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Defense

New defense minister vows sweeping reform

New Defense Minister Song Young-moo, left, takes over the flag of the Ministry of National Defense from his predecessor Han Min-koo during his inauguration ceremony at the ministry in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, Friday. / YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooNew Defense Minister Song Young-moo vowed to reform the military, Friday, heralding a sweeping turnaround in the country’s armed forces excessively dominated by the Army.“Defense reform should not be delayed for any reason,” he said during his inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. “We should also go beyond mere defense reform and newly build the armed forces so we can win the people’s trust.”Replacing Han Min-koo, Song, a former chief of naval operations, took office as President Moon Jae-in seeks to fight corruption in arms acquisition, root out ill practices such as bullying, reduce the period of mandatory military service and downsize the military.Song cited a need for self-defense, which also the President has stressed in his plan for speeding up the return o

Jul 14, 2017
New defense minister vows sweeping reform

Prototype of KF-X jet radar unveiled

Researchers of Hanwha Systems check the first prototype of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system during a media event at the defense company’s research center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Once developed, AESA radar will be installed in Korea-developed fighter jets scheduled to be completed by 2026.  / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeKorean defense company Hanwha Systems unveiled its first prototype of a radar system for the country’s self developed fighter jets, Thursday.The first prototype, comprised of an antenna and power supply, has been produced to verify whether or not the nation is able to go forward with the development of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with domestic technology, according to the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).The development of AESA radar is part of the 8.5 trillion won ($7.5 billion) KF-X project to build 4.5-generation indigenous fighters by 2026 to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s. The government will invest an additional 10 trillion won ($8.8 billion) to produce 120 airc

Jul 13, 2017
Prototype of KF-X jet radar unveiled

KAI to sell 8 more T-50 trainer jets to Thailand

By Jun Ji-hyeKorea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the nation’s sole aircraft maker, will sign a 296 billion won ($258 million) deal later this month to export an additional eight T-50 supersonic trainer jets to Thailand, an industry source said Wednesday.“The deal will be signed in Seoul tentatively on July 29,” the source said, asking not to be named.The signing is planned as Thailand’s military government, which took power following a 2014 coup, approved the acquisition of eight T-50s, Tuesday, adding to the four aircraft it purchased in 2015.Announcing the decision, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said, “We got the South Korean ones.”He added, “You can see that we are not tied to one particular country,” apparently mindful of the controversy that the country’s most recent defense purchases have been Chinese including a deal to buy three submarines.The Bangkok Post reported, quoting an unidentified source, “The purchase (of eight T-50s) will be financed by the dedicated budget of the Royal Thai Air Force over the next t

Jul 12, 2017

VIDEO US says THAAD test in Alaska hits target

(Video source: U.S. Defense Department)The United States on Tuesday announced a successful test of its missile defense system in the wake of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch last week.The Missile Defense Agency said it conducted a test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system earlier in the day by air-launching a ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. The test came a week after North Korea carried out its first test of an ICBM believed to be capable of hitting the continental U.S."A THAAD weapon system located at PSCA (Pacific Spaceport Complex) in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted the target," the MDA said in a news release. "Preliminary indications are that planned flight test objectives were achieved and the threat-representative, intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) target was successfully intercepted by the THAAD weapon system."It was the 14th successful intercept in 14 tests of the THAAD system, according to the agency.South Korea also hosts a THAAD battery to deter North Korea's nuclear an

Jul 12, 2017
US says THAAD test in Alaska hits target [VIDEO]

On Site Pyeongtaek era begins for 8th US Army

Participants hold an unveiling ceremony, Tuesday, for the statue of Gen. Walton H. Walker, which has been relocated from Yongsan to the new headquarters of the Eighth U.S. Army in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Gen. Walker was the commander of the Eighth Army when it was deployed to the Korean Peninsula at the outbreak of the Korean War, June 25, 1950. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyePyeongtaek — The new headquarters of the Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) opened in Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, marking a historic relocation of American troops who had been stationed in central Seoul for more than 60 years since the 1950-53 Korean War.The EUSA move is part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s largest relocation project for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which is currently ongoing after a decade of planning, negotiating and building.Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal, the commanding general of EUSA, said it was a “historic day as we commemorate the relocation of the Eighth Army headquarters from its storied past of 64 years in Yongsan, Seoul, to our new home in Peongtaek,&rd

Jul 11, 2017
[On Site] Pyeongtaek era begins for 8th US Army

B-1Bs conduct bombing drill

A B-1B Lancer, left, drops a guided bomb in a drill over Gangwon Province, Saturday. / Courtesy of ROK Air ForceBy Yi Whan-wooTwo U.S. B-1B Lancer strategic bombers conducted a bombing drill over South Korea, Saturday, in a show of force against North Korea following its test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week.North Korea denounced the drill in an op-ed published by the Rodong Sinmun, Sunday, saying it was a “risky gamble of war maniacs who rush to set fire for a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula.”The South Korean Air Force said the U.S. long-range strategic bombers were deployed to South Korean airspace after departing from Anderson Air Base on Guam.“The measure was to sternly respond to North Korea’s series of ballistic missile provocations,” a Seoul military official said.The U.S. bombers entered from above the East Sea and flew northward near the Military Demarcation Line before ending up their drill. They were joined by F-15K and F-16 fighter jets in the eastern part of Gangwon Province when they conducted a precision

Jul 9, 2017
B-1Bs conduct bombing drill

US sends B-1B bombers to S. Korea in warning against North's missile test

Two U.S. long-range strategic bombers flew over the peninsula for a joint drill with the South Korean Air Force, in a stern warning message against North Korea's latest missile launch, defense officials said Saturday.The B-1B Lancers were sent from the Anderson Air Base in Guam earlier to fly over the sky of the Korean Peninsula for precision-strike training, according to the South Korean Air Force. It was to "sternly respond to the series of ballistic missile launches by North Korea," it said.The latest combined exercise is part of strong military action from the two allies after Pyongyang test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early Tuesday in defiance of international sanctions.Tension has since heightened on the region again, with the North's latest provocation deemed as throwing cold water on South Korean President Moon Jae-in's pursuit of ridding the North of its nuclear and missile programs by peaceful means.The U.S. bombers apparently entered from the East Sea and flew northward near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in a show of force against the North.The

Jul 8, 2017
US sends B-1B bombers to S. Korea in warning against North's missile test

Allies may lose self-restraint: USFK commander

By Choi Ha-youngGen. Vincent K. BrooksGen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, warned North Korea, Wednesday, that the ROK-U.S. combined forces may shed “self-restraint” in handling its nuclear and missile threats.In a joint statement he issued with Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brooks said, “Self-restraint, which is a choice, is all that separates armistice and war.”The statement came after the allies conducted a ballistic missile exercise early in the morning in response to Pyongyang’s “successful” intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test-firing Tuesday. North Korea claimed that its ICBM is capable of reaching the continental U.S.“As this missile live-fire exercise shows, we are able to change our choice when so ordered by our alliance’s national leaders,” Brooks said. “It would be a grave mistake for anyone to believe anything to the contrary.”Gen. Lee Sun-jin echoed this. “We may make resolute decisions at any time, if the alliance’s commanders i

Jul 5, 2017
Allies may lose self-restraint: USFK commander

Allies conduct armed protest

South Korea's Hyunmoo-2A ballistic missile, left, and the U.S. Army's MGM-140 Tactical Missile are fired into the East Sea from an undisclosed location on South Korea's east coast during a joint missile drill, Wednesday, aimed to counter North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test conducted Tuesday. / Yonhap Moon orders missile drills targeting NK leadershipBy Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea and the United States fired ballistic missiles in a joint drill aimed at striking the North Korean leadership, Wednesday.The live-fire exercise was an armed reaction to the North’s purported successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) conducted Tuesday.President Moon Jae-in issued the missile firing order after getting consent from U.S. President Donald Trump, Cheong Wa Dae said.This marked the first time for the allies to conduct a ballistic missile drill in response to the North’s missile threats, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said in a National Assembly session.Issuing the order, Moon said the allies needed to demonstrate their joint defense posture &ld

Jul 5, 2017
Allies conduct armed protest

S. Korea, US hold joint missile drills against N. Korea

South Korea and the United States staged a massive combined ballistic missile exercise Wednesday aimed at sending a warning message to North Korea, the South's military said a day after the communist country claimed a successful long-range missile test.The allies fired a barrage of missiles, including the South's Hyunmoo-2A and the U.S. Eighth Army's ATACMS, into the East Sea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.The Hyunmoo-2A is a ballistic missile with a range of 300 kilometers, and the ATACMS, or the Army Tactical Missile System, is a surface-to-surface missile.The live-fire training was held on the orders of President Moon Jae-in who cited the need for demonstrating the allies' missile defense posture with action, not just a statement, said Moon's office Cheong Wa Dae.Moon delivered the proposal to U.S. President Donald Trump through their national security advisers, it added.The U.S. troops said they mobilized the assets to counter "North Korea's destabilizing and unlawful actions" a day earlier, referencing its firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)."The deep

Jul 5, 2017
S. Korea, US hold joint missile drills against N. Korea
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