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China tried to hack THAAD system: CNN

By Park Si-sooState-sponsored Chinese hackers tried to disrupt the operation of the controversial THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, CNN reported, citing American cyber security experts.The U.S. news network said the hacking had taken aim at an unidentified organization with connections to the THAAD system.China has vehemently opposed the THAAD installation here, claiming the system's powerful radar can penetrate its territory and undermine its security.“China uses cyber espionage pretty regularly when Chinese interests are at stake to better understand facts on the ground,” John Hultquist, the director of cyber espionage analysis at FireEye, told CNN. “We have evidence that they targeted at least one party that has been associated with the missile placements.”A spokesperson for South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there was an attempted cyber attack in April, but did not say whether its target was the THAAD system.Early this week, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) confirmed the anti-missile system is operational, about a week after the USFK began inst

May 5, 2017
China tried to hack THAAD system: CNN

US push for missile shield embarrasses Korea

By Jun Ji-hye  The United States has been publicly mentioning its goal to set up a Washington-led global missile defense system (MD) in South Korea and other allies in the Asia-Pacific region despite Seoul’s repeated denial of it joining such a program.The U.S. attempt to bring the MD plan to the fore is escalating controversy timed with U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent call for Seoul to pay for the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here, which he estimated at about $1 billion.If South Korea decided to join the U.S. MD, the nation would need to purchase, operate and manage more of Washington’s advanced weapons such as antiaircraft missiles, which will require Seoul to spend further astronomical amounts of money.Critics say Seoul has already spent a great deal of money ― it has used 36 trillion won ($31 billion) to buy U.S. weapons since 2006, according to the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality.Those who have been talking about the MD plan have been mostly military leaders including Pacific Command (PACOM) C

May 3, 2017

USFK veterans association to be launched in Washington

By Jun Ji-hyeFormer and incumbent U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) service members will launch a new association in Washington later this week, a move expected to contribute to strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance.The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Tuesday the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA) will bring 3.5 million members together including former USFK commanders and veterans as well as Koreans who served in the U.S. military under the Korean Augmentation to the United State Army (KATUSA) program.USFK soldiers on active duty can also join the association, the ministry added.The foundation ceremony will be held at the official residence of the Korean ambassador to the U.S. on Wednesday (local time) with 150 U.S. politicians and military officials in attendance.Former USFK commander Walter Sharp will serve as the first president of the association with former ROK Army Chief of Staff Kwon Oh-sung and former Eighth U.S. Army Commander Bernard S. Champoux assuming vice president roles.“The KDVA will contribute to promoting friendship of 3.5 million members who hav

May 2, 2017

'No more exploitation in name of patriotism'

All major presidential candidates have pledged to reform the system that "exploits our young countrymen in the name of patriotism" in the next government. / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoOver the past few years, South Korea has grown into the world’s sixth largest exporter and 11th largest economy, yet one occupation, conscripted soldier, still earns less than 200,000 won ($177) a month.The average monthly wage of a conscripted soldier was about 170,000 won last year, or a bit more than 13 percent of the country’s minimum wage.Amid growing calls for reform of the system that “exploits our young countrymen in the name of patriotism,” all major presidential candidates have pledged to increase this miserable situation in the next government.The Democratic Party of Korea’s Moon Jae-in, the frontrunner in the race, promised to raise the average wage by 50 percent of the minimum wage by 2020.Speaking to members of the online community, “Girlfriends of conscripts,” at a cafe in Seoul, Monday, he said it is time for the government to stop demanding sacrifices

May 2, 2017
'No more exploitation in name of patriotism'

'THAAD is now operational': USFK

/ YonhapU.S. troops in South Korea confirmed Tuesday that its advanced missile defense system has been put into operation despite controversies over its deployment and cost."U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) confirms the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is operational and has the ability to intercept North Korean missiles and defend the Republic of Korea," the USFK's spokesman Col. Rob Manning said in an emailed statement. He was calling South Korea by its official name.The announcement came less than a week after the USFK began installing the THAAD system at a former golf course in the rural town of Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.Local residents have fiercely protested the move, with South Koreans still divided over the issue.The allies also appear to be bracing for a dispute over the financial burden in operating the THAAD battery on the peninsula. President Donald Trump openly said he wants South Korea to pay for it, which has a price tag of US$1 billion.Seoul immediately refuted the demand, saying it has already provided land under a 2016 agreement and has no additio

May 2, 2017
'THAAD is now operational': USFK

THAAD billing to strain ROK-US alliance

South Korea and the United States appear to have differences on the controversial deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here as U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, right, opened the possibility of renegotiation on who will bear the cost of the deployment, while his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, left, said the two sides’ existing agreement calling for Washington to pay remained unchanged. / Graphic by Cho Sang-wonMcMaster hints at renegotiations despite Seoul’s denialBy Jun Ji-hyeU.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster’s remarks supportive of President Donald Trump’s call for South Korea to pay for a U.S. missile shield reaffirmed that Washington wants to renegotiate the terms of the agreement despite Seoul’s denial.Analysts say the Trump administration’s inconsistency will harm the Korea-U.S. alliance and cause stronger public opposition to the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here.McMaster opened the possibility of renegotiation, saying he would not contradict the U.S

May 1, 2017
THAAD billing to strain ROK-US alliance

South Korea: no renegotiation on THAAD cost

South Korea on Monday ruled out renegotiation of the cost for the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system, called THAAD, responding to pressure from the Donald Trump administration to share the financial burden."I don't think it's an issue for renegotiation," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press briefing.Who should foot the bill for the THAAD equipment being set up in South Korea has emerged as a hot alliance topic since U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview last week he wants Seoul to pay for it, estimated at $1 billion.The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has installed key components of the new weapon at a former golf course in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, under a controversial 2016 agreement with South Korea. They said the positioning of THAAD on the peninsula is a must to help thwart North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions.South Korea agreed to provide land for the site and the U.S. said it would be in charge of funding the installation and maintenance.The deal was reached in accordance with the bilateral Status of

May 1, 2017
South Korea: no renegotiation on THAAD cost

US should be prepared for military operations against N. Korea: Trump's adviser

The United States should be prepared for military operations against North Korea, even though the hope is to resolve the situation without resorting to force, National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster said Sunday."We do have to do something, and so, we have to do something, again, with partners in the region and globally. And that involves enforcement of the U.N. sanctions that are in place. It may mean ratcheting up those sanctions even further. And it also means being prepared for military operations if necessary," McMaster said on "Fox News Sunday."President Donald Trump has connected military options to what we're trying to politically, he said."For too long, those two things were disconnected from each other. So, you need the viable option, the military option, to help make what you were doing diplomatically, economically, with sanctions, viable, to be able to resolve this problem short of what would be, as the president said, a major, major war and a humanitarian catastrophe," McMaster said.Asked whether the U.S. is willing to take the risk of North Korean retaliatory attacks ag

May 1, 2017
US should be prepared for military operations against N. Korea: Trump's adviser

US to renegotiate THAAD deal with S. Korea: Trump's security adviser

The United States will renegotiate the terms of the THAAD missile defense system's deployment to South Korea, and until then, will stick to the existing deal that commits the U.S. to pay for the system, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said Sunday.McMaster made the remark during an interview with "Fox News Sunday," rejecting reports that he contradicted President Donald Trump and promised the U.S. will pay for THAAD when he spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin.The phone call came after Trump said the South should pay for the $1 billion system. The demand sparked a firestorm in South Korea because it runs counter to a deployment deal in which the U.S. agreed to pay for the system in exchange for Seoul's agreement to host it and provide land for it."The last thing I would ever do is contradict the president of the United States, you know? And That's not what it was. In fact, what I told our South Korean counterpart is until any renegotiation that the deal is in place. We'll adhere to our word," McMaster said."What the president has asked us to do is to l

May 1, 2017
US to renegotiate THAAD deal with S. Korea: Trump's security adviser

No South Korea's payment for THAAD operation: S. Korean, US security chiefs reaffirm

The national security chiefs of South Korea and the United States on Sunday reaffirmed their initial agreement that Seoul will only provide land for the U.S. deployment of a high-tech missile defense system here without further costs as demanded by President Donald Trump.National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and his American counterpart H.R. McMaster reconfirmed the stance during a phone conversation held earlier in the day at the request of the U.S. side, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.In an interview with Reuters last week, Trump said he wants South Korea to pay for the US$1 billion for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system which is now being fielded in South Korea to better defend the country against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.In another press interview with the Washington Times published on Saturday (Korean time), he again said, "Why should we pay for it? ... I respectfully say that I think it would be appropriate if they paid for it."Trump's remarks run counter to the allies' much-published initial consent that the

Apr 30, 2017
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