early 2024

Yoon orders prompt, firm punishment when NK provokes

Four South Korean Navy service members have been detained for an investigation into allegations that they assaulted a fellow in a rowdy ceremony celebrating his planned discharge from military service, officials said Wednesday. A total of seven Navy personnel, including the four, are purported to have assaulted the man for around two hours at a unit in Donghae, 279 kilometers east of Seoul, on June 16. The victim reportedly suffered injuries that require four weeks of treatment. Last week, the N

South Korean defense firm Hanwha Corp. signed a contract with Indonesia's national police last month to supply 25 armored vehicles by 2024, its officials said Wednesday. The company inked the deal with the National Police of the Republic of Indonesia on June 15 following an international bidding process for the project to procure the multi-role Barracuda vehicles. Hanwha did not specify the contract value. Under the deal, Hanwha Defense, an affiliate of Hanwha Corp., will manufacture and de

S. Korean, US F-35 stealth fighters to conduct combined exercise for the first time

S. Korea hasn’t formed consultative body as local residents have refused to cooperate

Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum was set to take office as the new head of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Tuesday as Seoul seeks to cement its alliance with Washington and beef up defense to counter North Korea's evolving military threats. Kim will become the first general to take the JCS helm without a parliamentary confirmation hearing since 2006, when the legislative procedure was introduced. His hearing did not proceed amid partisan wrangling over parliamentary committee form

South Korea and Malaysia jointly held a virtual subpanel session of a regional defense forum involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday to discuss cybersecurity cooperation, Seoul's defense ministry said. The experts' cybersecurity working group of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) kicked off the two-day session as Seoul seeks to deepen cooperation with the regional bloc on multiple fronts, including security. South Korea and Malays

Tours to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom will resume after months of suspension caused by COVID-19, the UN Command (UNC) said Thursday. The UNC said it decided to restart the tours to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in line with the South Korean government's continued easing of antivirus restrictions. It did not specify when the tours will resume. The tours were last suspended in January due to a rise in infection cases. As an enforc