South Korea - The Korea Times

South Korea, US begin joint military drills amid diplomatic thaw

A combined field training of South Korean and U.S. troops got under way Sunday as scheduled, defense officials said amid a nascent peace mood on the divided peninsula.More than 11,500 service members, including thousands based outside of Korea, plan to participate in the four-week Foal Eagle training, along with around 300,000 South Korean soldiers.The allies often kick off their largest annual military exercise in late February or early March for a two-month run. This year, however, they waited until the end of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games here.The duration of Foal Eagle has been shortened to a month, with no major U.S. strategic assets such as supercarriers and nuclear subs expected to show up.Some observers said Seoul and Washington are apparently playing low-key amid a let-up in North Korea's provocations. The communist nation's leader Kim Jong-un plans to have back-to-back summit talks with the South's President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump this spring.The allies' defense authorities stressed that there's no big change in the number of parti

Apr 1, 2018

South Korea, US begin joint military drills amid diplomatic thaw

South Korea's first F-35 stealth jet unveiled

Courtesy of Lockheed MartinThe first F-35A stealth fighter aircraft for South Korea has made its public debut at a sensitive time for diplomacy on North Korea.South Korea and the United States held a joint rollout ceremony for the jet at Lockheed Martin's assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday (local time).Defense officials said the production of the fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II jet for South Korea is significant in its combat readiness."Today is a truly meaningful day as we celebrate the rollout of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force's first F-35A, the world's best fighter jet, which will secure the sovereign airspace of the ROK," South Korea's Defense Song Young-moo said in a video message. "The deployment of the F-35 will serve as momentum to enhance the combined operations of the ROK-U.S. Air Forces and advance ROK Air Force's support capabilities for ground operations."On behalf of Song, Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk attended the event, along with Lt. Gen. Lee Seong-yong, vice chief of staff of the nation's Air Force.Also on hand was a group of U.S.

Mar 29, 2018

South Korea's first F-35 stealth jet unveiled

NK vents anger over Seoul's F-35A jet deployment

President Moon lauds Korean soldiers in UAE

President Moon Jae-in hugs a soldier during his visit to Korea's Akh unit dispatched in the United Arab Emirates, Tuesday. / Yonhap By Kim RahnABU DHABI ― President Moon Jae-in called Korea's Akh Unit dispatched in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a symbol of defense cooperation between the two countries and a model of reciprocal relations.He visited the unit in the Sweihan region, Tuesday, the last day of his visit to the Middle Eastern country to boost the morale of the soldiers.First dispatched in January 2011, the unit supports training of the UAE's special warfare unit and holds joint exercises with it. It is also tasked with protecting Korean people here in the case of an emergency. Now 138 soldiers are stationed with the unit.“The Akh Unit is the pride of Korean armed forces and the symbol of cooperation between Korea and the UAE,” Moon told the soldiers. “Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also highly evaluated your work, saying the unit is

Mar 27, 2018

President Moon lauds Korean soldiers in UAE

UAE expected to offer big energy deals

South Korea may agree to pay more for US troops: ex-White House official

South Korea may agree to shoulder a larger burden of the cost of stationing U.S. troops on its soil as part of the two nations' deal on trade, a former White House official said Monday.Victor Cha, who served as Asian affairs director on the National Security Council of George W. Bush, raised the possibility shortly after Seoul announced a tentative deal with Washington on amending their free trade agreement and exempting the Asian nation from new U.S. steel tariffs."If there is any tacit issue linkage with this agreement, we might expect to see South Korea agreeing to a higher burden sharing obligation in ongoing negotiations on a new Special Measures Agreement where the U.S. is pushing for South Korea to pay larger share of costs for stationing U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula," he wrote in a commentary for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he is currently senior adviser and Korea chair.The U.S. stations 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression. The troop presence is a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, not

Mar 27, 2018

South Korea may agree to pay more for US troops: ex-White House official

Man gets jail term for gaining weight to avoid military duty

Young men undergo physical examinations at the Seoul Military Manpower Administration in Yeongdeungpo-gu in 2016. / Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-ho, Jung Da-minA 21-year-old man was found guilty Sunday of trying to dodge his mandatory military service by putting on nearly 30 kilograms within six months.The Cheongju District Court handed down a suspended prison term to the man, who gained 29 kilograms deliberately in 2016 to evade his military duty.The 180-centimeter man, whose identity is being withheld, was only 87 kilograms when he graduated from high school in February but became 113.6 kilograms by the time he received a second physical examination in July.His body mass index (BMI) was 36.1, which was below the requirement to serve the military. So he was assigned to a public service position, a less physically demanding alternative.But police later found he gained weight on purpose to evade his military duty.Under the law, a person who flees, causes self-injury or cheats to avoid military service could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Mar 25, 2018

Man gets jail term for gaining weight to avoid military duty

USFK mulls mass evacuation exercises during joint drills with S. Korea

By Lee Min-hyungThe United States Forces Korea (USFK) plans to hold its first-ever mass evacuation exercise to the U.S. during the upcoming joint military drills with South Korea next month, according to reports Friday.The USFK has held the evacuation exercises, called Focused Passage, twice a year to brace for any worst-case military scenarios. But this is the first time some volunteers of USFK families and noncombatant troops will fly to the U.S. mainland, overseas media said. For this year, the evacuation rehearsal is scheduled from April 16 to 20.Last year, the USFK evacuated some military families here to Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo.“We cannot disclose any details on any planned drills,” a USFK official said, declining to comment further.The drills will come as part of this year’s joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. The two countries hold the annual drills between late February and early March, but they delayed the plan amid a rare peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula due to North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Wint

Mar 23, 2018

US military to hold civilian evacuation drill on April 16-20

Family members of U.S. military personnel are to participate in evacuation exercises, according to U.S. Forces Korea. / Courtesy of U.S. ArmyThe U.S. military plans to hold a regular noncombatant evacuation drill in Korea next month under the scenario of a crisis here despite markedly eased tensions.The Focused Passage training will take place from April 16-20, when South Korean and U.S. troops stage a massive combined combat exercise called Foal Eagle, according to the Stars and Stripes newspaper.It's aimed at ensuring U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) service members and families are prepared to evacuate designated noncombatants in case of a conflict on the peninsula.Around 200,000 American civilians are said to reside in Korea.The U.S. military conducts such a noncombatant evacuation practice twice a year, with the other drill code-named Courageous Channel held in the fall.North Korea has suspended its provocative acts, seeking to hold an inter-Korean summit and denuclearization talks with the U.S.But the USFK wants to maintain not only combat readiness but also the capability of evacuatin

Mar 23, 2018

US military to hold civilian evacuation drill on April 16-20

Saab worries Korea will buy Boeing's anti-sub planes with no bids

Saab's Swordfish anti-submarine patrol aircraft / SaabBy Oh Young-jin Saab is in for a difficult competition in Korea.By the lie of the land, the Swedish company may not get a chance to bid for Korea's $1.7 billion purchase deal for anti-submarine aircraft.Even if it is allowed, it is widely seen as a spoiler for Korean buyers to use to get a better deal from an American defense contractor.Just for that purpose ― lower cost, greater technology transfer and bigger “offset” deals for the stalling next-generation fighter program ― it looks tempting to give Saab what it wants and pit it against Boeing's Poseidon. “Give us an open competition,” said Richard Hjelmberg, head of Saab's marketing and sales, in an interview. He was a member of a delegation in Seoul from Sweden to pitch the Swordfish anti-submarine system ― a Saab system integrated on Bombardier's Global 6000.Saab marketing head Richard Hjelmberg speaks during an interview./ Korea Times photo by Oh Young-jinThere were three strong points for Swordfish that Hjelmberg talked about over its compet

Mar 21, 2018

Saab worries Korea will buy Boeing's anti-sub planes with no bids

South Korea, US to start annual large-scale military drills

 / Korea Times file photoSouth Korea and the United States will kick off their large-scale combined military exercises April 1 that have been delayed amid an Olympics-driven peace mood, the defense authorities here announced Tuesday.But it stopped short of revealing when they will finish and how many troops will be mobilized.The defense chiefs of the allies have agreed to hold the annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle drills that have been postponed on the basis of the Olympics spirit, the Ministry of National Defense said."The practice is slated to begin April 1, and it will be conducted on a similar size in previous years," it added without providing details on the timetable in a three-paragraph press release.The United Nations Command (UNC) informed North Korea's military of the schedule and the allies' position that it's nothing more than regular training that's defensive in nature, according to the ministry.The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission plans to observe the drills to confirm whether they are staged in compliance with the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 K

Mar 20, 2018

South Korea, US to start annual large-scale military drills

Allies to start low-key joint drills Friday

Defense Minister Song Young-moo shakes hands with U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift after a meeting at the ministry in Yongsan, central Seoul, March 8. / YonhapBy Choi Ha-youngSouth Korea and the United States will start their annual military exercises, Friday, but they will be kept low-key in consideration of revived diplomacy with North Korea, military sources said Monday. The Foal Eagle exercise will start April 1 for a one-month run, while the Key Resolve drills will begin Friday. The schedule will be officially announced todayThe sources emphasized that the combined exercises will take place “on the level of previous years,” but U.S. strategic assets including nuclear-powered submarines and B-1B bombers are not expected to show up. Last year, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson took part in the exercise. The duration of the Foal Eagle exercise is likely to be reduced to one month, compared to two months last year. Key Resolve will be conducted for two weeks, as it was last year. As a part of Foal Eagle, the two allies will carry out the Ssangyong (dou

Mar 19, 2018

Defense