my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Defense

THAAD was not issue during talks with Lavrov: S. Korean FM

South Korea's foreign minister said he barely discussed the controversial issue of deploying an advanced U.S. missile defense system on Korean soil during talks with his Russian counterpart earlier this week.Yun Byung-se told South Korean reporters and foreign ministry officials during a luncheon in St. Petersburg on Tuesday that the topic of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system was raised in his meeting with Sergey Lavrov but only in passing."(The Russian side) mentioned a confrontational structure in Asia but barely talked about it," Yun said. "This showed (Moscow's) will to focus more on bilateral relations and the North Korean nuclear issue."Russia and China have strongly opposed the possible deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea, claiming it would undermine the strategic balance in the region. Seoul and Washington insist the missile defense system, if placed in the South, would be purely defensive in the face of North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.Yun highlighted the effort Moscow showed in order to make his Monday meeting with Lavrov a su

Jun 15, 2016

Korean defense companies display weapons at Eurosatory show

South Korean defense manufacturers displayed locally made weapons such as the K-9 self-propelled guns at the world's largest defense exhibition underway in Paris, company officials said Tuesday.The biennial Eurosatory defense expo that kicked off on Monday for a five-day run brings together an estimated 1,600 defense-related suppliers from some 70 countries.A total of 21 South Korean defense manufacturers including Hanwha Techwin and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) are present at Eurosatory 2016 and are showcasing weapons made with home-grown technology, officials said.Hanwha Techwin displayed the K-9 self-propelled howitzer that can hurl a 155 millimeter round to a maximum range of some 40 kilometer. The gun, which has been employed by South Korean troops since 2000, has been exported to Turkey and Poland.The KAI, South Korea's sole aircraft maker, said it displayed a mock up of its Surion (KUH-1) helicopter.The Surion chopper was produced as part of a 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) military procurement project designed to create the country's first locally built helicopter. Since

Jun 14, 2016

THAAD not effective in countering N. Korea nuclear attack: expert

The U.S. THAAD system is a powerful anti-missile tool, but wouldn't be effective in defending against a North Korean nuclear attack coming as part of a barrage of conventional warheads, a U.S. analyst said Monday.Garth McLennan, who has closely followed American foreign and security policy, made the point in an article contributed to the website 38 North, forecasting that THAAD's deployment to South Korea would lead to the North stepping up its production of ballistic missiles.South Korea already has formidable missile defense capabilities, including a large arsenal of Patriot-2 short-range missiles set to be upgraded to PAC-3s, but the addition of THAAD, which is designed to defend against short and intermediate-range missiles, would provide South Korea with a more layered defensive posture, he said."THAAD would not, however, serve as an effective tool in countering a North Korean nuclear strike if such an attack were haystacked among a barrage of conventional warheads," he said. "The THAAD system is a powerful anti-missile tool ... but in this case, it would not serve as a bulletpr

Jun 14, 2016

S. Korea lags behind in defense budget-GDP ratio: data

South Korea spends relatively less than other countries facing similar security situations in terms of its defense budget to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio, data showed Monday, as the government is making a case for more money to be allocated to cope with heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.According to the data compiled by the defense ministry for a promotional magazine, South Korea spent US$36.4 billion last year, which was equal to 2.42 percent of its annual GDP.The ratio stayed relatively lower than other countries at risk of conflict such as Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan where the corresponding figures stood at 12.95 percent, 6.22 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, the data showed.The ratio was still higher than Taiwan, China and Japan with national defense spending to GDP ratios at 1.98 percent, 1.28 percent and 1 percent."For the past five years, investment on national defense remained stagnant despite persistent threats from the North such as the fourth nuclear test and a long-range missile launch, and a stepped-up arms race by Northeast Asian neighbors," th

Jun 13, 2016

US nuclear-powered submarine arrives in Busan port

The USS Mississippi (SSN-782), a nuclear reactor-powered United States submarine, entered the port of Busan on Monday as part of the vessel’s maiden voyage to the Asian region, the U.S. military said Monday.The 7,800-ton Virginia-class attack submarine is one of the U.S. Navy's newest vessels, having started its mission with the U.S. Pacific Fleet in June 2012."With a crew of approximately 141 sailors, the Mississippi will conduct a multitude of missions while maintaining proficiency of the latest capabilities of the submarine fleet," the Submarine Group Seven said in its statement.The vessel's max submerged speed is 34 knots and it is equipped with 12 vertical missile launchers. It can carry both torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles."The Mississippi's visit is essential to the strengthening and broadening of the U.S. and Republic of Korea’s bilateral relationship, while expanding the existing strong Navy-to-Navy bond," the statement said. (Yonhap)

Jun 13, 2016

Chinese fishing boats fleeing to NK waters

By Rachel LeeChinese fishing boats that have been working illegally in South Korean waters near the inter-Korean sea border are fleeing to the North after the South Korean military began a crackdown last week, according to military sources, Sunday.A military official said that several Chinese vessels, which had been illegally fishing around the estuary of the Han River Thursday, have fled over the border to North Korean waters. The South Korean military cannot enter the North’s territory in accordance with the armistice agreement, signed after the 1950-53 Korean War.“Around 10 ships now remain in South Korean waters despite repeated warnings from us,” the official said.There were more than 20 boats in the area when the South Korean military began operations, Friday, in cooperation with the United Nations Command (UNC) to stop illegal Chinese fishing in the crab-rich military buffer zone.The move has raised concerns over a possible accidental clash between the two Koreas as it may cause resistance from Pyongyang. The military tensions remain high in the area, which i

Jun 12, 2016

Defense ministry demands 5.3-pct increase in defense budget for 2017

The Ministry of National Defense has demanded a 5.3 percent on-year increase in its defense budget for 2017 as it plans to accelerate efforts to bolster the welfare of military conscripts and build up the country's air defense system, the ministry said Friday.The ministry has submitted its defense budget demand to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, requesting a budget of 40.87 trillion won (US$35.18 billion) for next year, according to a statement. The defense budget for this year stands at 38.8 trillion won.The budget increase reflects welfare plans to hike the salary of military conscripts by 10 percent and to expand psychological counseling services for the conscripts, the statement said.The 2017 budget plan also includes a fund of 1.6 trillion won to be spent in the on-going long-haul drive to build an indigenous air defense system. The Korean Air and Missile Defense and Kill Chain, which aims to be complete by the mid-2020's, is part of a broader plan to regain Seoul's wartime operational control of its troops from Washington.The money being requested for the air defense syst

Jun 10, 2016

Will military robots stave off inter-Korean conflict?

South Korea should capitalize on its evolving robotics technology to cope with future combat operations, a local researcher said Wednesday, noting that ground-based military robots would put the country at an advantage in a potential conflict with poorly-equipped North Korean forces.Kim Do-jong, a researcher at the state-run Agency for Defense Development, said in his latest research paper that the South can utilize robots as part of its "reverse asymmetric weapons systems" to counter the North's military threats.Reverse asymmetric weapons refer to military equipment that the communist state cannot develop due to its technological limitations.Kim's report on the development of military robots will be officially presented at an academic conference on military science and technology, which will be held on Thursday and Friday on the southern resort island of Jeju."Taking into account North Korea's trends of developing (robots), (South Korea) can take advantage of robots as crucial reverse asymmetric military forces in the future," Kim wrote in the report.He pointed out that frontline un

Jun 8, 2016

S. Korea conducts maritime drills to protect Dokdo

South Korea's military and coast guard on Wednesday began two-day maritime drills aimed at better safeguarding the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo, amid Japan's persistent sovereignty claim.The South Korean military mobilized some 10 vessels, P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft and Lynx antisubmarine helicopters, along with Marine Corps personnel for the maneuvers in the East Sea, military officials said.The drills are being staged based on a scenario under which foreign forces are making an illicit attempt to land on Dokdo, military officials said.Since 1986, the South Korean military has been conducting such drills twice a year to strengthen its troops' capabilities to effectively fend off foreign forces encroaching on its territory.Tokyo has continued to make claims on Dokdo in its state-approved school textbooks and various government documents, including a diplomatic white paper.Tokyo's repeated claims to Dokdo have been a festering source of friction between the two neighboring countries, particularly when the two sides seek to enhance their security cooperation in the fac

Jun 8, 2016

Russia, China share concern about THAAD deployment in S. Korea

Senior officials from Russia and China held talks in Beijing and shared concerns about the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system to South Korea, according to China's official media on Tuesday.The talks, led by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Kong Xuanyou, China's assistant foreign minister, were held on Monday, on the same day the U.S. and China began their high-level talks in Beijing.During the Monday talks, Russia and China expressed their "firm opposition" to the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to South Korea, China's Xinhua news agency reported.In the wake of North Korea's fourth nuclear test and the launch of a long-range rocket earlier this year, South Korea and the U.S. started formal talks on deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to South Korea to better defend Seoul from Pyongyang's growing threats.For South Korea, the decision to adopt the U.S. missile system was based on its national security interests to enhance its defense posture against North Korea's advances in nuc

Jun 7, 2016
previous page
416417418419420
next page

Most Read in South Korea