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Defense

S. Korea to kick off Ulchi exercise this week

South Korea will kick off its annual Ulchi exercise this week to better prepare for national emergency situations, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security said Sunday.The drill that runs from Monday through Thursday is the 49th of its kind and comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's fourth nuclear test and long-range missile launch earlier this year.The ministry said this year, emphasis will be placed on dealing with North Korea's frequent global positioning system jamming attacks along with cyberterrorism."Compared to the past, greater focus will be placed on actual drills to cope with threats and emergencies," it said.It moreover said authorities will check the mobilization of key technical personnel and construction related assets and protection of critical facilities like nuclear power plants, airports and harbors.It said some 4,000 state-agencies and 480,000 people will take part in the drill this year.Earlier the education ministry said 212 education offices and agencies will take part in this year's Ulchi exercise.The ministry said for

Aug 21, 2016

U.S. Navy secretary to meet S. Korea's defense chief over N. Korean issues

The secretary of the U.S. Navy will meet with South Korea's defense minister on Friday to discuss measures to better counter threats from North Korea, the military said.U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is set to meet Han Min-koo in Seoul, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement."The U.S. naval official and South Korea's top defense policymaker will discuss measures to strengthen the bilateral alliance against growing (nuclear and missile) threats from the North and to cooperate on North Korean policies," the statement said.It is Mabus' sixth visit to South Korea since he took office in May 2009, and he is meeting Han for the second time following their first meeting in 2014, it said.The naval official also plans to meet South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin and Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Jung Ho-sup. He leaves Seoul for Sri Lanka on Saturday, the ministry said. (Yonhap)

Aug 19, 2016

Former Navy chief acquitted of corruption allegations

A local court on Thursday acquitted a former Navy chief who was indicted on charges of unlawfully granting favors to a local firm in the process of supplying parts to the country's indigenous salvage ship, citing a lack of evidence.The Seoul Central District Court found the former Navy chief Jung Ok-keun, not guilty of allegations that he pressured his subordinates to forge a document to help the firm win the contract. Jung held the top naval post from 2008 to 2010,The 3,500-ton Tongyeong was found to be fraught with problems and was not able to participate in rescue operations in a ferry tragedy in April 2014 that resulted in the deaths of some 300 people.In a separate case, Jung was also suspected of receiving some 770 million won ($663,000) worth of bribes through a company owned by his son, but the Supreme Court overturned a decision that convicted him. The nation's top court said the money given to the son's company cannot be deemed as the defendant's own profit. (Yonhap) 

Aug 18, 2016

US Army chief: THAAD is 'not a threat in any way to China'

The U.S. Army chief of staff told his Chinese counterpart Tuesday that the THAAD missile defense system the U.S. plans to deploy to South Korea is "not a threat in any way to China," the Army said in a statement.Gen. Mark A. Milley made the remark during a two-hour meeting with People's Liberation Army Gen. Li Zuocheng in Beijing, stressing the missile defense system is aimed only at defending against North Korean threats, according to the Army statement."He told his counterpart that the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a defensive measure to protect South Koreans and Americans from the North Korean ballistic missile threat, not a threat in any way to China," the statement said.South Korea and the U.S. decided last month to place a THAAD battery in the South.China has strongly protested the decision, claiming that the system, especially its powerful "X-band" radar, can be used against it, despite repeated assurances from the U.S. and the South that the system is purely defensive and designed only to cope with N

Aug 17, 2016
US Army chief: THAAD is 'not a threat in any way to China'

U.S. Army chief to visit S. Korea amid THAAD tensions

The U.S. Army chief of staff plans to visit South Korea to receive updates on the plan to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system to the Asian ally, the Army said Monday.South Korea will be the second leg of Gen. Mark Milley's Aug. 15-23 trip, which will also take him to China, Japan and Hawaii, the Army said in a statement without providing the exact dates for each stop.In South Korea, Milley will visit U.S. Army troops and meet with Korean military leaders, the statement said."While there, he will receive an updates on brigade deployments, the combined U.S. and ROK 2nd Infantry Division, the relocation of U.S. Army units to Camp Humphreys, and plans to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense to protect the Republic of Korea from North Korean ballistic missile threats," the statement said.His trip comes as China has been strongly protesting the decision by Seoul and Washington to place a THAAD battery in South Korea to better defend against growing missile threats from North Korea.Beijing has claimed that THAAD, especially its powerful "X-band" radar, can be used against i

Aug 16, 2016

S. Korea's military to greatly increase Hyunmoo missiles

South Korea's military will greatly increase the number of Hyunmoo missiles in its inventory to better counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, sources said Sunday.Government insiders said the military is devising a plan to simultaneously take out missile bases all across North Korea in times of crisis."To accomplish this, the South needs more ballistic missiles at its disposal," said an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.He said that procuring more Hyunmoo 2A and 2B short range ballistic missiles that have maximum ranges of 300 kilometers and 500 km, respectively, and the 1,000 km Hyunmoo 3 cruise missiles can help Seoul "neutralize" Pyongyang's missile threat. South Korean missiles generally have shorter range, but they are much more accurate than their North Korean counterparts.The remarks indicate that Seoul is aware that the North may launch its missiles all at once against the South if it starts another war, and of the need to destroy them before they get airborne if it has advance intelligence of a pending attack. The communist country is known to

Aug 14, 2016

S. Korea defense chief to visit THAAD site next week for dialogue

South Korea's defense chief plans to visit Seongju county, which was selected to host the advanced U.S. missile defense system, to hold talks with residents angered with the "unilateral" deployment decision, the defense ministry said Friday."We are fine-tuning the defense minister's schedule for the visit that will probably take place next week," said a ministry official, who declined to be identified.The remarks come after some media outlets speculated that Han may visit the rural county, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul, next Wednesday. According to the official, residents said they don't want to meet with Defense Minister Han Min-koo if he only wants to persuade them to accept the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system."Instead of suggesting any new bargaining chip in talks with local residents, the minister will listen to their opinions about the planned deployment of THAAD," the official said.If Han manages to begin a dialogue in Seongju next week, it could become a starting point that can resolve the ongoing disputes over the potential health risks linked to t

Aug 12, 2016

Defense Minister to visit Seonju next week for THAAD talks

By Yi Whan-wooDefense Minister Han Min-koo is expected to visit Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, next week, sources familiar with the region said Thursday.His possible visit is seen as a move to placate Seongju residents, who are angered by the decision to deploy a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in their hometown without consulting them.However, it is speculated that Han will not help much in breaking the deadlock between the government and the residents over the planned deployment.Han is likely to reiterate the Ministry of Defense’s view that the THAAD battery will be set up on a hilltop in Seongju in line with the agreement made between Seoul and Washington on July 8.Fearing health and environmental risks associated with THAAD’s radar, the residents have been beseeching the government to withdraw its plan, saying they will not accept any other options.“Han and the residents are scheduled to meet on Aug. 16 or 17 although the date has not been fixed yet,” a source said. “The underlying demand of the protesters is to scrap th

Aug 11, 2016

Number of petitioners to White House against THAAD deployment tops 100,000

The number of people filing petitions to the White House has reached above the 100,000 mark against the decision by South Korea and the United States to set up a new missile defense system in South Korea to counter North Korea's missile threats, a section of the U.S. administration's website said Wednesday.As of the afternoon of the same day, a petition against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system drew a total of 103,335 signatures on We the People, a petitioning system operated by the White House.The petition titled "Rescind the decision to deploy THAAD antimissile system in South Korea" was submitted to the petitioning system on July 15.The petition, created by H.S., said, "The U.S. and South Korean governments, against wide opposition of South Koreans and strong subsequent backlash from local citizens of the deployment site, have agreed to deploy the U.S.-made THAAD system in South Korea."It also said this measure is supposedly to counter North Korean ballistic missiles and provide additional security, yet this is a controversial move that will likely e

Aug 11, 2016

China should welcome THAAD deployment in S. Korea: US expert

China and Russia should welcome the decision to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system in South Korea because it helps lessen the need for Seoul to seek other defense options, including development of its own nuclear weapons, a U.S. expert said Wednesday.Richard Weitz, director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute in Washington, made the point in an article, titled "Better THAAD than Dead," arguing that South Korea has ample reasons to shore up defense and nuclear weapons development could be an option.Should the South go nuclear, Japan will follow suit, a scenario that is not in China's interest, he said."China and Russia should welcome THAAD, because it alleviates the need for South Korea or Japan to pursue other defense options, which could include the development of nuclear weapons," Weitz said in the article.China has strongly protested the decision to place a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense unit in South Korea, claiming the system could be used against the country, despite repeated assurances from Seoul and Washington that the battery

Aug 11, 2016
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