South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea, Spain discuss swap deal between trainer, cargo jets: report

By Park Ji-wonT-50Korea and Spain are in talks to hold a joint committee meeting for a possible swap deal involving trainer jets and cargo planes this month, local media reported, Sunday.According to government sources, Sunday, officials are on track to hold a planned joint military defense committee meeting between the defense forces of Korea and Spain in Madrid in the middle of this month.The sources said the agenda is not finalized but there is a possibility it will be decided sooner and its schedule finalized by this week.Military and defense industry officials say the subject will likely be a swap deal for Korea's trainer and cargo aircraft.Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the nation's largest private defense company, is competing with a Swiss company to win a deal to supply trainer jets to Spain's air forces. The Korean Air Force, meanwhile, is known to be considering Spain's Airbus A400M or the U.S.'s Boeing C-17 as its future cargo plane.Spain hopes to sell four to six Airbus A400M planes to Korea while buying about 30 KT-1 basic trainer jets and 20 T-50 advanced trainer pla

Nov 4, 2018By Park Ji-won

Korea, Spain discuss swap deal between trainer, cargo jets: report

Air Force chief to visit U.S. to discuss cooperation

Gen. Lee Wang-keun. YonhapThe country's top Air Force commander will soon visit the United States to discuss the two countries' alliance and ways to boost defense cooperation, Air Force officials said Saturday.Gen. Lee Wang-keun, the Air Force chief of staff, will start an eight-day visit to the United States, Sunday, having received a formal invitation from his U.S. counterpart, Gen. David L. Goldfein.During his trip, Lee will visit the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Northern Command and meet with their chiefs to discuss the South Korea-U.S. alliance and touch on issues promoting partnerships.In addition, he will pay his respects to fallen soldiers at the Korean War Veterans Memorial.Lee also plans to go to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona to check on the F-35 stealth fighter jet project, which South Korea is buying, and give a pep talk to South Korean pilots and engineers who are receiving training at the U.S. base.In addition, he will receive the Legion of Merit from the U.S. government for his contribution to the alliance, the officials said. (Yonhap)This file photo, t

Nov 3, 2018

Air Force chief to visit U.S. to discuss cooperation

Ruling causes debate on how to screen conscientious objectors

By Lee Suh-yoonControversy is brewing over how to verify the “sincerity” of conscientious objectors, after a landmark Supreme Court ruling Thursday recognized religious beliefs as a justifiable reason for refusing mandatory military service. Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su said in the verdict that the prosecution and the court would assess conscientious objector's claims by looking at “his family, childhood development, school life and other social experiences.” The court said that in a case, the accused would present materials that can prove his conscientious objection and the prosecution and the court will determine the sincerity. Four justices, who disagreed with the 13-member bench's majority ruling, expressed concerns over the difficulty in distinguishing a person's true beliefs as opposed to someone pretending to have those beliefs. “Whether one's expressed conscience is true cannot be proven in a criminal court trial,“ Justice Lee Ki-taik told the courtroom. Justice Park Sang-ok also echoed Lee's point, saying justifiable reasons for refusing mi

Nov 2, 2018

Ruling causes debate on how to screen conscientious objectors

USFK to station here after OPCON transfer: minister

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, right, welcomes South Korean National Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo during a full honor arrival at the Pentagon Oct. 31, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia. Defense Minister Jeong was at the Pentagon to attend the 50th annual ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting. AFP-YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungThe United States Forces Korea (USFK) will continue to be stationed here even after South Korea regains wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops from the U.S. military. Defense chiefs from Seoul and Washington agreed on this at their Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on Wednesday (local time) as well as the transfer of the leadership of the United Nations Command (UNC) to a South Korean general.The two sides also reached a broad roadmap over how to maintain the USFK after the OPCON transfer they said on the sidelines of the annual defense minister's talks.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his Washington counterpart Jim Mattis came to terms on eight clauses outlining the post-OPCON transfer defense situation in South Korea.The clauses included the b

Nov 1, 2018By Lee Min-hyung

USFK to station here after OPCON transfer: minister

South Korea, US agree to suspend another military exercise

In December 2017, a F-16 fighter jet lands on the Osan Air Base of the United States Forces Korea in Pyeongtaek,p Gyeonggi Province, on the first day of Vigilant ACE. Korea Times fileSouth Korea and the United States have agreed to suspend another military exercise to facilitate negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the Pentagon said Friday. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis decided to suspend the annual air exercise, Vigilant Ace, "to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement. The two met in Singapore earlier in the day. Vigilant Ace, which was slated for December, is the latest joint exercise to be suspended to encourage North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. In June, U.S. President Donald Trump came away from a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore saying he would halt the "provocative" and costly "war games." The allies canceled the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill, which was slated for August, along wit

Oct 20, 2018

South Korea, US agree to suspend another military exercise

Two Koreas, UN Command discuss disarming Joint Security Area in DMZ

The two Koreas and the United Nations Command (UNC) will launch trilateral consultations Tuesday on disarming the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the heavily fortified border area between North and South Korea, Seoul's defense ministry announced.The closed-door meeting is to open at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at 10 a.m., it said.South and North Korea agreed to disarm the JSA under the military agreement signed by their countries' defense chiefs during the Pyongyang summit in September between President Moon Jae-in and the North's leader Kim Jong-un.The UNC has jurisdiction over the JSA, where South and North Korean forces stand face to face. The JSA was established just after the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. It has also served as the venue for talks between the two sides, including the first Moon-Kim summit in April.On Oct. 1, the two sides started a 20-day effort to remove landmines in the JSA.Through the consultations at the three-way council, the Koreas and the UNC plan to review the results of the landmine

Oct 16, 2018

Two Koreas, UN Command discuss disarming Joint Security Area in DMZ

New Joint Chiefs Of Staff chief vows to support peace efforts

Gen. Park Han-ki, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, salutes during an inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Thursday. YonhapGen. Park Han-ki, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff (JCS), took office Thursday, vowing to back up South Korea's ongoing peace efforts and strengthen military readiness and cooperation among all armed services.During his inauguration speech, the 41st JCS chief also stressed his pursuit of "technology-based elite forces" through Seoul's Defense Reform 2.0 initiative aimed at creating a smaller yet smarter military."Now, the security situation on the Korean Peninsula is at a historical turning point where we are moving toward peace and prosperity after long periods of confrontation," he said. "Our citizens call for a trustworthy military that can clearly ensure the safety of our citizens and nation while maintaining firm readiness under any circumstances," he added.Touching on the recent inter-Korean military agreement entailing a series of arms control measures, Park pledged to make "active effort

Oct 11, 2018

New Joint Chiefs Of Staff chief vows to support peace efforts

UNC chief offers 'full support" for DMZ demining, excavation work

Vincent Brooks, chief of the U.S.-led U.N. Command, has offered "full support" for South Korea's ongoing operations to clear landmines in order to carry out an inter-Korean project to excavate Korean War remains in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), his office said Wednesday.Brooks made the remarks on Tuesday during his visit to Arrowhead Ridge, or Hill 281 in Cheorwon, 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul -- a site that the two Koreas have designated for a joint project to retrieve war remains from April to October next year."This effort to clear a route to the historic Arrowhead Hill has my full support," Brooks was quoted as saying. "Among the many agreed-to actions, this one is especially important because it will result in recovering the remains of the fallen during the Korean War."The commander added that returning the remains of the fallen from the site to their countries and families is a "top priority" for him.There were three key battles against communist forces on the notorious ridge from 1952-53. The remains of more than 200 South Korean soldiers and dozens of U.N. Command forces,

Oct 10, 2018

UNC chief offers 'full support" for DMZ demining, excavation work

Two Koreas begin DMZ landmine removal work

The two Koreas on Monday began their work to remove landmines in parts of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating them, in line with a recent agreement to reduce tensions and prevent accidental clashes, Seoul's defense ministry said.After the latest summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last month, the two countries' defense chiefs signed the agreement fleshing out the military part of the April Moon-Kim summit declaration, which promised to halt "all hostile acts" against each other and practically eliminate the danger of war.The militaries launched the removal work in the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the DMZ, which they have agreed to disarm, and part of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, where they plan to carry out a joint project to excavate Korean War remains next year."Regarding the landmine removal work as the starting point, the military authorities of the two Koreas will make joint efforts to ensure that their military agreement will be carried out systematically and normally," the ministry said in a press release.Amid the work in th

Oct 1, 2018

Two Koreas begin DMZ landmine removal work

Landmines in DMZ to be cleared from Monday

Army launches 'dronebot' combat unit

By Lee Min-hyungThe Army launched a drone-led combat unit on Friday to lead the military reform drive by embracing the emerging robotics platform.The so-called “dronebot combat unit” consists of 80 soldiers with expertise in driving and maintaining drones, the Army said.“The mission of ground forces is ever-growing at a time when the Korean Peninsula is facing a defense uncertainty,” Army Chief of Staff Kim Yong-woo said in a speech to celebrate the launch of the unit.The unit will carry out their mission as part of an organization of the Army's third infantry division.“We are going to turn the Korean military into one of the world's most tech-savvy armed forces to prepare for possible security threats,” he said.The unit is comprised of sub-organizations ― including those focusing on scouting out possible security threats and on carrying out combat missions, the Army said.The launch of the unit comes in line with the military's ongoing Defense Reform 2.0 drive. Under the plan, the military plans to finish dispatching drones not just to the Arm

Sep 28, 2018By Lee Min-hyung

Defense