The Korea Times

US bombers likely to participate in combined exercise

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, assigned to 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deploys flares during a Bomber Task Force mission over the Pacific Ocean in this June 25 photo. UPI-YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooU.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft are highly anticipated to fly over the Korean Peninsula as part of a planned combined air exercise with the South Korean Air Force ― a decision that can serve as a strong message to deter North Korea's belligerence. Last week, four B-1Bs arrived in the U.S. territory of Guam for a Bomber Task Force mission amid concerns that Pyongyang's seventh nuclear test might be imminent. In June, four Lancers traveled to Andersen Air Force Base there for a similar reason. As for their arrival, the U.S. Seventh Air Force said the Lancers will partner with more allies for several training missions in the Indo-Pacific region this time, raising conjectures that they might take part in the joint drills. Starting Oct. 31, South Korea and the United States plan to carry out a large-scale aerial exercise, formerly known as Vigilant Ace, for a five-day run, and it will feat

Oct 23, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

US bombers likely to participate in combined exercise

Defense

North Korea fires artillery shells into buffer zone for second straight day

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer / AFP-Yonhap US sends strategic bombers to GuamBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea conducted artillery drills for the second straight day, escalating tensions further on the Korean Peninsula.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, Wednesday, Pyongyang fired some 100 artillery shells from its west coast around noon, adding that the rounds fell into a buffer zone, north of the Northern Limit Line, which were established under the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, aimed at halting all hostile acts against each other to reduce tensions along the inter-Korean border. “None of shells invaded our territorial waters,” the JCS said in a press statement. “Our military communicated a warning multiple times, regarding the North's breach of the Sept. 19 military accord and the immediate cessation of provocations.” The artillery drill came hours after the totalitarian state fired some 100 artillery rounds into waters west of the country and another 150 rounds into waters east of the country on Tuesday night in a “powerful military cou

Oct 19, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

North Korea fires artillery shells into buffer zone for second straight day

Defense

South Korea, US to hold large-scale air exercise

An F-35B stealth fighter capable of short take-offs and vertical landings / AP-Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooAmid concerns that North Korea's seventh nuclear test might be imminent, South Korea and the United States are poised to stage a show of force through a large-scale combined air exercise that will feature some 250 aircraft, including the F-35A and F-35B stealth jets, according to the South Korean military, Tuesday. According to the military, a flying training event will be conducted over South Korean airspace from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, in which 140 of the South Korean Air Force's fighters, such as the F-35As, F-15Ks and KF-16s, will fly alongside 100 U.S. aircraft, such as the F-35Bs and F-16s. The exercise ― formerly known as Vigilant Ace ― comes as North Korea is anticipated to conduct a seventh nuclear test between the end of the Chinese Communist Party's congress, Oct. 22, and the U.S. midterm elections, Nov. 8, according to the South Korean National Intelligence Service. In addition, the Kim Jong-un regime has staged a series of military provocations, such as missile tests and art

Oct 18, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

South Korea, US to hold large-scale air exercise

Defense

Annual South Korean military exercise begins amid North Korea's threats

This file photo, taken Oct. 27, 2021, shows the South Korean Marine Corps participating in the Hoguk defense exercise in Incheon. Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooThe Hoguk defense exercise began its two-week run, Monday, amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, sparked by recent North Korean military provocations, according to the South Korean military.“Starting today, we will conduct the Hoguk exercise until Oct. 28. The annual outdoor maneuvers are aimed at enhancing military readiness and boosting joint operations capabilities,” Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesman Col. Kim Jun-rak said during a press briefing at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. All three branches of the nation's armed forces ― the Army, Navy and Air Force ― as well as the Marine Corps will take part in the exercise, according to the military. Some U.S. troops will also participate to enhance interoperability between the allies.In particular, this year's edition will be carried in both day and night scenarios, while assuming North Korea's various threats, including nuclear weapons and missiles

Oct 17, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Annual South Korean military exercise begins amid North Korea's threats

Foreign Affairs

Xi Jinping's third term feared to cause uncertain future for Seoul-Beijing ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives for the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress in Beijing, Sunday. AFP-YonhapChina likely to increase support for North KoreaBy Kang Seung-wooChinese President Xi Jinping's precedent-defying third team in power, which will be confirmed during the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) week-long Congress that kicked off on Sunday, is casting a shadow over the Korean Peninsula.South Korea-China relations are already facing looming tensions, with Seoul in favor of U.S.-led value-based diplomacy against Beijing's assertiveness, according to diplomatic observers, Sunday. In addition, the continued tenure of Xi as the leader of China is likely to put a damper on efforts directed toward resolving North Korea's nuclear issue, they added. The national congress will end Oct. 22. Xi is widely expected to win a third five-year term there as the general secretary of the Chinese Community Party. “In general, Xi's third term will not play a positive role in advancing South Korea-China ties at all,” said Park Won-gon, a prof

Oct 16, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Xi Jinping's third term feared to cause uncertain future for Seoul-Beijing ties

Xi talks up security, reiterates COVID stance as congress opens

North Korea

Experts call for realistic policy to contain North Korea

gettyimagesbank Amid few available options, some experts favor arms control deal while others remain skepticalBy Kang Seung-wooWith North Korea's recent shows of force, an increasing number of experts are calling for the pursuit of a more realistic, attainable objective than denuclearization to deal with the North. In that respect, an arms control agreement is emerging as a likely option to deter North Korea's escalating nuclear threats, according to some diplomatic observers, while others disagree because doing so would recognize North Korea as a nuclear state. When U.S. President Joe Biden was elected in 2020, there were concerns that he would follow in the footsteps of the Barack Obama administration's policy of “strategic patience” toward North Korea, given that Biden was Obama's vice president. The strategic patience policy, which meant no engagement with North Korea as long as its leadership persisted with nuclear development and ballistic missile testing, is

Oct 14, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Experts call for realistic policy to contain North Korea

Defense

North Korea's growing threats lead to regional arms race

This photo distributed by the North Korean government shows what it says is a test-fire of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea, March 24. Korea Times fileUS will welcome its allies' military buildupBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea's growing missile and nuclear threats are sparking an arms race in Northeast Asia, as each country in the region is scrambling to increase its own military capabilities. Within less than two weeks, North Korea has conducted six rounds of missile tests that included the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) capable of hitting the U.S. territory of Guam, showing off its advancing missile technology. In addition, it is believed to have fully prepared for a seventh nuclear test.These provocative military acts are putting some neighboring countries and their allies on a high state of alert.“The war in Ukraine means that North Korea will be able to test all sorts of weapons ― hypersonic missiles, submarine-launched systems, nuclear weapons and of course ICBMs ― and pay no penalty as Washin

Oct 6, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

North Korea's growing threats lead to regional arms race

Tensions in East Asia reach dangerous new level

Defense

South Korea faces growing calls to acquire nuclear weapons

An F-15K fires two joint direct attack munition (JDAM) bombs against a virtual target at the Jikdo shooting field in the West Sea, Tuesday. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff Growing threat from North Korea, Ukraine war makes some South Koreans rethink nuclear-free policyBy Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea is facing growing calls to acquire nuclear weapons irrespective of ideological dogma. Such calls are being fueled by North Korea's growing nuclear menace and misgivings about the U.S.' extended deterrence if Pyongyang decides to attack its southern neighbor. “There has been a nuclear taboo ― a normative inhibition against the first use of nuclear weapons ― but Russia is about to break it in its war against Ukraine, thereby stoking concerns among countries, (including South Korea) that do not have their own nuclear weapons,” said Go Myong-hyun, a senior fellow of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.Go added that, despite Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, the United States and NATO were poised to respond to it with conventional weapons, with many South Kor

Oct 5, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

South Korea faces growing calls to acquire nuclear weapons

Allies fire 4 missiles into East Sea in response to N. Korea's provocation

Politics

Rival parties clash over slain South Korean official, presidential office relocation

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup answers questions during a National Assembly audit of his ministry at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday.National Assembly's three-week audit beginsBy Kang Seung-wooIssues related to the relocation of the presidential office and the killing of a South Korean fisheries official by North Korea dominated the first day of the National Assembly's audit of the defense ministry, Tuesday. The government inspection came as the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) has asked former President Moon Jae-in to answer questions in writing in connection with the official's death near the western sea border in September 2020, while the main opposition has found faults with President Yoon Suk-yeol's decision to move the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae south to the compound of the Ministry of National Defense.The Assembly launched the three-week audit of the government and state agencies earlier in the day, the first such parliamentary audit taking place during the Yoon administration.“Political suppression by the g

Oct 4, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Rival parties clash over slain South Korean official, presidential office relocation

Foreign Affairs

FM meets ambassadors from Latin American nations

Foreign Minister Park Jin, center, poses with ambassadors from Central and South American countries during their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Friday. While discussing ways to strengthening cooperation between Korea and Latin American countries, Park asked them to support Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Sep 30, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Kang Seung-woo

Read more

US bombers likely to participate in combined exercise

North Korea fires artillery shells into buffer zone for second straight day

South Korea, US to hold large-scale air exercise

Annual South Korean military exercise begins amid North Korea's threats

Xi Jinping's third term feared to cause uncertain future for Seoul-Beijing ties

Experts call for realistic policy to contain North Korea

North Korea's growing threats lead to regional arms race

South Korea faces growing calls to acquire nuclear weapons

Rival parties clash over slain South Korean official, presidential office relocation

FM meets ambassadors from Latin American nations

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