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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.

Defense ministry to host global forum next week

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Ministry of National Defense will host a global security forum in Seoul next month to discuss evolving threats from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs as well as other challenging issues such as maritime disputes and cyber terrorism.The ministry said Wednesday that the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) will begin Sept. 6 for a three-day run at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul.The SDD is an annual multilateral dialogue of vice minister-level defense officials and security experts, aimed at examining ways of better coping with various threats facing the international community.This year marks the 6th time the SDD has been held.“The topic for the SDD 2017 is ‘Visions for Security Cooperation in an Age of Uncertainty,’” said Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk during a briefing. “Defense officials and experts from 38 countries and four international organizations will participate this time.”Vice defense ministers from Germany, Italy and Finland will attend the forum for the first time, the ministry said, adding that Aus

Aug 30, 2017
Defense ministry to host global forum next week

Defense minister visits US to discuss military buildup

By Jun Ji-hyeDefense Minister Song Young-moo left for the United States Tuesday for talks with U.S. officials on North Korean matters and other pending bilateral issues.Defense Minister Song Young-mooU.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Song’s tour to the U.S. comes amid heightened military tension following the North’s missile provocation earlier in the day in which it launched what was presumed to be an intermediate ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan.Song is scheduled to hold a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the Pentagon, Wednesday, according to the Ministry of National Defense.During his five-day visit, the South Korean official will also meet with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and the Commander of the Pacific Command, Adm. Harry Harris, the ministry added.“I strongly condemn North Korea’s reckless provocation that raises tension on the Korean Peninsula,” Song said at the Incheon International Airport. “I came to the airport after attending a National Security Council session at Cheong Wa Dae this morning. I will

Aug 29, 2017
Defense minister visits US to discuss military buildup
  • North Korea proves it has ability to strike Guam

JCS condemns North Korean missile provocation

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) condemned North Korea’s launch of what was presumed to be an intermediate ballistic missile, Tuesday, saying the North will face resolute retaliation if it continues its provocations.“North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile is a clear violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution,” said JCS spokesman Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon. “The [situation] poses a serious threat to the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia as well as the world.“The North will face resolute retaliation from South Korea and the United States if it carries out further provocations.”Roh stressed that the South Korean military was closely monitoring the movements of North Korean soldiers and maintaining a firm defense posture.The Kim Jong-un regime fired one missile over Japan earlier in the day, which landed in the North Pacific.  The large-scale provocation came after the North threatened to strike areas around Guam with its four Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missiles in response to U.S. President

Aug 29, 2017
  • N. Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan

US mulls deployment of strategic assets to S. Korea to counter northern threat

By Park Si-sooThe U.S. military is considering the deployment of strategic military equipment to South Korea to counter North Korea’s increasing military provocations, a presidential office official said Tuesday.The statement came shortly after North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan and traveled nearly 2,700 kilometers early on Tuesday.. The missile fell about 1,180 kilometers east of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.The equipment includes the B-52, B-2 and B-1B bombers; F-35 fighter jets; and aircraft carriers usually housed at U.S. bases in South Korea, Japan or Guam.Presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan said South Korea had conducted bombing drills near the inter-Korean border shortly after the missile launch.Four F-15K fighter jets staged a live-bombing drill against North Korea's leadership, the Air Force announced.The aircraft dropped eight MK-84 bombs, each weighing about a ton, on a simulated target at the Pilseung Range in the eastern province of Gangwon.The bombs hit the target accurately in an exercise aimed at sharpening the

Aug 29, 2017
US mulls deployment of strategic assets to S. Korea to counter northern threat

Moon calls for military to boost defense readiness

Ministry rapped for stalling on structural reformBy Jun Ji-hyePresident Moon Jae-in called on the nation’s armed forces Monday to undertake strong structural reform so they can immediately carry out offensive operations in the case of a North Korean attack.Moon said defense reform is necessary to better accommodate a paradigm shift to modern warfare amid evolving threats from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.“I call on the military to strongly push for structural reform to accommodate the modern warfare environment in which the military can immediately shift to the offense if North Korea conducts a provocation that crosses a line or attacks Seoul and its surrounding areas,” Moon said while being briefed on policy plans from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.Calling for enhancing capabilities of amphibious and airborne operations, the President also asked the defense ministry to draw up a detailed timeline for establishing a three-pronged defense system ― the Kill Chain preemptive strike system, th

Aug 28, 2017
Moon calls for military to boost defense readiness
  • Dialogue with N. Korea possible in October: Kang

Seoul reviewing plan for made-in-Korea nuclear-powered sub

By Jun Ji-hye The military has begun reviewing a plan to build domestic nuclear-powered submarines to better counter threats from North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), officials said Sunday.“The Navy will commission a study soon on whether South Korea can develop nuclear submarines,” a naval official said, asking not to be named.  The move is in line with President Moon Jae-in’s willingness as he vowed during the presidential campaign to develop such weapons, saying, “We need nuclear submarines in this era.”Supporters say having made-in-Korea nuclear submarines is the only way to respond to the North’s evolving SLBM threats.But skeptics cite a nuclear cooperation deal between South Korea and the U.S. that allows Seoul to enrich uranium to a level of 20 percent when using U.S. ingredients, but disallows uranium enrichment for military purposes.When Moon held a phone conversation with his counterpart President Donald Trump earlier this month to discuss the mounting military tensions here, he also broadly mentioned the n

Aug 27, 2017

Seoul asked to rush THAAD deployment

By Yi Whan-wooThe United States has asked South Korea to complete the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here by Aug. 30, a lawmaker claimed Friday, citing Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon.Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) claimed Prime Minister Lee shared the U.S. demand with lawmakers recently while discussing threats from North Korea.The lawmaker said he heard the U.S. wants South Korea to cooperate in the installation of four more THAAD launchers by Aug. 30.The Prime Minister’s Office denied the lawmaker’s claim.But speculation is rampant that Seoul and Washington have been discussing full installation behind closed doors despite Beijing’s objections to THAAD.A THAAD battery has a maximum load of six launchers but only two of them are in operation in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.The remaining four have also been brought into the country. But they will need government approval to go into operation, which will depend on an environmental study concerning THAAD.Three U.S. military commanders

Aug 25, 2017
Seoul asked to rush THAAD deployment
  • Moon, Abe discuss N. Korea over phone

Korea considers accepting conscientious objection

By Jung Min-ho The government is reviewing  the possibility of alternative ways for conscientious objectors to serve their country.All able-bodied men here must spend around two years in the military.In a report to the U.N., the Ministry of Justice said the issue is open to discussion and it will take a careful examination before deciding anything — a big step forward from the previous stance that “it is practically impossible.”In the report submitted Tuesday, the ministry said, “The Supreme Court held public hearings, a bill for that issue has been proposed to the National Assembly and ministries are collecting opinions through surveys. Discussions have been taking place.”Over the past six decades, nearly 20,000 “conscientious objectors” have gone to prison for refusing to serve in the armed forces since it became compulsory for all able-bodied men in South Korea, a country still technically at war with North Korea.Most of the objectors are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they usually end up behind bars for 18 months.Organizations s

Aug 23, 2017
Korea considers accepting conscientious objection

S. Korea simulates N. Korean air raids nationwide

People are evacuated to underground shelters in Gwanghwamun district, in central Seoul, on Wednesday during a civil defense drill simulating a North Korean air raid. / YonhapBy Chyung Eun-juSouth Korea held nationwide drills Wednesday simulating North Korean air raids.The drills were part of the annual South Korea-United States Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise that started Monday and will run until Aug. 31. The drills were launched amid mounting tensions over North Korea's nuclear threats.Air raid alarms sounded for three minutes in 40 cities at 2 p.m. Planes representing North Korean combat jets released colored smoke bombs to simulate an air raid.During the alarm, evacuation personnel guided citizens to nearby basements. Vehicles were stopped for five minutes, with the exception of emergency vehicles. Drivers were told to pull over, turn off engines and listen to the radio.The exercise was over in 20 minutes.Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, Goesan-gun, Jeongpyeong-gun, Jincheon-gun, Boeun-gun and Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province were affected by heavy rain and

Aug 23, 2017
S. Korea simulates N. Korean air raids nationwide

US commander prefers diplomacy over military action

U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris speaks during a joint press conference in front of Patriot missile launchers at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Standing behind Harris are, from left, Brig. Gen. Sean Gainey, commander of the U.S. 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command; Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, director of the Missile Defense Agency; Gen. John Hyten, commander of the Strategic Command; Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea; and Gen. Kim Byeong-joo, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command. / Joint press corpsBy Jun Ji-hyeThe head of the U.S. Pacific Command said Tuesday that diplomatic efforts were the preferred means over military actions to resolve tension caused by North Korea’s threats on the Korean Peninsula.Adm. Harry Harris, however, stressed that such diplomatic efforts should be supported by powerful military capabilities.“The most important starting point is a diplomatic starting point,” Adm. Harris said during a joint press conference held at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek,

Aug 22, 2017
US commander prefers diplomacy over military action
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