South Korea - The Korea Times

Moon reaffirms early OPCON transfer

President Moon Jae-in and Defense Minister Song Young-moo review troops during a ceremony marking the 69th anniversary of Armed Forces Day at the Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / Joint Press CorpsPresident says peace requires strong defense capabilitiesBy Kim Rahn President Moon Jae-in has reaffirmed his pledge to take back wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from the United States Forces Korea (USFK) as soon as possible, saying it will improve the military’s deterrence capability against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.He also encouraged the early establishment of a domestic defense system and vowed to reform the defense industry.Moon reiterated the need for strong defense during an Armed Forces Day celebration at the headquarters of the Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday.Armed Forces Day falls Oct. 1, but the government advanced the date of the event ahead of the 10-day Chuseok holiday break beginning Sept. 30.“We are pursuing the early takeover

Sep 28, 2017

Deployment of strategic US weapons in progress

INTERVIEW S. Korea needs nuclear roadmap: lawmaker

Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the liberal People’s Party speaks at a meeting at the National Assembly. / Courtesy of Kim Joong-ro’s office By Choi Ha-youngRep. Kim Joong-ro of the People’s Party has been vocal about how South Korea should counter a nuclear North Korea.The former Army general believes that the best way for Seoul to deal with Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons is to arm itself with nuclear weapons ― whether it is to bring back U.S. tactical nuclear weapons or develop its own.This belief contradicts the liberal party’s official stance. The party supports denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but Kim insists that Seoul needs a balancing act against North Korea becoming a nuclear power.“It is time for Seoul to develop a roadmap to have nuclear weapons,” Kim, a member of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, said in an interview with The Korea Times. In the liberal party, which follows the late former President Kim Dae-jung’s iconic Sunshine Policy, Kim is persuading colleague lawmakers to change the party&rsqu

Sep 27, 2017

[INTERVIEW] S. Korea needs nuclear roadmap: lawmaker

北 핵실험 여파 "백두산 분화 가능성은?"

북한의 6차 핵실험의 영향으로 지진이 잇따르면서 백두산 분화 우려가 커지는 가운데 백두산 화산 분화 가능성을 논의하기 위한 국제행사가 열릴 예정이어서 관심을 끈다.    한국지질자원연구원은 26&sim;27일 서울 인사동 센터마크호텔에서 '제1회 백두산 국제학술회의'를 연다고 25일 밝혔다.    백두산은 전 세계 위협적인 활화산 중 하나다. 2002년에는 백두산 천지 하부에서 한 달에 최대 250여 차례 화산지진이 감지되는 등 폭발 조짐이 일면서 동북아 지역에 경각심을 주고 있다.    지질연은 2014년 7월 중국과학원 지질지구물리연구소와 백두산 화산 공동연구를 위한 합의각서(MOA)를 체결했다.    이에 따라 국제대륙과학시추프로그램(ICDP)의 국내 연구자 모임인 'ICDP 백두산 화산마그마연구그룹'(대표 이윤수 지질연 박사)은 중국 백두산에서 화산 마그마 거동 관측을 수행하는 한편 화산 분화 예측을 목표로 현장조사를 해왔다.    영국 케임브리지대학 연구팀도 2011년부터 2015년까지 북한 과학자들과 백두산의 화산 활동에 대한 공동연구를 수행했다.    이번 학회에서는 그동안 양측이 백두산에서 진행해온 화산 활동에 대한 연구 결과를 공유하고 앞으로의 협력 방안을 논의하게 된다.    이윤수 박사는 "마그마를 가까이에서 관측하고, 관측을 통해 나온 징후로 화산 분화를 예측하는 단계를 더 높이기 위한 연구"라며 "하지만 백두산 연구에 전략 장비를 도입하려면 우방국인 미국의 허가를 받아야 한다"며 현실적인 어려움을 토로했다.    이 박사는 이어 "장기적으로는 남북 간 국제 공동연구가 필요하다"며 "백두산이 언제, 어떤 규모로 분화할지에 대한 예측 연구를 통해 백두산 인근과 동북아 일대의 화산활동에 의한 자연재해에 대비할 수 있을 것"이라고 덧붙였다.  (연합)

Sep 25, 2017

US may sell military assets to South Korea

By Rachel LeeU.S. President Donald Trump showed support for South Korea’s plan to acquire “advanced” military assets in his bilateral summit with President Moon Jae-in at New York City Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae said.The two leaders also reached consensus on expanding U.S. strategic assets in South Korea and surrounding areas to counter threats from North Korea. Moon stressed the need to maintain dominant military power over North Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun.The presidential office did not provide details on the military assets Seoul wants to acquire from Washington.But experts say South Korea may seek to secure key technologies needed to develop its major defense systems. The three elements are the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike system, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) plan.The purchase or transfer of core technologies from the U.S. for patriot missiles (PAC-3 MSE) and F-35B stealth fighters could be possible.Attention is also on Seoul’s move to build nuclear-powered su

Sep 22, 2017

Dutch Korean War veteran to be buried at UN cemetery in Busan

By Jun Ji-hyeThe remains of Dutch Korean War veteran, Johan Theodoor Aldewereld, will be interred at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan next week, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Thursday.Johan Theodoor AldewereldThe ministry said his body will arrive at Incheon International Airport Monday and temporarily lie in state at Seoul National Cemetery.On Wednesday, his body will be moved to the U.N. cemetery in Busan and buried there in accordance with the veteran’s wish that he wanted to be laid to rest beside his comrades.During the 1950-53 Korean War, Aldewereld fought for South Korea under the U.N. flag against North Korean invaders.He arrived at the Korean Peninsula as an infantryman in August 1951 and participated in several major battles until being discharged from the service in July 1952.He died on Feb. 4 of this year at the age of 88 in his country.  “The ministry will support the burial ceremony with the highest level of courtesy and protocol,” the ministry said in a release.Aldewereld visited South Korea in May of last year for the fir

Sep 21, 2017

Dutch Korean War veteran to be buried at UN cemetery in Busan

PM vows to ramp up pressure on N. Korea

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Wednesday that South Korea will ramp up sanctions and pressure on North Korea to force the regime to return to the negotiating table, saying Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs pose threats not only to the region, but to the world.Speaking at a meeting of Army chiefs from 29 Indo-Pacific nations, Lee lamented that North Korea carried out 14 missile launches and its sixth nuclear test in four months since the new administration of President Moon Jae-in took office in May.“North Korea's nuclear and missile threats have become threats not only to the Korean Peninsula, but also to the Asia-Pacific region and to the world,” Lee said in a welcoming lunch for Army chiefs attending the 10th Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC).“The government of the Republic of Korea will take stern and effective countermeasures,” he said. “While strengthening sanctions and pressure to get the North to step forward onto a path of dialogue, we will maximize deterrence against the North to safeguard peace on the Korean Peninsula.”Lee a

Sep 20, 2017

Korea, US, Japan vow 'maximum pressure' on N. Korea

$130 mil. wasted on buying 'obsolete' US choppers

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea wasted 150 billion won ($130 million) buying aging Chinook helicopters from the United States under the Park Geun-hye government, a ruling party lawmaker claimed Tuesday.The helicopters have not been operating properly since their March 2014 delivery.Rep. Rhee Cheol-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea said then-Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, who later became Park’s national security adviser, played a leading role in the decision to buy the obsolete choppers.“I confirmed 14 Chinook helicopters that were delivered to Korea three years ago have become a headache for the military,” Rhee said. “The United States sold the choppers, used by the U.S. Forces Korea for almost 50 years, to Korea while replacing them with new models.”The CH-47D helicopters, better known as the Chinook, were priced at 5.75 billion won each, and the total price of the purchase was about 150 billion won including associated equipment, parts and logistical support.Rep. Rhee noted the military at the time rushed to buy the choppers, citing their lower price comp

Sep 19, 2017

Defense minister apologizes over rift with presidential adviser

By Jun Ji-hye Defense Minister Song Young-moo apologized Tuesday for defamatory remarks about President Moon Jae-in’s security adviser.“I apologize for my careless remarks,” he said during a session of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee.Song’s apology came hours after Cheong Wa Dae issued a “stern warning” to him for openly criticizing Moon Chung-in, a Yonsei University professor and special adviser on security and diplomacy for the President, during a National Assembly Defense Committee session, Monday.Song said he was given the warning from the President’s top national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong.“Cheong Wa Dae has issued a stern warning to Minister Song for his inappropriate expression as a Cabinet member and uncoordinated remarks that have caused confusion about  government policy,” Yoon Young-chan,  the chief press secretary, told reporters.The warning was issued as Minister Song said during the Monday’s session it was “deplorable” that Moon Chung-in is speaking to

Sep 19, 2017

Defense minister apologizes over rift with presidential adviser

F-22, F-35A jets coming to Korea next month

By Yi Whan-wooThe United States plans to send F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightening II stealth fighter jets to South Korea next month for an air show, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.The planes will conduct test flights and be displayed at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2017, slated for Oct. 17 to 22 at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.The presence of such strategic assets in South Korea will be seen as a warning to North Korea, military officials here said.The F-22 Raptor is considered one of the most-feared U.S. strategic weapons by the Kim Jong-un regime. The all-weather stealth fighter jet can fly at a maximum speed of mach 2.5, with its twin engines producing 70,000 pounds of thrust combined, which is more than that of any current fighter engine.The plane last visited South Korea in February 2016 when North Korea launched the Unha-3 satellite rocket, which was seen as a cover for a ballistic missile test. The fifth-generation F-22 fighter jets are stationed at the U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan.But the South Korean and

Sep 19, 2017

Hawkish vs dovish: Presidential adviser, defense minister at loggerheads over N. Korea policy

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday it has issued a "stern warning" to Defense Minister Song Young-moo for his "inappropriate and uncoordinated" remarks regarding President Moon Jae-in's dispute-prone security adviser.During a parliamentary session Monday, Song said it is "deplorable" that Moon Chung-in, the adviser, is making controversial remarks as a scholar, which are deemed unfit for a presidential security adviser.The adviser has courted controversies for his "personal" ideas, including his proposal for scaling back South Korea-U.S. military drills in exchange for North Korea's freeze on its nuclear program -- a view seen at odds with Washington."(Cheong Wa Dae) has issued a stern warning to him, citing the inappropriate expression as a Cabinet member and uncoordinated remarks that have caused policy confusion," Yoon Young-chan, the chief presidential press secretary, said in a text message to reporters.Apart from Song's remarks this week, Song was seen running counter to the liberal government's stance on the redeployment of U.S. tactical nukes to Korea.The mini

Sep 19, 2017

Defense

Defense

Moon reaffirms early OPCON transfer

INTERVIEW S. Korea needs nuclear roadmap: lawmaker

北 핵실험 여파 "백두산 분화 가능성은?"

US may sell military assets to South Korea

Dutch Korean War veteran to be buried at UN cemetery in Busan

PM vows to ramp up pressure on N. Korea

$130 mil. wasted on buying 'obsolete' US choppers

Defense minister apologizes over rift with presidential adviser

F-22, F-35A jets coming to Korea next month

Hawkish vs dovish: Presidential adviser, defense minister at loggerheads over N. Korea policy

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