South Korea - The Korea Times

No problem with S. Korea's longer-range missiles, if defensive: Sen. Levin

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that he would not take issue with South Korea's development of longer-range missiles if they are deployed in a "defense and non-threatening" way. "If they want to do it in a non-threatening way, totally defensive way at its own expense, I don't have any problem going on," he said at the National Press Club. Korea's missile capability is a sensitive diplomatic issue with its top ally, the U.S., and also a politically charged topic at home. Seoul can't possess ballistic missiles with the range of more than 300 km (186 miles) and a payload heavier than 500 kg (1,102 pounds) under a 2001 agreement with Washington. South Korea's conservatives have been calling for the extension of the range to cover all of North Korea. The Lee Myung-bak administration has formally raised the issue and it is in consultations with the U.S. government, officials say. Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said he does not have "any strong feeling" on Seoul's push if it is done in a way that "shoul

Jun 13, 2012

US to deploy more attack helicopters, missile assets in S. Korea

The U.S. military in South Korea is asking the Pentagon to deploy more attack helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft and missile assets here to boost its war-fighting capabilities, its top commander said Tuesday. The remarks by Gen. James Thurman come at a time of renewed tension on the Korean Peninsula amid concerns North Korea may soon conduct a third nuclear test or carry out another military provocation against South Korea under its new and untested leader Kim Jong-un. "In order to enhance war-fighting capabilities, I have asked for prioritization to receive an additional attack and reconnaissance squadron to bring to our combat aviation brigade," Thurman said at a forum in Seoul. "And I have asked for increased capabilities in terms of theater ballistic missile defense," said the commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) at the forum hosted by the Association of ROK (South Korea) Army. Thurman, who assumed the post last July, said he also asked the U.S. government to deploy one aviation battalion to its 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and increase manning levels and

Jun 12, 2012

Army to appoint first mixed-race officers

The Korean Army said Monday that two of its cadets with multicultural backgrounds are soon to become non-commissioned officers (NCOs), the first such cases since the Army's foundation. Cadet officers Bae Jun-hyeong, 22, and Han Ki-yeop, 21, will undergo a 12-week training course next month before being appointed as NCOs, Army officials said. The two cadets said that they will work hard to become respected members of the military and set a good example for the other soldiers. Both are from multicultural families: Bae's mother is of Vietnamese origin and Han's mother is from Japan. This is the first time for anyone from such households to join the ranks of non-commissioned officers in the South Korean military, officials said. There are currently 179 soldiers from multicultural backgrounds serving in the Army, while there are nine in the Navy and five in the Air Force, according to Army officials. The figure has been on the rise since new regulations in 2009 called for the amendment of a previous military service law that banned those who clearly appear to have a mixe

Jun 11, 2012

Military vows relentless retaliation if provoked by North

South Korea's military warned Monday that it would "immediately punish the core forces of provocations" if provoked again by North Korea, as the North vowed to attack major South Korean media for insulting its top leader. The South's warning came after its Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) held an unscheduled readiness exercise earlier in the day to check out its defense posture involving its ballistic missile command, front-line artillery units and the Air Force. The South's military, which remains on heightened alert following a series of deadly North Korean provocations, vows to retaliate if attacked. Seoul, the South Korean capital city of more than 10 million people, lies within range of North Korean artillery and rockets. "Throughout today's readiness exercise, we confirmed that our military has the ability and posture to immediately punish the core forces of provocations if provoked by the enemy," Maj. Gen. Lee Young-joo said. Early last month, the North's military said its artillery has been targeting the Seoul headquarters of some major South Korean media outlets, w

Jun 11, 2012

US to sell $325 mil. of advanced weapons to Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States is in the process of selling hundreds of cutting-edge weapons to Korea, a deal expected to be worth $325 million, according to a defense agency here. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has notified Congress of possible sales to South Korea of 367 cluster bombs and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training. The bombs, formally the sensor-fuzed CBU-105D/B Wind Corrected Munition Dispenser (WCMD), are typically dropped from aircraft and release bomblets over a wider area against such targets as tanks, bunkers and parked aircraft. Each bomb's 40 Skeet warheads scans the surface for targets and if none is found they self-destruct, providing a "clean" battlefield and thus skirting the 2008 Oslo convention that bans cluster munitions that can harm civilians later, according to the contractor, Textron Defense Systems of Massachusetts. The agency said Korea has requested the sales, which would include 28 Captive Air Training Missiles and seven Dummy Air Training Missiles. The estimated cost is $325

Jun 6, 2012

US military procurement from Korea up 12.6% in 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The U.S. military purchased more than $1.1 billion worth of Korean goods and services in the 2011 fiscal year, an increase of 12.6 percent from $991 million in the previous year, according to a report released Sunday. In its annual report to Congress, based on statistics from the Federal Procurement Data System, the Defense Department said it spent a total of $374 billion for procurement activities for the year until September 2011. "Of that amount, approximately $24 billion, or 6.4 percent, was expended on purchases from foreign entities," it read. The department spent $1.11 billion on supplies, services, fuel and construction from South Korea, making the key Asian ally its 7th largest vendor to the U.S. military. South Korea's share of U.S. military procurement also rose from 3.5 percent to 4.7 percent. In its report for the 2010 fiscal year, the Pentagon purchased goods worth $3,829.25 from North Korea, without offering specifics. No purchases were reported from the North in 2011. The report showed 60 countries, including South Korea, bough

Jun 4, 2012

Korean marines join US-led maritime exercise

A platoon of Korean marines has left for Hawaii to take part in a major U.S.-led exercise in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, the Marine Corps said Friday. The biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) is set to start in and around the Hawaiian Islands from June 29 to Aug. 3, with 22 nations and 25,000 personnel participating. The Marine Corps has sent observers to the exercise since 2000 but this is the first time for its combatant troops to join the RIMPAC, billed as the world's largest maritime exercise. The Korean marines will carry out joint exercises in a range of scenarios from maritime security operations to sea control, as well as search and rescue operations, the Marine Corps said. Led by the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, 42 ships, six submarines and more than 200 aircraft will participate in the exercise, according to the U.S. military. (Yonhap)

Jun 1, 2012

US military denies parachuting into N. Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The Pentagon on Tuesday dismissed a news report that U.S. commandos have infiltrated North Korea on intelligence-gathering missions. "It was misreported that there are U.S. boots on the ground in North Korea," George Little, spokesman for the Department of Defense, told reporters. There have been long-time rumors that the South and North Korean militaries send spies across the border. The two sides remain technically at war, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a ceasefire, not a formal peace treaty. As a legacy, the U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea. "My understanding is that the general's comments were contorted, distorted, misreported and that, you know, there is in no way any substance to the assertion," the Pentagon secretary said. He added the U.S. and Washington work closely "on a regular basis, on a daily basis, to develop all the information we can to assess North Korean intentions and capabilities." "That is a fundamental responsibility we have. That's very important, and we'll continue to do that," he added. In Seoul, meanwhi

May 30, 2012

Ministry calls for stern punishment of Army officer over criticism of Lee

The defense ministry called Tuesday for stern punishment for an Army officer indicted over his Twitter posting critical of President Lee Myung-bak, saying the act of criticizing the supreme commander of the armed forces impedes military order and discipline. Military prosecutors have put the 29-year-old captain on trial recently on charges of insulting a superior in connection with his Twitter posting criticizing President Lee with indecent language. The indictment was seen by some critics as restricting freedom of expression. But defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the officer deserves stern punishment. "It is an act of impeding basic military order and discipline for a soldier to criticize the supreme commander of the armed forces. This is a case that deserves punishment of course," Kim told reporters. Superiors not only mean immediate ones, but also cover the highest level in the chain of command, he said. "The military court will proceed with a trial according to law and procedures," Kim said. Kim said the ministry also plans to deal sternly with any soldi

May 29, 2012

US to sell Seahawk choppers, Harpoon missiles to Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States is moving to sell eight advanced multi-purpose helicopters and 18 naval missiles to Korea, worth nearly $1.1 billion, according to a defense agency here. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has notified Congress of possible sales to South Korea of eight MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission helicopters, along with related parts, equipment, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1 billion. It also informed Congress of another plan for a foreign military sale to Seoul for 18 UGM-84L Harpoon anti-ship missiles to be carried by submarines. The expected cost is $84 million. The agency, affiliated with the Defense Department, said the possible deals come at the request of the Korean government. It noted Seoul is a key regional ally of Washington. "It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist our Korean ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability, which will contribute to an acceptable military balance in the area," it said. The agency added there will be no adverse impact

May 25, 2012

Defense