The Korea Herald

안녕하세요 Shin Hyon-hee 기자입니다.

Articles by Shin Hyon-hee

Seoul dismisses Lockheed’s claim over THAAD talks

DefenseOct 30, 2015

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Friday dismissed Lockheed Martin’s claim that Seoul and Washington have started formal consultations over a possible stationing of advanced U.S. missile assets on the peninsula. Mike Trotsky, vice president of air and missile defense at the U.S. defense giant, said at a news conference in Washington on Thursday that the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system ― which the company manufactures ― is a subject of “ongoing policy discussions” between the two count
‘N. Korea building new tunnel at nuke test site’

North KoreaOct 30, 2015

North Korea is excavating a new tunnel at its nuclear test site in the country’s northeast, a Seoul official said Friday, fanning concerns over another possible provocation ahead of a series of summits and high-level diplomatic events here. Increased movement of people and vehicles has recently been spotted at the Punggye site, along with hints of construction work for a new tunnel, the official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. No signs of an immediate blast were
Sweeping partnerships key to post-2015 development era

Foreign affairsOct 28, 2015

With a new development agenda taking off over the next 15 years, traditional and emerging donors should join forces alongside the private sector, civil society and other non-state actors to beef up financial sources and leverage inclusive growth, leading international policymakers said Tuesday. The Korea Herald brought together four officials from around the world to explore ways to better implement the Sustainable Development Goals set forward early this year by 193 countries at the U.N. They a
Navy to open Jeju base in Dec.

DefenseOct 26, 2015

After years of public protests and ensuing delays, the Navy is poised to introduce a strategic naval base on Jejudo Island as early as December as part of the country’s efforts to beef up maritime defense, officials said Monday. A captain-led unit is scheduled to be launched on Dec. 1 to defend the base together with the Navy’s 7th Task Flotilla and part of the Submarine Force Command, which will move to the island from their current headquarters in Busan and Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, r
Refugees part of Korea’s history

Foreign affairsOct 25, 2015

With risks and challenges faced by refugees across the world having become one of the greatest global issues today, the status and conditions of asylum seekers in South Korea have also been highlighted. The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles shedding light on refugees in Korea, their hardships, the systematic fallout, the country’s own history and ways to go forward. The following is the third installment. - Ed.From late President Kim Dae-jung to conscientious objectors and North Ko
Seoul, Washington, Tokyo discuss Japan’s military role

DefenseOct 23, 2015

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held working-level talks Thursday in Tokyo to explore ways to bolster trilateral security cooperation as controversy continues over the scope of Japanese military activities during a contingency on the peninsula. The two-day consultations are being held with the three countries’ one-star-level officials within the framework of their Defense Trilateral Talks, following a deputy-minister-level session last April. Seoul’s Defense Ministry dispatched Brig. Gen. Park C
Navy officer arrested for embezzlement

DefenseOct 20, 2015

Military prosecution on Tuesday arrested a Navy rear admiral on charges of embezzling public funds, marking the latest in a string of potential corruption cases that have tarnished the Navy’s standing, the Defense Ministry said. The rear admiral, surnamed Kim, rose to fame for leading the Cheonghae Unit during its operation in late 2012 to rescue the sailors of the MT Gemini, a tanker owned by a Singaporean shipping company that had been taken captive by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. He re
Seoul, Tokyo differ over Japan’s overseas military operations

DefenseOct 20, 2015

Despite their efforts to reboot security cooperation, the defense ministers of South Korea and Japan divulged a fault line over Tokyo’s possible exercise of its right to collective self-defense in a contingency on the peninsula during their talks Tuesday. Han Min-koo hosted his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani, who arrived for a three-day stay primarily designed for his participation in the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition. The six-day trade fair began early in the day at Se
Seoul’s dilemma deepens amid China-U.S. rivalry

Foreign affairsOct 19, 2015

Though Seoul had managed to boost prospects for greater U.S. attention to North Korea through last week’s summit, it highlighted an increasingly convoluted dilemma between its traditional ally and a rising China amid their intensifying rivalry for regional supremacy. The Park Geun-hye administration has been boasting that its bilateral relations with the U.S. and China are at their “best-ever.” After appearing alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a massive military parade in Beijing last month
U.S. rejects fighter tech transfer request

DefenseOct 16, 2015

Despite Seoul’s pleas, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday reaffirmed the country’s unwavering stance against a transfer of key technologies for building next-generation fighter jets, casting a cloud over South Korea’s multibillion-dollar initiative. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo met with Carter on the sidelines of President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the Pentagon in Washington, requesting he once again reconsider approving the export of four core technologies from Lockheed M
Korea, Japan defense chiefs to meet in Seoul

DefenseOct 16, 2015

The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan plan to hold talks next Tuesday as the two countries spur efforts to thaw frayed relations, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Friday. The meeting will take place between Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani on the sidelines of the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, which is scheduled to kick off that day at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Nakatani is expected to attend a welcome dinner for the six-day fa
Seoul to raise fighter tech transfer despite grim outlook

DefenseOct 14, 2015

Defense Minister Han Min-koo is expected to reiterate his request this week to reconsider Washington’s refusal to transfer technologies essential for Seoul’s fighter jet initiative, officials said Wednesday, despite the murky prospects for a reversal. Han will meet with his U.S. counterpart Ash Carter while accompanying President Park Geun-hye on her trip to Washington, which includes a stop at the Pentagon. The Defense Ministry and the state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration have c
Korea, Japan set for defense minister talks

DefenseOct 14, 2015

The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan are expected to hold talks next week despite strained bilateral ties, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Seoul’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo will meet with his counterpart Gen Nakatani who is seeking to visit chiefly for the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, which is slated to kick off next Tuesday for a six-day run. They are forecast to discuss North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats and other regional and bilater
Naval review to feature U.S. nuke-powered aircraft carrier

DefenseOct 14, 2015

The Navy plans to boast its growing naval might at a fleet review in Busan this weekend, peppered by a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, South Korean Aegis destroyers and submarines and other cutting-edge vessels. The event, scheduled for Oct. 17-23, marks the 70th anniversary of the Navy’s founding. Some 30 ships including an Aegis-equipped destroyer and 214-ton submarine will be on display, as well as maritime patrol aircraft, CH-47 choppers, F-15K fighters and about 30 Coast Guard planes
Korean encryption device missing in Russia

Foreign affairsOct 12, 2015

South Korea’s state-run arms development institute was found Monday to have lost a fax encryption system in Russia, stoking concerns over a potential compromise of sensitive information that may pose a threat to the country’s national security. The Agency for Defense Development acknowledged that the device disappeared from its office in Moscow last October. The equipment, last used in June 2014, is attached to a fax machine and designed to encode plain text and decipher encrypted messages. (Yo