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Defense

S. Korea appoints new military leaders amid rising threats from N. Korea

South Korea's military appointed senior commanders to two key posts as part of an ongoing effort to better counter rising threats from North Korea, the defense ministry said Monday.Um Hyun-seong, 58, vice chairman of Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), will take over from the current Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jung Ho-sup. Leem Ho-young, 57, chief director of JCS's Strategic Planning Directorate, will replace Gen. Kim Hyun-jip as deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command (CFC), the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement.The new appointments are part of the regular reshuffle of top brass, it said."Um is unrivaled in his expertise and leadership in naval military operations. Leem is an expert in joint military operations and in the transition of wartime operational control," the statement said.President Park Geun-hye will appoint them to the key posts within this week after the National Assembly makes a final review of the nominations on Tuesday, a ministry spokesman said.After the appointments, the military leadership is expected to carry out an additi

Sep 19, 2016
S. Korea appoints new military leaders amid rising threats from N. Korea

People's Party moving towards more lenient stance on THAAD following nuke test

South Korea's minor opposition People's Party is moving towards a more lenient stance in regards to the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in the country, political pundits said Monday.The move apparently comes as Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test conducted earlier this month is causing the general public to lose patience with North Korea. There has been a rise in the number of people calling for greater protection against the North's nuclear and missile threats.Besides detonating five nuclear devices since 2006, the North has launched intermediate-range and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) that all sparked calls here for better countermeasures.Although the minor party has not yet announced it is abandoning its previous position on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) issue, observers said a rising number of party members are suggesting it should change strategy in the face of North Korean provocations.The People's Party has been protesting strongly against the deployment of the THAAD battery, claiming the issue must win parliament's approval. T

Sep 19, 2016

Finnish Army chief visits K-9 unit

By Yi Whan-wooSeppo ToivonenThe commander of the Finnish Army has visited a unit of K-9 self-propelled howitzers, according to military sources, Sunday.The visit by Lt. Gen. Seppo Toivonen, Sept. 10, came as the Finnish Army is in talks with Hanwha Techwin to buy K-9s to replace the country’s aging artillery weapons from 2020 to 2030.Toivonen came to Korea to attend the Defense Expo Korea 2016 (DX Korea), an arms exhibition, from Sept. 7 to 10 at the KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. It was aimed at boosting sales of Korean-made weapons abroad.The Finnish military has “highly assessed” the K-9 for its range, maneuverability on mountainous terrain and proven capabilities in combat, according to a source.The K-9 has a 155-millimeter gun that has a maximum range of 40 kilometers. It also has a maximum speed of 67 kilometers per hour and can fire a three-round burst in 15 seconds.It has been one of the core weapons of the Korean Army since it was developed in 1998. It was used to counter North Korea’s attacks, including the artillery shelling of

Sep 18, 2016
Finnish Army chief visits K-9 unit

UN chief expresses opposition to S. Korea's nuclear armament

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed opposition Thursday to growing calls in South Korea for nuclear armament, saying such a move runs counter to international norms, a South Korean lawmaker said.Ban made the remarks during a meeting with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun and the floor leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party, the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea and the People's Party -- Chung Jin-suk, Woo Sang-ho and Park Jie-won, respectively.Ban said he sees calls for nuclear armament in South Korea as "undesirable," saying the country, as the world's 13th-largest economy, should comply with international norms, according to the People's Party floor leader Park.On North Korea, Ban said that sanctions on Pyongyang are necessary for negotiations, according to Park.Ban also said that how fast China will agree on new U.N. Security Council sanctions on the North would be a barometer for the relations between the North and China, according to Park.Ban, whose second five-year term as U.N. chief ends at the end of this year, also said that he plans to return ho

Sep 16, 2016
UN chief expresses opposition to S. Korea's nuclear armament

N. Korea bristles at US supersonic bomber flyover

North Korea on Wednesday protested the United States' flyover of two B-1B nuclear-capable strategic bombers over South Korea, saying such "reckless provocations" should stop.The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday flew the B-1B Lancers over Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, as a warning to North Korea following its fifth nuclear test last week.The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) blasted the exercise as a "military provocation" revealing Washington's intentions to mount a pre-emptive nuclear attack."They are blustering this is a 'demonstration of fulfillment of their strong commitment to protecting' south Korea and 'strong warning' to the DPRK, in particular," the KCNA said in an English dispatch, monitored in Seoul. DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.It also claimed the U.S. will continue to bring nuclear carriers and other nuclear strategic means to the region in a bid to prepare for a nuclear attack."These extremely reckless provocations of the U.S. imperialist warmongers are pushing the situation on the Korean peninsula to t

Sep 14, 2016
N. Korea bristles at US supersonic bomber flyover

Army plans to bombard North Korea with K-pop girl bands

South Korea resumed its loudspeaker broadcast campaign on Jan. 8 after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test. / Yonhap By Lee Han-sooThe South Korean army is considering adding an electronic display of K-pop girl bands to its loudspeaker broadcasts towards North Korea, in its latest psychological warfare bid.The move follows the North’s fifth nuclear test Friday, as the South plans new sanctions and countermeasures against the hermit kingdom, according to TV Chosun.The electronic display, which was last used in 2004, will show K-pop girl bands and international and domestic news to the North. A mobile version of the display ― which can be seen up to 15 kilometers ― also is being considered.And the army will increase the number of loudspeakers fourfold.The army believes the measures will have a big impact on North Koreans living near the border. 

Sep 11, 2016
Army plans to bombard North Korea with K-pop girl bands

US aircraft carrier to take part in S. Korean drills

The United States plans to dispatch a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korea next month in a show of force to deter further military provocations by North Korea following its latest nuclear test, a military official here said Sunday.The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), the flagship of the Yokosuka, Japan-based Carrier Strike Group Five of the U.S. Navy, will sail to South Korea's Yellow and South Seas to participate in a joint naval exercise with South Korea, slated for Oct. 10-15, the official said."The USS Ronald Reagan will take part in the combined maritime exercise between the U.S. and South Korean militaries to be carried out in the western and southern seas," the official noted.The exercise will focus on training the allies' naval forces on joint precision attacks on North Korea's key military facilities and the regime's leadership that would be launched in the event of a war with the communist country.Nicknamed a floating air base, the vessel is capable of carrying some 80 combat fighters and aircraft, as well as about 5,400 crewmen.Powered by two nuclear reactors, the US

Sep 11, 2016

S. Korea unveils plan to raze Pyongyang in case of signs of nuclear attack

South Korea has already developed a plan to annihilate the North Korean capital of Pyongyang through intensive bombing in case the North shows any signs of a nuclear attack, a military source in Seoul said Sunday."Every Pyongyang district, particularly where the North Korean leadership is possibly hidden, will be completely destroyed by ballistic missiles and high-explosive shells as soon as the North shows any signs of using a nuclear weapon. In other words, the North's capital city will be reduced to ashes and removed from the map," the source said.The disclosure of the detailed bombing operation came after the Defense Ministry reported the "Korea Massive Punishment & Retaliation" (KMPR) to the National Assembly last week in response to the North's fifth nuclear weapon test."The defense ministry's operational concept 'Korea Massive Punishment & Retaliation' is aimed at wiping a certain section of Pyongyang completely off the map," the source noted.The operational concept is intended to launch pre-emptive bombing attacks on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the country's m

Sep 11, 2016
S. Korea unveils plan to raze Pyongyang in case of signs of nuclear attack

N. Korea's nuclear capability advanced to 'considerable level'

More and stronger sanctions should be in place against North Korea as its nuclear capability has been upgraded to a “considerable level” in the past decade, South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Saturday, calling on the international community to make concerted efforts to put further pressure on the communist state.His remarks came as Pyongyang conducted its nuclear test in its northeastern region early Friday claiming that its detonation test was "successful.""Over the past decade, North Korea's nuclear capability has highly advanced, and (the latest nuke test) clearly shows that its leader Kim Jong-un does not intend to change," South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said during a meeting with his staff."We need more and stronger sanctions and pressure (against North Korea) to create an environment where they are left with little option but to change themselves," he said, vowing to impose a comprehensive set of sanctions led by the U.N. Security Council.The foreign ministry said South Korea will seek support in the coming weeks for a new set of sanctions

Sep 10, 2016
N. Korea's nuclear capability advanced to 'considerable level'

Park condemns North Korea's nuke test; seeks stronger countermeasures

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday condemned North Korea's apparent nuclear test, saying that its provocation will only invite stronger international sanctions, deepen its isolation and hasten its self-destruction.Park also said the latest provocation explicitly ignored the international community's united position against the North's nuclear program and attested to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recklessness.The commander-in-chief, in addition, said that South Korea, in close cooperation with the international community, will seek "much stronger sanctions" and mobilize "all possible means" to pressure Pyongyang into renouncing its nuclear ambitions."This (nuclear test) is a clear violation of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and a grave challenge to the international community," Park said during an emergency meeting with her aides in Vientiane, the last leg of her three-nation trip.The emergency meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Trade Minister Joo Hyung-hwan, Park's chief foreign policy secretary Kim Kyou-hyun and Kang Seog-hoon, senior pr

Sep 9, 2016
Park condemns North Korea's nuke test; seeks stronger countermeasures
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