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S. Korea has new defense chief at crucial time

Outgoing minister leaves with much to be desiredBy Lee Min-hyungDefense Minister Jeong Kyeong-dooJeong Kyeong-doo, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), took office Friday as the nation's new minister of defense amid mounting security uncertainties despite North Korea's rare gestures for reconciliation. Upon his appointment, outgoing defense chief Song Young-moo left office, ending his 14-month tenure.The appointment came a day after Song arrived in Seoul, Thursday, finishing his job as defense chief by accompanying President Moon Jae-in on his three-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.Jeong will immediately be involved in a series of hectic defense meetings at a time when the two Koreas have reached military agreements outlining joint efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula following the summit.“The peninsula is standing at a critical juncture amid calls to resolve the North's nuclear issues and build lasting peace here,” Jeong said. “I have a heavy heart in leaving the JCS, but as minister of defense, will continue to

Sep 21, 2018By Lee Min-hyung
S. Korea has new defense chief at crucial time

New defense chief vows to buttress Korea peace efforts

Inaugurated Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, left, and his predecessor Song Young-moo in an inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Friday. YonhapSouth Korea's new Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo took office Friday, vowing to buttress Seoul's ongoing efforts to foster a lasting peace on the divided peninsula.In his inauguration speech, he also reiterated his resolve to build a robust defense posture to counter a "full range of security threats," develop a mutually complementary alliance with the United States and complete the defense reform aimed at creating a smaller yet smarter military."Now, we have removed the curtain of deep conflict that had hung over the peninsula for a long period, and taken a bold step toward a new era of peace and prosperity free from war," the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said."At such a juncture, our military must prop up the government's efforts to solidify (the groundwork) for a lasting peace on the peninsula and actively push for follow-up measures to the military agreement aimed

Sep 21, 2018
New defense chief vows to buttress Korea peace efforts

Army's first female military motorcycle riders in spotlight

Army First Lieutenant Kim Yu-kyung, right, and Staff Sergeant Jang Su-ah pose with their motorcycles in this file photo. They are the Army's first female motorcycle riders. / Courtesy of Republic of Korea ArmyBy Lee Min-hyungTwo Army policewomen riding motorcycles are gaining the spotlight here, as this is the first time female soldiers have undertaken the role.They are Army First Lieutenant Kim Yu-kyung and Staff Sergeant Jang Su-ah. Kim said she decided to join the military police because she felt attracted to motorcycles whenever watching riders execute special performances with their bikes.She started her military career last year by being commissioned as an Army military policewoman. To realize her dream of becoming a motorcycle rider, she got a motorcycle license this August.Kim encourages more would-be female soldiers to challenge themselves by applying for male-dominated positions.“Not all the positions are available for female Army military policewomen at the moment,” she said. But she urged more female soldiers to have the courage to break the norms and keep try

Sep 19, 2018By Lee Min-hyung
Army's first female military motorcycle riders in spotlight

Ending war is political proclamation: defense minister nominee

Defense Minister nominee Jeong Kyeong-doo, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, takes the oath before participating in his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Monday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonDefense Minister nominee Jeong Kyeong-doo said in his confirmation hearing, Monday, that the military has bolstered defense readiness ahead of the upcoming inter-Korean summit.He also said that formally ending the Korean War should be pushed forward according to the Panmunjeom Declaration.Jeong, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a treaty to end the war will be “a political proclamation” to pave the way for denuclearization, but this does not mean disbandment of the United Nations Command or the breakup of the South-U.S. defense alliance.When asked about the North's aim of seeking the end of the war for this summit, Jeong said “it was aimed at building trust between the two Koreas and North Korea and the U.S. in order to achieve the perfect denuclearization.”His remarks came one day before the leaders of the two Koreas are set to meet in Pyongyang on Tuesd

Sep 17, 2018By Park Ji-won
Ending war is political proclamation: defense minister nominee

Defense chief nominee vows firm military readiness to counter all types of threats

Defense Minister nominee Jeong Kyeong-doo vowed to secure capabilities to counter a "full spectrum of security threats" in a "transitional period" marked by uncertainties during his parliamentary confirmation hearing Monday.The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also said that if appointed, he would strive to develop a "future-oriented, mutually complementary" alliance with the United States as Seoul seeks to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington."Despite aspirations for the settlement of the North Korean nuclear issue and the establishment of a peace regime, the Korean Peninsula now faces a transitional period where the security situation is uncertain," the Air Force general said."(Our military) will work to secure our own capabilities to respond to a full spectrum of security threats so as to safeguard the safety and lives of our citizens from existing threats, potential threats and various other threats, such as transnational and nonmilitary ones," he added.The hearing at the National Assembly was held just a day before President Moon Jae-in's three-day tri

Sep 17, 2018
Defense chief nominee vows firm military readiness to counter all types of threats

Washington set to replace US military commander in South Korea

General Robert B. AbramsWashington is set to replace the commander of US forces in South Korea amid a rapid diplomatic thaw on the peninsula, even as denuclearisation of the North stalls.The US stations 28,500 troops in the South, a treaty ally, to defend it against its nuclear-armed neighbour, which invaded in 1950, triggering the Korean War.General Robert B. Abrams, commander of the US Army Forces Command, will undergo a confirmation hearing next week to be head of US Forces Korea (USFK), the Senate Armed Services Committee's website showed.If his nomination is approved, he will succeed General Vincent Brooks as commander of USFK, the UN Command and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Korea, who has been in the post since April 2016.The outgoing commander has described his time in the South as "a rollercoaster ride", with the peninsula turning from the fears of war to a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un."We have gone from points of great tension and great danger to points of great opportunity and sometimes back and forth between th

Sep 17, 2018
Washington set to replace US military commander in South Korea

South Korea launches 1st 3,000-ton hybrid submarine

President Moon Jae-in, front row third from left, salutes while participating in the launch ceremony of the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine at Okpo Shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Defense Minister Song Young-moo, left, and a group of ranking military and government officials joined the event to commemorate the launch of the nation's first 3,000-ton submarine. / YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungGEOJE, South Gyeongsang Province ― The nation's first 3,000-ton submarine was launched Friday on this southeastern island city, featuring an increase in parts localization ratios and improved underwater sound propagation systems.The vessel is named after Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, one of the nation's most respected independence activists during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) manufactured the next-generation underwater fleet. Dosan's grandson, Ahn Robert Alan, was also invited to the launch ceremony.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed the submarine

Sep 14, 2018By Lee Min-hyung
South Korea launches 1st 3,000-ton hybrid submarine

South Korea launches 3,000-ton homegrown submarine 'Dosan Ahn Chang-ho'

South Korea held a launching ceremony Friday for a 3,000-ton indigenous submarine, a new strategic weapons system designed to bolster underwater defense capabilities.The ceremony for the diesel-electric air-independent propulsion submarine, named after a prominent South Korean independence fighter, Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, took place at the Okpo Shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. on the southern island of Geoje.The ceremony was attended by 350 people, including government and military officials and employees of the shipbuilder, the Navy said."The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine is the Navy's first mid-class submarine and has been built with a combination of cutting-edge technologies," the Navy said in a press release. "This is a national strategic weapons system capable of responding to all threats, and it will help strengthen the Navy's defense capabilities."While the country's existing 1,200-ton and 1,800-ton submarines were built with technological assistance from Germany defense firms, the latest submarine has been domestically designed, and 76 percent of its comp

Sep 14, 2018
South Korea launches 3,000-ton homegrown submarine 'Dosan Ahn Chang-ho'

US approves possible military sales worth $2.6 billion to South Korea

The U.S. State Department has approved possible military sales worth $2.6 billion to South Korea, including six P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft and 64 Patriot anti-ballistic missile weapons, the Pentagon said on Thursday.The Boeing-made Poseidon aircraft, which are used for hunting submarines and conducting maritime reconnaissance, are worth up to $2.1 billion, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.The South Korean procurement agency Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in June it had decided to buy the P-8 Poseidon aircraft.At the time, the contract was worth around $1.71 billion. Thursday’s DSCA authorization included training, logistics, support equipment and services that could affect the price.U.S. ally South Korea is engaged in talks with North Korea on improving relations and the United States is involved in its own diplomatic efforts with North Korea on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Washington has put pressure on North Korea via sanctions to give up its nuclear weapons program.The Patriot anti-m

Sep 14, 2018
US approves possible military sales worth $2.6 billion to South Korea

“Leaders will discuss specific denuke measures in Pyongyang,” security chief

Chung Eui-yong, South Korea's chief presidential security advisor, speaks during the opening ceremony of the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual security event hosted by the defense ministry, Thursday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonSouth Korea's chief presidential security adviser said Thursday that the two Koreas will discuss specific measures to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula during the third inter-Korean summit which is planned to be held next week. During a keynote speech at an annual security forum hosted by the defense ministry, Chung Eui-yong said “the government is preparing for the Pyongyang summit which is slated to be held from Sept. 18 to 20 so that the two Koreas can create a breakthrough to build the Korean peace process and give impetus to the North-U.S. talks and denuclearization.”Discussing his trip to the North recently, he said “in this upcoming meeting, the two leaders will have more detailed talks in seeking denuclearization.” Chung's delegation visited North Korea recently to set a time to hold the third summit and met with North Korean leader K

Sep 13, 2018By Park Ji-won
“Leaders will discuss specific denuke measures in Pyongyang,” security chief
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