South Korea - The Korea Times

Main opposition party demands delay of THAAD deployment

South Korea's main opposition party on Tuesday demanded the government delay the controversial deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system until the next administration as President Park Geun-hye faces ouster over corruption allegations.The remark came four days after the parliament approved Park's impeachment, signaling major changes to her key policies opposed by the opposition bloc. Her fate hinges on a Constitutional Court decision due in six months.South Korea has been seeking to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the country to improve its defense capabilities against Pyongyang's provocations. The opposition parties here, however, have been protesting against the move, adding it may make China uncomfortable.The government originally planned to complete the deployment by May."The schedule must be reviewed. An administration impeached by the people can not push forward the project," the main opposition Democratic Party said through a statement, adding the issue should be concluded by the next administration.The party said the deployment cou

Dec 13, 2016

Military seeks to deploy THAAD battery by May

 Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn walks with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sun-jin, left, during a visit to Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Sunday. Hwang ordered the military to strengthen readiness against possible North Korean attacks amid political turmoil following President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. / YonhapBy Rachel LeeThe Ministry of National Defense plans to speed up the procedure of deploying a U.S. advanced anti-missile system here, aiming for completion by May, defense officials said Sunday.However, this may trigger a backlash from opposition parties, which have vowed to push for abandonment of disputed projects undertaken by the Park Geun-hye administration, including the one about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.The political uncertainty following the impeachment of the scandal-ridden leader and potential presidential candidates’ opposition to the anti-missile battery are expected to overshadow the ministry’s plan to set up it here next year.Concerns have been raised that the deployment may be

Dec 11, 2016

Military seeks to deploy THAAD battery by May

Defense chief calls for vigilance

South Korea's defense chief ordered the military to tighten vigilance against a possible North Korean provocation after parliament voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye Friday, the ministry said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo called a teleconference with the top military commanders following Park's meeting with Cabinet ministers that began at 5:00 p.m., according to a ministry official.Immediately after the result of the vote was announced, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn called the minister and said, "The military should stay focused on countering any provocations by the North in times of political uncertainties," the official said.The prime minister will act for the president who will be suspended pending a Constitutional Court review.The South Korean and U.S. forces have mobilized more surveillance and unmanned reconnaissance planes and are ready to instantly respond if there are any signs of provocations by the North, he said. "North Korea could raise military tension in an attempt to worsen the political crisis in the South, though there are no specific signs yet," another of

Dec 9, 2016

Another N. Korea provocation possible: Vandal

THAAD schedule might change depending on political situationBy Cho Jae-hyon Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal8th U.S. Army commanderNorth Korea may carry out a military provocation in the next 30 to 60 days to see how the new U.S. administration will react, according to Lieutenant General Thomas S. Vandal, the commander of the Eighth U.S. Army.The commander said the North has committed provocations whenever the U.S. inaugurates a new administration.“Every time we see a new president, there has been some sort of provocation,” Vandal said, Tuesday. “That obviously might provide opportunity for Kim Jong-un to do something to see what the reaction is and what the policy is…or to get a feel for how the Trump administration will react.”He made the remarks during a meeting with a group of journalist members of the KATUSA (Korea Augmentation to the U.S. Army) Veterans Association.Still, the commander said there were “no immediate indicators” of possible provocations. Vandal said the United States Forces Korea is “watching very closely” Nort

Dec 6, 2016

Another N. Korea provocation possible: Vandal

N. Korea likely hacked S. Korea cyber command: military

North Korea appears to have hacked South Korea's cyber command in what could be the latest cyberattack against Seoul, the military here said Tuesday, ."It seems the intranet server of the cyber command has been contaminated with malware. We found that some military documents, including confidential information, have been hacked," an official at the Ministry of National Defense told Yonhap News Agency. He said that authorities suspect North Korea is behind the latest online infiltrations.The cyber command said it isolated the affected server from the whole network to avoid the spread of viruses. But it has yet to fully determine what data were leaked.It marked the first time that the data of South Korea's cyber command has been compromised. South Korea set up the command in January 2010 as part of its efforts to counter external hacking attempts on the country's military.North Korea -- which has thousands of cyberwarfare personnel -- has a track record of waging cyberattacks on South Korea and the United States in recent years, though it has flatly denied any involvement.Earlier this

Dec 6, 2016

(영상) 해병대 연평부대서 해상사격 훈련

해병대가 최근 김정은이 다녀갔던 북한의 갈도, 장재도, 마합도를 포함한 지역에 대해 사격 훈련을 실시했다.유튜브에 게제된 훈련 영상에는 29일, 서북도서방위사령부가 북한의 연평도포격도발 6주기를 맞아 백령도 해병대 6여단과 연평부대에서 실전적인 해상사격훈련을 실시하는 모습이 담겼다. 이번 사격훈련은 적의 화력도발과 기습강점을 비롯해 다양한 도발상황을 상정하여 서북도서 부대가 보유한 현장 전력을 중심으로 대응절차와 사격술을 숙달하는데 중점을 두고 실시했다고 영상은 전했다. 특히, 이번에는 최근 북한 김정은이 다녀갔던 갈도, 장재도, 마합도를 포함한 도발원점과 지휘, 지원세력에 대해 사거리별, 화기별로 대응사격하는 훈련을 병행하여 실시했다고 한다. 이번에 참가한 전력은 K-9자주포와 130mm다연장, 공격헬기이며, 총 1,800여발을 사격하였다.디지털뉴스부@ 

Dec 1, 2016

S. Korea to begin preliminary design work for indigenous fighter jet in 2017

South Korea aims to begin preliminary design work on the country's indigenous fighter jet next year, which will help the country maintain a potent air defense capability in the coming years, the state defense procurement agency said Thursday."The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will hold a system functional review this month to see if the Korean Fighter Experimental (KF-X) project meets all the specifications requested by the military and other requirements," the DAPA said in a statement."If the DAPA concludes the project is ready, it will kick off the preliminary design process."However, the DAPA did not provide the exact timeframe for when the design would start being drawn up. The DAPA has held meetings with related officials and defense experts since November last year to push the KF-X project forward.Related to the project, South Korea has begun the process of developing the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars for some 120 KF-X fighter jets, which it seeks to develop by the mid-2020s. South Korea's goal is to produce the first prototypes

Dec 1, 2016

Lockheed denies link to Choi Soon-sil

Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn HewsonBy Jun Ji-hyeU.S. defense corporation Lockheed Martin has denied allegations it has been helped by the scandal-ridden confidant of President Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil, in receiving business favors from the Park government.In a statement sent to The Korea Times, Tuesday, the company said recent reports claiming Lockheed has had engagements with Choi or Linda Kim with regards to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) or F-35 fighter jets were “false.”Linda Kim was an influential arms lobbyist until the early 2000s, and is suspected of being a friend of Choi.“Lockheed Martin would like to clarify that our Chairman, President and CEO Ms. Marillyn Hewson has never visited Korea and has never met with Choi Soon-sil,” the statement said. “We also refute the allegations that Lockheed Martin paid for a go-between to stay in the United States six years ago.”The statement came after Rep. An Min-suk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea recently raised suspicions that Choi may have intervened in the gov

Nov 29, 2016

서울에 핵폭탄이 떨어진다면?

유튜브에 게재된 동영상은 서울에 1메가톤 (히로시마 원폭의 50배) 규모의 핵폭탄이 터지면 어떻게 되는지 시뮬레이션을 해본 결과를 담고 있다.시뮬레이션의 위치는 서울역이고 시간은 오후 1시다.이 상황에서 핵폭탄이 터진다면, 반경 3km 내 모든 생명체는 증발하고, 건물은 완전 파괴된다.폭심지 3km 밖 고려대, 성산대교, 미아삼거리까지의 거주자들은 3도 화상을 입게 되고 노출부위가 25%가 넘게 되면 사망한다고 한다.폭발로 인해 진공상태가 된 폭심지를 향해 엄청난 후 폭풍이 들이닥치고 이로 인해 지상의 50%이상의 건물이 붕괴된다. 목동, 건대, 강남까지 화재 및 건물 붕괴가 일어난다고 한다.중상자중 6개월 이내에 약 200만명이 사망할 수 있으며, 낙진으로 인하여 1~2년 내에 약 500만이 사망할 수 있을 만큼 핵폭탄은 한국을 초토화 시킬 것이라고 영상은 예상했다.디지털뉴스부@

Nov 28, 2016

Seoul, Tokyo sign disputed military intelligence-sharing pact

Photo journalists refuse to take photos of Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Yasumasa Nagamine entering the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Wednesday, as part of their boycott of covering the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement between Seoul and Tokyo. The photographers protested the ministry’s decision not to make public the scene of the signing. / Joint press corpsBy Yi Whan-wooSouth Korea and Japan formally signed the controversial agreement on sharing military intelligence on North Korea, Wednesday, despite strong objections here.Defense Minister Han Min-koo and Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine inked the deal on the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. The bilateral pact took effect immediately.The GSOMIA will enable the two neighbors to share military secrets directly that are classified second degree or less, without going through the United States. The classified information includes North Korea’s evolving nuclear and ballistic missile activities

Nov 23, 2016

Defense