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Army general gets US merit medal

Army Maj. Gen. Yin Sung-hwan, right, poses with 2nd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Theodore Martin after receiving the Legion of Merit, Wednesday. / Courtesy of ROK ArmyBy Kang Seung-wooA Korean two-star general has received a U.S. military award for his contribution to the ROK-U.S. Combined Division.According to the Army, Thursday, Maj. Gen. Yin Sung-hwan, the commander of the 56th Infantry Division, got the Legion of Merit ― a decoration issued to members of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as to military personnel of foreign nations.The Combined Division, comprised of the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) of the Eighth U.S. Army and the 16th Brigade from the ROK Army, was established in 2015 to effectively contain North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction. Yin served as the deputy commander for one year. The division is headed by the 2ID commander.“On the basis of his excellent leadership, he made contributions to strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance by promoting joint exercises and enhancing the combined defense posture,” the Army said. “He also endeavored to

Jun 15, 2017
Army general gets US merit medal

S. Korean Navy to hold Dokdo defense drill

South Korea's Navy announced Thursday that it will conduct an exercise this week on defending the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo.The two-day training to kick off later in the day is part of efforts to defend Dokdo from the possible aggression of "outside forces," the Navy said.It was apparently referring to Japan, which claims the sovereignty over the Seoul-controlled islets in the East Sea.This week's practice will involve a 3,200-ton Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyer and six other ships of the Navy and the Coast Guard, plus four naval and Air Force aircraft, including an F-15K fighter jet and a P-3C Orion patrol plane.A unit of marines will also stage a landing drill on Dokdo."The training this time will be similar to previous ones in size," a Navy official said.The Dokdo defensive exercise is a regular event held twice a year since 1986, based on the scenario of an external threat.It will be the first since the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration.Japan has strongly protested the training.On Seoul's reported plan for the drill, its Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida open

Jun 15, 2017
S. Korean Navy to hold Dokdo defense drill

N. Korean soldier defects to S. Korea

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Tuesday after crossing the border bisecting the two Koreas, Seoul's military said."A North Korean soldier crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) in the middle sector (of the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ) at around 7:50 p.m. and came to the South's guard post (GP)," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.The JCS added that the South Korean soldiers first found the North Korean soldier and guided him to the general outpost (GOP) after checking his intention to defect and securing him in custody.Questioning is currently underway to find out what caused him to flee to the South and how he made it over, the JCS said, adding that there was no exchange of fire between the two Koreas during his defection."We currently don't have any information on the defector at this moment," a South Korean military official said on the condition of anonymity. "We will probably find out his reason for defection tomorrow morning."This is first time since Sept. 29, 2016, that a North Korean soldier defected to South Korea through the border. Since 2010, f

Jun 14, 2017
N. Korean soldier defects to S. Korea

'Cultural terrorism' Vs 'civic movement'

Local civic organization members boycott a concert commemorating U.S.-Korean military partnership, Saturday, in front of the Uijeongbu Sports Complex. / YonhapCivic groups face suit over disrupted concertBy You Soo-sunThe Uijeongbu city government will file a lawsuit against civic organizations that led a boycott and the eventual cancellation of major performances for a concert to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division, which is stationed in the city.Mayor Ahn Byung-young also apologized at a press conference, Monday, blaming civic organizations for disrupting the event meant to honor U.S. soldiers who served in the Korean War.Some go as far to call the incident “cultural terrorism” and a “leftists’ blacklist,” while others caution this reflects a heightening sense of anti-U.S. sentiment.For weeks, some civic organizations urged the government to cancel the concert, reasoning it is too close to the anniversary of the Yangju highway incident of June 13, 2002, in which a U.S. military vehicle ran over two female middle schoo

Jun 13, 2017
'Cultural terrorism' Vs 'civic movement'

President lauds alliance in CFC visit

President Moon Jae-in shouts “Let’s go together” with South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, left, and National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong during a visit to the CFC headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kim RahnThe President said Tuesday that the South Korea-U.S. alliance has laid the groundwork for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, during a visit to the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC).It was Moon Jae-in’s first visit to the Yongsan based CFC since his May 10 inauguration.His inspection comes amid uncomfortable relations between the two allies following Seoul’s investigation into alleged procedural flaws in the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here, and consequent delay in the full installation of the anti-missile system.Moon met with CFC Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, Deputy Commander Gen. Leem Ho-young, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sun-jin, and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson.Ot

Jun 13, 2017
President lauds alliance in CFC visit

N. Korea drone spied on THAAD site

A suspected North Korean drone found in Inje, Gangwon Province on June 9. /  YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooA suspected North Korean drone found last week spied on the site of a U.S. missile shield in South Korea, the military said Tuesday.It said the unmanned aerial vehicle, equipped with a Sony-made camera, contained about 10 photos of aerial view of the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.The photos included first batch of the THAAD components that arrived in South Korea on April 26, such as two mobile launchers and the X-band radar.The findings show that South Korea is vulnerable to North Korea’s advancement in espionage using drones, according to the military experts.They cited that the Seongju is about 270 kilometers south of the military demarcation line (MDL). The drone was found by a civilian on a mountain near the MDL in Inje, Gangwon Province on June 9 after it apparently crashed there.The military is analyzing the drone’s built-in, Sony Digital Single Lens Translucent (DSLR) camera and its 64 g

Jun 13, 2017
N. Korea drone spied on THAAD site

Photos of THAAD site found in suspected N. Korean drone: S. Korean military

/ YonhapA suspected North Korean drone spied on the site of a U.S. missile interceptor system in South Korea, military officials here said Tuesday.The small unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a Sony-made camera was discovered last week on a mountain near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border after it apparently crashed there. The South's military collected it and analyzed the content of the 64-gigabyte memory chip."It was confirmed that (the craft) took photos of the THAAD site in Seongju," a South Korean defense official told reporters.The distance between the border and the zone in North Gyeongsang Province is around 270 kilometers, he added. (Yonhap)

Jun 13, 2017
Photos of THAAD site found in suspected N. Korean drone: S. Korean military

S. Korea, US hold preparatory meeting on deterrence strategy talks

South Korea and the United States held a meeting on Tuesday to make preparations for their next round of high-level talks on defense and security issues, the foreign ministry said.The meeting took place in Seoul between Acting Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Anita Friedt and her South Korean counterparts, according to the ministry.The closed-door meeting was aimed at making preparations for the next Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) talks.The EDSCG was launched in October to ramp up discussions between the allies on security and defense issues. Its first meeting was held in Washington in December.Friedt's trip to Seoul will likely focus on fine-tuning the timetable and other details for the next EDSCG dialogue but the ongoing controversy over the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system called "THAAD" in South Korea could also be discussed, observers said.South Korea recently suspended the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery which had been under way for months, citing the need for a surve

Jun 13, 2017

Defense minister nominee calls N. Korea 'puppet regime'

By Choi Ha-youngSong Young-mooPresident Moon Jae-in’s nominee for defense minister, Song Young-moo, described North Korea as a “puppet regime” while speaking about a 1999 inter-Korean naval skirmish, Monday.The former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral, who was tapped as defense minister the previous day, participated in the battle, occurring near Yeonpyeong Island on June 15, 1999. He received the Chungmu Order of Military Merit for his contribution to the Navy’s defeat of North Korean forces.“Following the Korean War, the battle was the first victory of the ROK armed forces over North Korea. No. let me call it a puppet regime. In my life as a sailor, the battle and historical memories of it are the most valuable,” he told reporters.“As a result of the battle, I became convinced that the North’s combat power was not so threatening. My determination to defeat the North became stronger after the experience.”The use of the Cold War-style term “puppet regime,” which is no longer commonly used, implies the nominee’s d

Jun 12, 2017
Defense minister nominee calls N. Korea 'puppet regime'

VIDEO K-pop singers boycott concert for US soldiers over past tragedy

EXID / Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanKorean singers on Saturday boycotted a government-backed concert for United States Forces Korea troops after workers and netizens revived a bitter episode involving the American military.The municipal government of Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi Province organized the concert to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 2nd Infantry Division, which is stationed in the city.USFK commander Vincent Brooks, the 8th U.S. Army commanding general Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal, 50 officers and 400 soldiers as well as more than 3,000 civilians attended the free concert at the Uijeongbu Sports Complex.But the musicians invited ― including soloist Insooni, K-pop bands EXID, Oh My Girl, Sweet Sorrow, punk band Crying Nut and rapper SanE ― neither showed up nor performed.Insooni, 61, whose father was an African-American USFK soldier, told the audience at the start of the concert that she would not perform her three songs.Shorty after this, the audience was told that all planned performances had been cancelled, causing many people to leave.The concert, scheduled for three-a

Jun 12, 2017
K-pop singers boycott concert for US soldiers over past tragedy [VIDEO]
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