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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Allies agree to speed up OPCON transfer

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea and the United States have agreed to speed up their negotiations for Seoul’s prompt takeover of wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops from Washington, raising expectations that the allies are drawing up a roadmap for the transfer as early as next October.Defense Minister Song Young-moo and his U.S. counterpart James Mattis reached the agreement during their annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul, Saturday, to make joint efforts “to enable the expeditious conditions-based transfer of OPCON,” according to their joint statement.The two defense chiefs said their agreement was to implement steadily the decision made between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump during their summit in June in Washington, D.C.South Korea was supposed to regain OPCON from the U.S. in April 2012 following an agreement in 2007 during the late President Roh Moo-hyun administration.But following the sinking of the South Korean Navy frigate Cheonan in a North Korean torpedo attack in March 2010, the transfer was delayed to 2015. M

Oct 29, 2017

'Our goal is not war': South Korea, US defense chiefs

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, left, speaks to reporters during his visit the Demilitarized Zone with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo, Friday. / Joint press corpsDefense Secretary Mattis visits DMZBy Jun Ji-hyeU.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Friday that Washington did not want to go to war with Pyongyang, but hoped the Korean Peninsula would be denuclearized.   He made the remark during a visit to the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea.The U.S. defense chief arrived in Seoul earlier in the day to attend the 49th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) to be held Saturday.The SCM is the allies’ annual gathering that brings together high-level defense and diplomatic officials from the two countries.Mattis’s visit comes amid heightened military tension here after a recent exchange of bombastic threats between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.“North Korean provocations continue to threaten regional and world peace and despite unanimous condemnation by t

Oct 27, 2017
'Our goal is not war': South Korea, US defense chiefs
  • US Congress bill to prohibit Trump's preemptive strike of North Korea

Mattis: 'We want no war, seek denuclearization of Korean Peninsula'

U.S. Defense Minister James Mattis speaks to the media as he visits the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, Friday. Mattis is on a two-day visit to South Korea and will attend the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) amid North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. / YonhapAs North Korean soldiers looked on, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Friday his administration does not want war but hopes for the complete denuclearization of Korea.Standing several meters away from North Korea, he urged the Kim Jong-un regime to halt provocations that threaten others "with catastrophe.""As Secretary of State Tillerson has made clear, our goal is not war but rather the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the Pentagon chief said in a brief statement at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).He stressed his unprecedented DMZ visit highlights the "stark difference" between the two Koreas.The North is ridden with an "oppressive regime" that shackles i

Oct 27, 2017
Mattis: 'We want no war, seek denuclearization of Korean Peninsula'
  • North Korean diplomat urged US to make 'right choice' for 'way out': Seoul official
  • US sanctions 7 North Koreans, 3 entities over human rights abuses

ROK, US defense chiefs to hold talks

By Jun Ji-hyeDefense Minister Song Young-moo and his U.S. counterpart James Mattis will discuss ways of coping with North Korea’s growing threats and other bilateral issues in Seoul, Saturday.  Mattis will arrive here Friday and visit the truce village of Panmunjom and the Joint Security Area (JSA) with Song, where he will deliver a warning message to the North, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.The next day, they will attend the 49th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) that will bring together high-level defense and diplomatic officials from the two sides.“South Korea and the United States will conduct in-depth discussions on North Korean threats, and measures to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence, as well as the transfer of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from the U.S.,” the ministry said.Extended deterrence refers to Washington’s stated commitment to defend its ally by mobilizing all military capabilities ― nuclear and conventional ― to deal with the North’s provocations.  The annual defe

Oct 26, 2017

Korea creates war veterans hall in Colombia

By Jun Ji-hye The Ministry of National Defense has built a hall in Colombia dedicated to supporting Korean War veterans of the South American country, the ministry said Thursday.“We held a building completion ceremony in Bogota, Wednesday, as part of our efforts to express our gratitude to Colombian veterans who fought during the 1950-53 Korean War,” the ministry said.Colombia, the only country in South America that sent troops to the Korean Peninsula, contributed naval forces such as warships during the conflict.According to the ministry, the country sent 5,300 troops, and among them about 600 sacrificed their lives.The 453-square-meter two-story building has a lounge for war veterans, an assembly hall, an exhibition, an audiovisual room and an office.South Korea’s conglomerate Lotte Group sponsored its construction, the ministry noted.The ministry added it will also build a similar building in Ethiopia. 

Oct 26, 2017

US defense chief to visit Seoul this week to coordinate Moon-Trump summit

The top military officials of South Korea and the U.S. will hold bilateral talks in Seoul this weekend on North Korea and pending alliance issues, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.Defense Minister Song Young-moo is scheduled to hold the 49th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on Saturday, a day after the allies' Military Committee Meeting (MCM) here.The MCM will be led by the heads of their joint chiefs of staff.The two sides plan to have "in-depth" discussions on the North's threats and related policy coordination, as well as on ways to enhance "extended deterrence" and on the push for an early transfer of conditions-based operational control (OPCON) transition, according to the ministry.The SCM and the MCM are the allies' top military consultation channels and are held every year. This week's session will be the first between the Moon Jae-in and Trump administrations.Mattis is due to arrive in Seoul early Friday morning for his second trip to the country as Pentagon chief.During his two-day stay here, the secretary plans to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which s

Oct 26, 2017
US defense chief to visit Seoul this week to coordinate Moon-Trump summit

S. Korea, US conduct joint pilot-rescue drill

By Jun Ji-hye South Korean and U.S. air forces are carrying out a drill to hone their skills in rescuing pilots downed in enemy territory during war.The Republic of Korea Air Force said Wednesday the drill began Monday in a mountainous area in Gangwon Province and will run through Friday.About 30 personnel from the two countries’ Special Airforce Rescue Team (SART), including six from the U.S. side stationed at the Kadena Air Base in Japan, are participating.It is the first time that U.S. SART members have participated, the Air Force said.“HH-60 rescue helicopters are also being mobilized for the drill,” the Air Force said.SART personnel are special members of the Air Force whose job is to penetrate enemy territory secretly and save downed pilots.Lt. Col. Ryu Hyun-wook, who leads South Korea’s SART team, said: “We can confirm good teamwork with the U.S. SART team who are working with us for the first time.”He said the two teams will continue to carry out drills to enhance their joint rescue capabilities.   

Oct 25, 2017

South Korea, US, Japan begin missile detection exercise

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea, the United States and Japan began a joint exercise in waters off the Korean Peninsula and Japan, Tuesday, to enhance their capabilities in detecting and tracking North Korean ballistic missiles.The Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the trilateral exercise, which will run through Wednesday, mobilized four Aegis-equipped destroyers from the three countries.“The drill is aimed at better preparing for North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats in accordance with the agreement made during the 48th Security Consultative Meeting between South Korea and the U.S. in October 2016,” the JCS said.During the meeting, defense chiefs from Seoul and Washington agreed to conduct such a drill regularly.The exercise is to enhance sailors’ ability to detect and track missiles in the event of a ballistic missile launch from the North. A stage of shooting down the missile is not included in the drill, the JCS noted, adding that no actual anti-missile missiles will be launched during the exercise.The ships mobilized are the Aegis destro

Oct 24, 2017

'Gwangju Uprising records fabricated in 1980s'

Lee Geon-ri, the head of a special investigative team at the Ministry of National Defense, announces the interim results of the team’s investigation into the military junta’s deadly crackdown on protesters during the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe former Chun Doo-hwan government is believed to have systematically fabricated records related to the 1980 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju in an apparent attempt to cover up the military junta’s deadly crackdown on citizens, the defense ministry’s special investigative team said Monday.After a 40-day investigation, the team said the Chun government established a committee in 1985, comprised of officials from the presidential office, the justice and defense ministries, Army headquarters and the country’s spy agency, to gather information on the “Gwangju Uprising” and create a white paper.“We suspect the historical facts about the Gwangju Uprising were distorted through the activities of the committee,” s

Oct 23, 2017
'Gwangju Uprising records fabricated in 1980s'

LKP leader's US trip welcomed by few

By Choi Ha-youngHong Joon-pyoChairman of the largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Hong Joon-pyo, is scheduled to visit Washington next week to call for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea.However, there are widespread concerns here that his visit will only cause misunderstanding among U.S. politicians and policymakers about Seoul’s stance on the redeployment issue. Some analysts worry that his visit will deepen an ideological divide in South Korea over how to deal with North Korea’s threats when a unified voice is needed more than ever.According to the LKP, Hong will meet U.S. State Department officials including Joseph Yun, the top U.S. negotiator on the North Korea nuclear issue, and congressmen handling diplomatic and military affairs in Washington, D.C. Hong will also meet researchers from the U.S.-Korea Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.Interviews with Reuters and the Washington Post are also arranged.Last month, a group of LKP lawmakers led by Rep. Lee Cheol-woo visited Washington to demand redeployment of tactica

Oct 20, 2017
LKP leader's US trip welcomed by few
  • LKP abandons former President Park
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