Most Popular
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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S. Korea, China, Japan in talks to hold trilateral summit May 26-27: official
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S. Koreans visit N. Korea to discuss flood aid
South Korean activists on Friday visited North Korea, pledging aid following deadly floods in the communist state, after winning approval for the trip from Seoul’s conservative government.A four-member delegation representing an array of non-governmental organisations in South Korea left for Kaesong city in North Korea, just across the border.“Many North Koreans have been affected by the floods. We will discuss with North Korean counterparts what they need, such as food and medicine,” Lee Yun-Sa
Aug. 24, 2012
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U.S.: Missile defense to cope with North Korean threat, not China’s
WASHINGTON (AP) ― The United States is in discussions with close ally Japan about expanding a missile defense system in Asia, the top U.S. general said Thursday.Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was commenting on a Wall Street Journal report that the U.S. is discussing positioning an early warning radar in southern Japan, supplementing one already in place in the country’s north, to contain threats from North Korea and to counter China’s military.The State Department, h
Aug. 24, 2012
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S. Korea to strengthen retaliation against N. Korea attack
South Korea will mount a much deeper and stronger counterstrike than any before in the event of North Korea launching an artillery attack, a senior military official said Tuesday, as Pyongyang toughens its rhetoric against ongoing annual military drills in the South.South Korea and the United States on Monday began an annual military exercise that will run through Aug. 31, mobilizing some 56,000 South Korean troops and about 30,000 U.S. soldiers. TheCombined Forces Command said it informed the N
Aug. 21, 2012
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JCS moves into new office
The Joint Chiefs of Staff opened its office building Wednesday. This is the first time since the JCS was formed in 1948 that the organization will operate from an independent building.Since the 1970s, the JCS had shared the building occupied by the Ministry of National Defense. Before that the JCS had moved around from the Defense Ministry to Cheong Wa Dae’s satellite building in Jongno-gu and other government buildings. The 187.5 billion won ($166 million) building consists of 10 above-ground f
Aug. 8, 2012
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Defense reform plans meet opposition from retired officers
The Ministry of National Defense’s plans to reorganize the military’s top command structure have once again run into opposition from retired generals.On Wednesday, the association of former top military officers from the three branches of the military distributed a statement opposing the plans to the members of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, saying that the proposed changes will be ineffective and concentrate too much power on one individual. Under the Defense Ministry’s pla
Aug. 8, 2012
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S. Korea, Cambodia agree on sharing military supplies
South Korea and Cambodia have agreed to share military supplies in peacekeeping and rescue operations as part of efforts to expand military ties between the two sides, the defense ministry here said Tuesday.Lee Seon-chul, the head of the South Korean defense ministry‘s logistics management bureau, and Army Lt. Gen. Chau Phirun, the chief supply officer at Cambodia’s defense ministry, signed the memorandum of understanding on the bilateral logistics cooperation in a meeting in Seoul.Under the agr
Aug. 7, 2012
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South Korea to develop unmanned combat aircraft
By Choi He-suk The South Korean military plans to develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, sources said Tuesday.According to reports, the military is pushing plans for a 500 billion won ($442.7 million) project to develop unmanned combat aircraft along with unmanned reconnaissance aerial vehicles.“A project for developing unmanned combat aircraft is in the works along with the unmanned reconnaissance aerial vehicle project. If development goes under way now, deployment could be possible in 202
Aug. 7, 2012
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Korea, U.S. mulling new joint military operation body
South Korea and the U.S. are in talks to create a new joint military operation body to take over some key functions of a soon-to-be-dissolved joint military command, a high-ranking government source said Sunday.The South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command has served as a command structure for joint operation of military forces of the two allies since the 1950-53 Korean War.Both agreed to dissolve the CFC as South Korea plans to retake wartime operational control of its troops from the U.S. in 20
Aug. 5, 2012
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Korea to conduct defense drills near Dokdo
South Korea will conduct military exercises in waters near the easternmost islets of Dokdo later this month to strengthen its defense amid Japan’s renewed territorial claims, a military official said Thursday.The biannual exercise comes at a time when diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Tokyo rose after Japan reiterated its claim to Dokdo in its latest defense white paper, which drew strong protest from Seoul.The last drill was held in February. Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the E
Aug. 2, 2012
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Seoul and Beijing to set up defense hotline
The defense ministries of South Korea and China will establish a hotline communications channel, the Ministry of National Defense announced Tuesday. The nations also signed a memorandum of understanding to increase exchange between their militaries during the second strategic defense talks held in Beijing. The MOU includes clauses regarding working-level talks between defense policy specialists, cooperative search and rescue missions, and overseas humanitarian missions, the Defense Ministry said
July 31, 2012
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BAE picked for fighter jet upgrade
South Korea has selected British defense firm BAE Systems Inc. for a 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) project to upgrade the country’s aging KF-16 fighter jets, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday.The multi-year project calls for upgrading a total of 134 KF-16 fighters by improving mission computers and operating systems with the latest versions and by replacing current radars with active electronically scanned array, also known as AESA, to double the detection range by 2021, according
July 31, 2012
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U.S. reaffirms wartime command transfer plans
The U.S. secretary of defense confirmed that the U.S. is set on handing over the wartime operational control to South Korea as scheduled in 2015, despite the Center of Strategic and International Studies’ recommendations to the contrary.The report submitted by the Washington-based bipartisan think tank to the Congress last week suggested that the wartime operational control handover and the fate of the Combined Forces Command should be decided after related issues have been thoroughly assessed.
July 29, 2012
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Defectors wish to fulfill military duty: report
A report on South Korean defense policies showed that North Korean defectors wish to serve their military service in the South, which is banned under the military law. The quarterly report of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a state-funded defense think tank, said that seven out of eight North Koreans who fled the reclusive state between 2003 and 2010 want to enlist in the army. “I feel left out when thinking that the South Korean government does not trust the defectors although they sa
July 29, 2012
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Military faces shortage of sergeants
The military is facing personnel shortages in 19 of the 65 fields to be staffed by type-two specialist sergeants, data showed Tuesday. Type-two specialist sergeants are selected before the start of national service, and those selected serve an additional 15 months as sergeants after the end of the mandatory term. The system, along with that for type-one specialty sergeants, was introduced in 2008 to compensate for the personnel shortages caused by the shortening of the duration of the national s
July 24, 2012
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Korea, U.S. to conduct annual Ulchi exercise
Combined Forces Command will hold the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise from Aug. 20-31.“Ulchi Freedom Guardian is a key exercise to strengthen the readiness of Republic of Korea and U.S. forces,” Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of the Combined Forces Command, was quoted as saying in a statement. “It is based on realistic scenarios and enables us to train our essential tasks with the whole government.”In this year’s exercise, about 30,000 U.S. personnel, including 3,000 troops based outsid
July 23, 2012
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Air shows brighten T-50 prospects
Performances by Black Eagles aerobatics team boost interest in trainer jetKorea Aerospace Industries, or KAI, is in talks with numerous countries to export its advanced trainer jet T-50, the company’s CEO Kim Hong-kyung said.Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow last week, Kim said that the company was in talks with five or six countries that have shown interest in the jet. The Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K. is one of the world’s three largest aerospace industry shows,
July 19, 2012
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S. Korea approves bid proposals for three fighter jets
South Korea's arms procurement agency said Tuesday it has approved bid proposals by three foreign defense companies for a multi-million dollar fighter jet project and will start flight tests from next week.The F-15 Silent Eagle by U.S. firm Boeing, the F-35A by another American company Lockheed Martin, and the Eurofighter by Europe-based multinational defense group EADS are in the running to win t
July 17, 2012
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S. Korean military develops smartphone apps
The South Korean military said Sunday it would introduce smartphone applications to enhance operational capabilities.The military developed nine applications, and is planning to prepare security tools for them by the end of this year before deciding which ranks will get the smartphones.According to the military, the applications were developed by a contractor under the program for establishing a pilot system for using smartphones for military purposes. The applications are to be distributed to s
July 15, 2012
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S. Korea faces strategic choices amid growing Sino-U.S. rivalry
This is the last in the series of articles on America’s refocus on the Asia-Pacific region and the possible impact on its alliances with South Korea and Japan. ― Ed.Amid an intensifying contest for primacy between the U.S. and China, policymakers in Seoul are agonizing over what strategic choices should serve the best interests of South Korea.Washington is deepening its engagement in the strategically important and economically vibrant Asia-Pacific. Apparently seeking to keep a rising China in c
July 12, 2012
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Korea mulls partial troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
South Korea is considering withdrawing at least some of its troops protecting aid workers in Afghanistan starting as early as next year, government officials said Thursday.One official said the mission for the unit, called “Ashena,”will be over at the end of this year, and other nations are also set to withdraw their forces from the war-ravaged country.“We’re looking into ways to pull out Ashena forces over several phases,” the official said.Another government official said some troops will stil
July 12, 2012