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Teen hopes to overcome leukemia to become pilot

Shim Gyu-hui, left, a 15-year-old teen suffering from leukemia, smiles on board an F-15K during his visit to the 11th Fighter Wing in Daegu, Monday. / Courtesy of Air ForceBy Jun Ji-hyeShim Gyu-hui, 15, who suffers from leukemia, is a fighter buff who knows the different kinds and data of combat planes operated by the Air Force.His dream is to become a fighter pilot after getting over his disease.The Air Force has prepared a special gift him to encourage him to battle the disease and continue to nurture his desire to become a great pilot.On Monday, the 11th Fighter Wing in Daegu invited Shim to give him a chance to experience being an F-15K pilot.Upon his arrival, Shim was given a pilot’s jumpsuit with his name tag attached and a red muffler, a symbol of South Korean Air Force pilots.Then, he boarded the F-15K, feeling like his dream had come true.Shim could not take an actual flight due to his illness. Instead, he experienced a flight simulator, designed to simulate the conditions of an actual flight, and held the control stick by himself from takeoff to landing.“I held

Apr 5, 2017
Teen hopes to overcome leukemia to become pilot

US may deploy Zumwalt stealth destroyer here

By Jun Ji-hyeThe commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Scott Swift, said Tuesday that deploying an advanced USS Zumwalt-class stealth destroyer to South Korea was a possible option in the future to counter threats from North Korea.Adm. Scott SwiftHowever, he cautiously noted there remain some important questions to resolve before the U.S. Navy makes a decision on this, saying the latest stealth destroyer has not been deployed yet.Adm. Swift said defense officials still need to develop tactics in operating the destroyer and procedures of how the ship would operate independently or collectively, and with either expeditionary strike or carrier strike groups.“These are all questions we don’t have any answers to yet,” he said in an interview with a group of reporters in Seoul.The comments came amid growing speculation here over the possible deployment of the stealth destroyer to South Korea’s Jeju Island. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, mentioned this during a meeting with South Korean lawmakers in Hawaii last January, according to Jus

Apr 4, 2017
US may deploy Zumwalt stealth destroyer here

Allies holding anti-submarine drills

US Pacific Fleet head arrives: Defense Minister Han Min-koo, right, talks with Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Monday, about North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. The two shared the need for enhancing cooperation between their navies, with Adm. Swift reaffirming the ironclad alliance between the two countries. The commander arrived in South Korea earlier in the day to attend the annual Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium (PALS) that kicked off Saturday for a five-day run in Seoul, Pohang and Ganghwa. /  Yonhap By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea, the United States and Japan began a three-day joint naval exercise, Monday, to counter growing threats from North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM).This is the first time for the three countries to carry out joint anti-submarine exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said.The drills came after they discussed the issue in their Defense Trilateral Talks (DTT) in December.“The exercise is taking place until Wednesday in

Apr 3, 2017
Allies holding anti-submarine drills

US Stryker team attending drill in S. Korea

By Yi Whan-wooThe U.S. Army’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team is participating in the annual Foal Eagle exercise here, according to the U.S. Pacific Command and Korean officials, Wednesday.The rapid response unit, also called Task Force Ghost, is among Stryker troops that have fought in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since the early 2000s.Using medium-weight armored vehicles, the Stryker troops are motorized infantry forces known for increased operational and tactical mobility as well as flexibility.Their mission requires deployment anywhere in the world within four days.The insurgents in Iraq referred to the troops as “ghost soldiers” for their quiet yet swift operations.“We expect they will be deployed swiftly in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula,” a Korean military official said, Wednesday.The U.S. Pacific Command said on its website that the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s mission includes “breaching obstacles, medical evacuations of simulated wounded soldiers, and convoy operations with soldiers dismounting to shoot at targets

Mar 29, 2017

Airmen donating talent to multiracial children

Air Force senior airman Kim Seok-joo smiles with multiracial children at a church in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. / Courtesy of the Korean Air ForceBy Jun Ji-hyeThirteen airmen of the 6th Search and Rescue Air Group are donating their talent to multiracial children in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.On March 18, the group, stationed in the region, held an opening ceremony of its annual mentoring program that will run until December.Under the program, the airmen visit a church in the region every Saturday and teach children from multiracial families many different subjects such as English, mathematics and Korean. Other subjects include guitars, the piano and drums.The Air Force said the airmen also help children with their problems through counseling and advice as mentors, noting that the group began the mentoring program in 2012 as part of its efforts to build up trust with local residents.Kim Seok-joo, a senior airman who joined the Air Force while studying at Korea University, has been teaching children how to play the piano since last year.“When I was a middle

Mar 29, 2017
Airmen donating talent to multiracial children

US Stryker team participates in joint drills in S. Korea

Thousands of U.S. rapid response troops, including the Stryker team, are taking part in a joint exercise in South Korea, the U.S. military said Wednesday, as tensions run high on the peninsula amid North Korea's saber-rattling.The Army's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) has been deployed here for the ongoing Foal Eagle exercise after the Cobra Gold training in Thailand, according to the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM).The Stryker unit, code-named Task Force Ghost, is a motorized infantry force known for increased operational and tactical mobility and flexibility.It reportedly includes three infantry battalions, a cavalry squadron for reconnaissance, a field artillery battalion, an anti-tank company and a military intelligence company.U.S. soldiers took note of their South Korean counterparts' skills and partnerships."What I have noticed is that the Korean military is very diverse and intelligent," Staff Sgt. Rebecca Osborn, the forward brigade provost marshal officer, was quoted as saying."The Korean’s technique for certain fighting roles ... may not be that far off from our

Mar 29, 2017

Defense vice minister to increase pressure on N. Korea in Africa

By Jun Ji-hyeVice Defense Minister Hwang In-moo will visit Egypt and Angola this week to discuss strengthening defense cooperation with the countries, the defense ministry said Monday.This is part of Seoul’s efforts to isolate Pyongyang further in line with tougher sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).Hwang will meet with Egyptian Defense Minister Sedki Sobhy Tuesday and sign a memorandum of understanding on institutional strategy for defense cooperation which will include increasing high-level exchanges and expanding defense industry cooperation.The visit followed Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam’s trip to Egypt over the weekend during which Lim sought the African country’s cooperation on security issues as it is currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC.Egypt was previously friendly with the North, but the Egyptian foreign ministry issued a statement criticizing the reclusive state after its fifth nuclear test last September.On Friday, Hwang will visit Angola and meet with its Defense Minister Joao Lourenco and other ranking militar

Mar 27, 2017

US sending strategic weapons in greater secrecy

A U.S. Air Force F-35B stealth fighter takes off from its base in Japan, Thursday, to participate in a joint drill between South Korea and the U.S., in this handout photo made available Saturday by U.S. Forces Korea. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe U.S. armed forces appear to have been sending their strategic weapons to South Korea in greater secrecy, a move that would maximize fear for North Korea.A military official said on condition of anonymity, Sunday, that increasing the dispatch of weapons in secret reflects the Donald Trump administration’s shifting toward offensive measures in dealing with the North’s evolving threats as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson vowed to explore all options including military action.“Surprise dispatch of strategic weapons is effective in maximizing fear in the North as it sends a message that such weapons can be mobilized any time in case of a contingency,” the official said.  In the latest series of mobilizations, it was belatedly known that Washington had sent several F-35B stealth fighters, deployed to the U.S. Forces Ja

Mar 26, 2017
US sending strategic weapons in greater secrecy

S. Korean aerobatic flight team flies high at Malaysian air show

Eight T-50Bs of the Black Eagles aerobatic flight team draw a big arrow during an air show at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia from March 21 to 25. / Courtesy of the Korean Air ForceBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Air Force’s aerobatic flight team, the Black Eagles, demonstrated various advanced maneuvers at a Malaysian air show last week, winning praise for the excellence of the pilots’ skills and their T-50 supersonic trainer jets, the Air Force said Sunday.The Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2017, one of the largest air shows in the Asia-Pacific region, ended Saturday.During the five-day event that brought 500 defense companies from 36 countries and 200,000 visitors together, the eight T-50Bs of the Black Eagles conducted eight flights, demonstrating various maneuvers, including their trademark show of drawing a huge heart and the Taegeuk symbol from the Korean flag with white smoke.“The Black Eagles received huge attention from visitors and media during the event,” the Air Force said. “Hishamud

Mar 26, 2017
S. Korean aerobatic flight team flies high at Malaysian air show

S. Korea, U.S. drill targets N. Korean chemical weapons

A U.S. Forces Korea vehicle waits in an inter-Korean border region in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Mar. 23. / YonhapBy Ko Dong-hwanSouth Korea and the U.S. have conducted an exercise on destroying North Korean chemical weapons, according to American military forces in Korea Sunday.The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said troops participated in an exercise to remove the lethal nerve agent sarin at a shooting range in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The drill was part of the annual joint Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises.During the exercise, the forces raided a mock North Korean chemical weapons factory and destroyed its products.The American troops arrived in CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.From Feb. 13 to 17, the two allies conducted a drill at a live-fire complex in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, to seize and destroy North Korean weapons of mass destruction.North Korea has 25 nerve agents, including VX that was used in the recent murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the military state’s leader Kim Jong-un, according to the Korea Institute for Defe

Mar 26, 2017
S. Korea, U.S. drill targets N. Korean chemical weapons
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