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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.

Is US preparing for military options in Seoul?

Firms tied to US military, intelligence hiring people in SeoulBy Yi Whan-wooAt least two private American companies working for the U.S. military and intelligence have begun recruiting staff in South Korea, fueling speculation that Washington is possibly preparing for military options against North Korea.Booz Allen Hamilton, a Virginia-headquartered consulting firm, offered five job opportunities in Seoul Sept. 15.The five jobs are human intelligence (HUMINT) and counterintelligence (CI) reports requirements officer, counter-improvised explosive devices and counter-unmanned aircraft system training analyst, source operations manager, signal intelligence analyst, and HUMINT and CI target analyst.Also headquartered in Virginia, Northrop Grumman, a defense company, also made several job postings for the U.S. Forces Korea between Sept. 6, three days after North Korea’s sixth nuclear test, and Sept. 15.The jobs include technical professionals and systems administrator.In particular, the recruitment of technical professionals is being made “in support of a contingent Department

Sep 18, 2017
  • Moon faces crucial talks on N. Korea at UN

F-35B fighters, B-1B bombers conduct drill

By Kim RahnThe U.S. military dispatched four F-35B stealth fighters and two B-1B strategic bombers to the Korean Peninsula Monday in a warning to North Korea over its recent provocations, according to a government source.The strategic weapons conducted a mock bombing exercise together with four South Korean F-15k fighters and returned to their bases in Japan and Guam, the source said.The joint exercise took place three days after Pyongyang launched another intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan. The U.S. strategic aircraft were dispatched here earlier this month, Sept. 3, in response to the North’s sixth nuclear test.It was also the second time F-35B fighters and B-1B bombers exercised together here.The F-35B is a stealth fighter that can attack a target with precision in the air, on the ground or at sea.The B-1B, dubbed the “swan of death,” is one of the U.S. military’s three major bombers along with the B-52 Stratofortress and the B-2 Spirit. It is the fastest among the three and has a larger payload than the other two. It can fly from Guam t

Sep 18, 2017

Chinese military official attends defense forum in Seoul

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Yong-woo, fifth from left in the front row, poses with participants during the opening ceremony of the Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC) and Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS) at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Monday. / YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooYou HaitaoA senior Chinese military official visited South Korea, Monday, to attend a defense forum in Seoul that drew chiefs of staff and other senior commanders of the armies from countries in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the South Korean Army, Monday.You Haitao, a lieutenant-general in the People’s Liberation Army, is leading the Chinese delegation at the Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC) and also the Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS).He is the highest-ranking Chinese military officer to visit Seoul after a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery was fully set up here Sept. 7 despite China’s protest.PACC is a biennial meeting of Army chiefs of staff from countries in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss regional security issues including North Korea&r

Sep 18, 2017

USFK chief to get medal

By Jun Ji-hyeCommander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Gen. Vincent K. Brooks will be awarded a state medal from South Korea for his dedicated service amid mounting North Korean threats on the Korean Peninsula.Gen. Vincent K. Brooks“Gen. Brooks will be conferred with the Tongil Medal of the Order of National Security Merit during an Armed Forces Day event Sept. 28,” the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.The event will be held at the headquarters of the Navy’s Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.It will be the first time for a USFK commander to receive a state medal at the government’s official event to commemorate the service of the country’s troops.Armed Forces Day falls Oct. 1, but the government decided to advance the date of the event to before the 10-day Chuseok holidays that begin, Sept. 30.It will also mark the first time for the government to hold the annual ceremony at a naval base. Previously, such events have been held at the Gyeryongdae tri-service headquarters in South Chungcheong Province.In the ceremony to be attended by

Sep 14, 2017
USFK chief to get medal

Air Force fires Taurus cruise missile in live drill

In the top photo, a Republic of Korea Air Force F-15K fighter jet fires a Taurus long-range air-to-surface missile over the West Sea during a live-fire exercise, Tuesday. In the middle photo, the missile flies toward a designated target using its independent navigation system, and hits a target precisely in the bottom photo. / Courtesy of Air ForceBy Jun Ji-hyeThe South Korean Air Force staged a live-fire drill, Tuesday, successfully launching a Taurus long-range air-to-surface cruise missile from an F-15K fighter jet over the West Sea, the Air Force said Wednesday.It marked the first-ever live-fire exercise for a Taurus as South Korea is currently on course to deploy 170 such missiles manufactured by the German-Swedish joint venture Taurus Systems.During the exercise, the F-15K fired the cruise missile, which flew some 400 kilometers before precisely hitting a designated target in the coastal waters off Gunsan, North Jeolla Province.“By precisely hitting a target, the Air Force displayed its ability of making pinpoint strikes on the enemy’s key facilities,” the Air

Sep 13, 2017
Air Force fires Taurus cruise missile in live drill
  • Domestic conflict deepens over tactical nuclear weapons

Budget for missile defense cut to increase soldiers' pay: lawmaker

By Yi Whan-wooThe Moon Jae-in administration has slashed the budget for missile defense projects to increase the pay for conscripts, an opposition lawmaker claimed Tuesday.Rep. Kim Hack-yong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party claimed the decrease in defense budget was to supplement the expenses needed to raise the wages for soldiers in line with Moon’s campaign pledge.“It is suspected that the missile defense spending was decreased to meet the President’s populist campaign promise,” said Kim, who is also a member of the National Assembly Defense Committee. “The government is being negligent in national security if it is found to be deducting from the budget needed to defend against North Korean missile attacks, but instead is carrying out Moon’s pledge.”Citing data obtained from the Ministry of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kim said a total of 55.9 billion won ($49.4 million) was slashed from missile defense spending after undergoing a finance ministry review.The amount is required to carry out eight projects linked to settin

Sep 12, 2017

Calls growing for redeploying nuclear weapons in S. Korea

By Jun Ji-hyeU.S. officials and politicians are joining in the calls for the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea to counter North Korea’s repeated nuclear and missile tests.Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Sunday that the United States should seriously consider redeploying the weapons to the South.“The (South) Korean defense minister just a few days ago called for nuclear weapons to be redeployed,” McCain said during a nationally televised interview with CNN, adding he thought “it ought to be seriously considered.”Defense Minister Song Young-moo told a National Assembly session Sept. 4 that Seoul can consider the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons as one of the options to better deter evolving North Korean threats.The session was held a day after the regime in Pyongyang conducted its sixth nuclear test, claiming it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb (thermonuclear warhead) that could be mounted on its intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking targets on the U.S. mainla

Sep 11, 2017
  • 'Nuclear trap' lies ahead for Seoul

'Nuclear trap' lies ahead for Seoul

US tactical weapons could be both blessing and curseBy Kim Rahn Controversy is rising over whether South Korea should redeploy U.S. tactical nuclear weapons here as deterrence against North Korea’s growing nuclear threat.While supporters say Seoul should have nuclear armament for defense balance as Pyongyang is virtually a nuclear state, many experts say having such weapons will bring considerable side effects such as a larger defense cost payment to the U.S. and a backlash from neighboring countries including China.Conservative political parties are calling for the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons, which the U.S. pulled out of South Korea in 1991 as a prelude to the two Koreas’ joint declaration on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.Even some members of liberal parties, including the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, are asking for redeployment. Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the minor opposition People’s Party said, “50 million people in South Korea have been taken hostage by the North’s nuclear weapons. We have to consider all options inc

Sep 11, 2017
'Nuclear trap' lies ahead for Seoul
  • N. Korea suspected of chemical, missile cooperation with Syria
  • Merkel to lead European campaign against N. Korea
  • Calls growing for redeploying nuclear weapons in S. Korea

S. Korea not considering tactical nuclear armament: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea is not considering the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons into the country, the presidential office said Sunday, in response to a U.S. media report that hinted the Trump government is willing to take it as a viable option should Seoul ask for it."There is no change in the government's policy principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and we have never reviewed a re-adoption of the tactical nukes," a Cheong Wa Dae official said.On Saturday (Seoul time), a White House official said the administration is not ruling out moving tactical nuclear weapons to the South if Seoul makes a request, according to NBC.The Cheong Wa Dae official stressed the redeployment will not only make the government's denuclearization policy "a lost cause" but could lead to a nuclear armament spree in the Northeast Asia region.Demand from the conservative bloc for the redeployment of the tactical nukes has grown since North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3.The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on a draft sanctions resolution proposed by

Sep 10, 2017
S. Korea not considering tactical nuclear armament: Cheong Wa Dae
  • US 'considering sending tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea'

US 'considering sending tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea'

By Park Si-sooThe U.S. government is considering moving some of its powerful tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea to counter the North’s increasing military threat, the NBC reports, citing senior White House and Pentagon officialsThe U.S. broadcaster said it was one of many options U.S. President Donald Trump discussed with his top national security advisers shortly after North Korea’s sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3.NBC reported that Seoul’s request would be a prerequisite for the deployment. It added that many of Trump’s advisers considered the move a “non-starter” because the deployment would break with nearly three decades of U.S. policy of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.Other options under Trump’s consideration include cyber-attacks on Pyongyang, increased surveillance, intelligence operations and sanctions on Chinese banks doing business with Pyongyang, and upgrading missile defense systems in Southeast Asia.Meanwhile, the U.S.  has formally requested that the U.N. Security Council hold a vote Monday (New York time) on a draf

Sep 10, 2017
US 'considering sending tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea'
  • 60% back S. Korea's nuclear armament
  • Will 'toughest' sanctions rein in North Korea?
  • S. Korea not considering tactical nuclear armament: Cheong Wa Dae
  • N. Korea warns US of 'greatest pain' over new sanctions
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