South Korea - The Korea Times

Romance in the air: South Korea's first married group captain couple

Major Kim Dong-woo and his wife, Major Lee In-seon, are the Republic of Korea Air Force's first married couple to become group captains. / YonhapBy Ko Dong-hwanThe 14-year marriage of South Korean Air Force pilots Kim Dong-woo and Lee In-seon has had years of interruption because of the heavy demands of their jobs. The birth of their first child five years into the marriage did little to change things. Lee’s mother in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, has raised the son for her busy daughter.Kim and Lee, both 38, may have agonized over not being able to provide a “normal” home life, but guarding the nation’s skies has taken precedence. What sustained them was their camaraderie, if not their romantic partnership.And now the couple shares the honor of being the air force’s first married couple to become group captains.“There are lots of difficulties managing work and family as a married couple who are also pilots,” said Major Lee of the 5th Air Mobility Wing stationed at Gimhae International Airport, who was promoted to group captain last No

Jan 12, 2018

Romance in the air: South Korea's first married group captain couple

US deploys 3 B-2 bombers to Guam

By Kim RahnThe U.S. forward deployed three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from the U.S. mainland to Guam recently, according to the country’s Pacific Air Force Command (PACAF), Thursday. Analysts say the deployment is seen as move to pressure North Korea to expand the recently launched inter-Korean talks to dialogue for denuclearization, and at the same time showing the U.S. readiness for any possible missile provocations.According to PACAF, the U.S. Air Force recently deployed three B-2 bombers and 200 airmen from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Anderson Air Force Base in Guam. It said the deployment is short-term that took place according to the U.S. Strategic Command’s regular bomber rotation, but did not disclose how long the strategic assets would be stationed in Guam.The PACAF said the bombers would carry out training flights and joint drills with partners in the region. The B-2 Spirit is one of the U.S. military’s three major bombers along with the B-1B Lancer and the B-52 Stratofortress. With the best stealth function among the three types, the B-2, capab

Jan 11, 2018

Veterans association donates $10,000 to USFK

Let’s go together!: Kim Jin-ho, Chairman of the Korean Veterans Association, holds a plaque of appreciation with Colonel J. Scott Peterson, commander of the U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, Wednesday. Earlier, the association donated $10,000 to the U.S. Army in recognition of the latter’s hard work keeping the peace on the Korean Peninsula. / Courtesy of Korean Veterans Association

Jan 10, 2018

Veterans association donates $10,000 to USFK

Ex-defense minister admits secret military deal with UAE

By Kim RahnKim Tae-youngA former defense minister has admitted that South Korea reached a secret deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2009 to send troops to the Middle Eastern country if it became engaged in a military conflict.In an interview published Tuesday, Kim Tae-young, who served as defense minister under the Lee Myung-bak administration, said he decided to keep the deal a secret due to a possible backlash here.The revelation is causing a stir, as officials of the Lee government have claimed there were no secret deals with the UAE linked to a nuclear plant project there. The suspicions regarding secret deals have triggered rumors about former administrations and the nuclear project, which emerged after presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok visited the country in December. Kim said the two countries agreed in 2009 that Korean troops would automatically intervene if the UAE became involved in a military conflict.According to the Constitution, dispatching troops to a foreign country, either combat or non-combat units, requires the National Assembly’s consent. To

Jan 9, 2018

Ex-defense minister admits secret military deal with UAE

S. Korea, US considering moving CFC inside ministry site

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea and the United States are conducting talks on moving the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) headquarters, currently located in the U.S. Yongsan Garrison in Seoul, inside a site at the Ministry of National Defense, the ministry said Thursday.The measure is to enhance allies’ joint defense posture during the course of the wartime operational control (OPCON) handover from Washington to Seoul, the ministry said. “The moving would also contribute to smoothly carrying out a plan to develop the vacated site of Yongsan Garrison into a park,” the ministry added. South Korea and the U.S. originally agreed to leave the CFC headquarters inside the Yongsan Garrison, just across from the defense ministry, despite the allies’ joint project to relocate the garrison in central Seoul and 2nd Infantry Division north of Seoul to Camp Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.The agreement was made as the OPCON transfer, originally scheduled for December 2015, was postponed until the 2020s under the Park Geun-hye government. But the agreement has provok

Jan 4, 2018

Outgoing US commander awarded medal for service in South Korea

Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal, commanding general of the Eighth U.S. Army, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Yongsan Garrison, central Seoul, Feb. 22, 2017. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukThe South Korean government on Thursday awarded Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal, the outgoing commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, a medal of merit for his contribution to the alliance.Defense Minister Song Young-moo gave Vandal the Gukseon Medal, the second-highest class in the Order of National Security Merit, on behalf of the government, according to the defense ministry.The order is conferred on those who have rendered distinguished service to national security.Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), were among the dignitaries at the ceremony, which was held at the ministry's building in Seoul.Vandal assumed the post of commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Division stationed in South Korea in June 2013. He took office as the leader of the Eighth Army in February 2016 after serving as

Jan 4, 2018

Outgoing US commander awarded medal for service in South Korea

Military deploys remote wireless demolition set

By Jun Ji-hyeThe state arms procurement agency said Tuesday that remote wireless demolition equipment, used to destroy command posts and key facilities deep in enemy territory, has been delivered to the military.The deployment was completed at the end of December, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.Huneed Technologies, a local defense firm, led development of the equipment, which was completed in 2014. Mass production began after DAPA conducted tests and evaluations.The equipment has been delivered to the Army Special Forces and engineers, as well as special warfare units of the Navy and the Marine Corps, the agency said.“The method of communication for the new equipment has been improved compared to the existing one,” DAPA said.“Military units will be able to effectively use the equipment as its size and weight have been reduced considerably.”Huneed CEO Shin Jong-seok said: “We are honored to be able to contribute to the enhancement of our military special operations capability with this remote wireless demolition set developed a

Jan 2, 2018

Report claims secret UAE deal in 2013

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Park Geun-hye government secretly signed a mutual logistics support agreement (MLSA)   with the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) military in 2013, according to media reports, Tuesday.The deal applies to the reciprocal provision of logistical support, supplies and services between the militaries of the two in return for either cash payments or reciprocal provisions.The news about the secret deal raised speculation the Ministry of National Defense under the Park government inked such an agreement in return for a $40 billion bilateral deal in which Seoul was to build and operate four nuclear reactors in the Middle Eastern country. The nuclear deal was signed in 2009 under the Lee Myung-bak government, Park’s predecessor.It has also been speculated that presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok’s recent visit to the UAE was related to the issue, though Cheong Wa Dae claimed the visit was meant to boost morale of Korean soldiers stationed in there and enhance bilateral ties.The Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, quoted an unidentified

Jan 2, 2018

DAPA presents future weapons

By Yi Whan-wooA stealth tank, a super-fast submersible propelled by seawater, and swarms of insect-sized drones are on the country’s wish list for its next-generation weapons, according to the arms acquisition agency, Thursday.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), jointly with its R&D institute the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, announced a list of 40 weapons they propose to build using cutting-edge technologies.Building such weapons will require 63 new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and 3D printing, that are expected to power the Fourth Industrial Revolution, DAPA said.“We came up with the list as part of efforts to successfully cope with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and become a leader in the high-tech military weapons business,” DAPA said in a press release.Developing an invisible stealth tank will rely on metamaterials that can block, absorb or bend waves and make the combat vehicle not visible to radio, infrared and other bands.yistory@ktimes.com“The tank, if built, will give Kor

Dec 28, 2017

Former USFK chiefs call for delay of joint drills

By Yi Whan-wooFormer U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commanders have thrown their support behind President Moon Jae-in’s call to delay annual military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. until after the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. According to Voice of America (VOA), Wednesday, Burwell Bell, James Thurman and John Tilelli _ all retired U.S. Army generals _ said it was important not to disrupt the Olympics and that it was “legitimate and sound” to consider postponing the joint drills.Bell led the USFK from 2006 to 2008, Thurman from 2011 to 2013 and Tilelli from 1996 to 1999.“It’s not good to be conducting military exercises when you’re bringing in hundreds, even thousands of athletes from over a hundred countries around the world,” Bell said.“So the whole issue of postponing the military drills-exercises between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States, I believe, is a legitimate issue and a sound issue.”His remarks came after Moon mentioned last week the possibility of postponing the joint drill

Dec 27, 2017

Defense