South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea working to forge military cooperation pact with China: defense ministry

Korea is working on a plan to forge a military cooperation pact with China, the defense ministry said Monday, in what appears to be an effort to soften the possible backlash a similar accord with Japan could cause. Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said that South Korea and China have shared the need for a mutual logistical support treaty for years as the two countries have conducted joint maritime exercises for humanitarian search and rescue operations. Kim also said South Korea already signed such a treaty with Russia in 2009. The pact, known as the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement or Mutual Logistic Support Agreement, calls for exchanging most common types of support, such as food, fuel, transportation, ammunition and equipment, during peacekeeping and other operations. South Korea has also pushed to conclude one with Japan, which would mark the first-ever military agreement between the two countries since Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea. But the government has been cautious because forging a military pact with the former colonial ruler could cau

May 21, 2012

Korea to map out plan to counter bioterrorism

Korea plans to set up a five-year plan to better protect itself from possible biological terrorist attacks, the country's public health and safety agency said Monday. The 2013-2017 plan calls for extensive research and development (R&D) to create vaccines and antidotes, quick detection and precise diagnosis of harmful agents, and the collection of related information through international cooperation, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. It said that the plan calls for utilizing the latest nano-biotech and advanced convergence technologies to effectively cope with threats, and stockpile vaccines and drugs. As part of the countermeasure initiative, the KCDC plans to authorize clinical tests on anthrax so drugs can be developed locally by 2013. In addition, Seoul said it wants to enhance nationwide monitoring for harmful agents by developing advanced detection kits. The public health agency said that it will continuously receive input from experts in the field and push forward necessary R&D to protect the country and people from potential b

May 21, 2012

Defense chief shelves plan to visit Japan, cautious about military pact

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Thursday he has postponed a plan to visit Japan this month and will take a cautious approach toward signing a military pact with Tokyo. Korea and Japan have been in final stages of talks to reach two agreements on sharing military intelligence and logistics, in what would be the first such pacts since Japan's colonial rule over Korea ended in 1945. Seoul's defense ministry said on May 8 that Kim planned to visit Japan this month. "I had planned to sign a General Security of Military Information Agreement when I visit Japan in May, but decided not to visit in May due to concerns about handling the issue with more haste than caution," Kim told Rep. Park Ji-won, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party, during a meeting earlier in the day. Kim's statements were quoted by Park's spokesperson, Lee Eon-joo. "As public attention is high on a military pact with Japan, I will not handle the matter with more haste than caution but handle it throughout discussions at the National Assembly," Kim was quoted as telling Park. Offi

May 18, 2012

Third high-altitude spy plane delivered for deployment

The Air Force has taken delivery of a third advanced surveillance plane from U.S. aircraft giant Boeing on Thursday, officials said, to strengthen South Korea's capacity to carry out aerial surveillance of North Korea. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a statement the Air Force will soon deploy its third E-737 Airborne Early Warning and Control plane, dubbed "Peace Eye" in South Korea. In 2006, South Korea reached a US$1.6 billion deal with Boeing to buy four modified versions of the high-altitude surveillance aircraft. The first two planes were delivered to the Air Force last year. The DAPA said that under Boeing's supervision, Korea Aerospace Industries, a local aerospace company, manufactured the radar system and other electronic parts for the third E-737. The E-737, equipped with a sophisticated radar system called a Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array, can detect and monitor up to 1,000 airborne or surface targets simultaneously. (Yonhap)

May 17, 2012

White House dismisses call for East Coast missile base

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The White House made clear Tuesday that it opposes the proposed construction of a missile defense base along the East Coast to counter threats from North Korea and Iran. In a statement, the White House said the call by the House Armed Services Committee, dominated by Republicans, is "premature." Last week, the panel passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013. It calls for the U.S. to build a third missile defense site on the East Coast to beef up the capability to intercept possible intercontinental ballistic missiles from North Korea and Iran. The U.S. now has missile defense bases in California and Alaska. "The Administration is disappointed, however, with the many provisions in this bill that impede the ability of the Secretary of Defense to carry out the 2012 defense strategic guidance," the Office of Management and Budget at the White House said. "Section 223, which would require a missile defense site on the East Coast of the United States, is premature because the Administration has not identifie

May 16, 2012

US skeptical of Seoul's longer-range missile ambition: ex-official

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States is skeptical of South Korea's push to extend its ballistic missile range, according to a former top Pentagon official. Michele Flournoy, who served as under secretary of defense for policy until February, emphasized that countering North Korea's missile threats is a matter to be handled from the perspective of the alliance. "We should approach that as a problem for the alliance. We should look at not only what capabilities does South Korea need but also what capabilities do we as an alliance need," she told Yonhap News Agency after a forum Tuesday on U.S. defense strategy at the American Enterprise Institute. Flournoy, who while in office took part in a sensitive discussion with Seoul on that matter, said South Korea can explore ways to maximize the effect of the alliance before using its resources to build its own extended-range missile system. "We have such a close alliance, and political commitment is so rock-solid," she said. "I think that there are better ways to solve the problem." South Korea is prohibited from developin

May 16, 2012

Korean, US fighter jets practice pilot rescue in aerial maneuver

Fighter jets from the Korean and U.S. air forces staged intensive exercises Tuesday simulating search and rescue missions of pilots in war situations, Air Force officials said Tuesday. The Tuesday exercises are part of annual, 12-day joint aerial maneuvers by the two air forces to test their ability to fight against North Korea in event of war, as the North's saber-rattling increases. About 50 warplanes, including a U.S. aerial refueling aircraft, are taking part in the Max Thunder exercise, which will run through Friday. On Tuesday, a squadron of "enemy" forces including Korean F-15K and F-5F fighters engaged with U.S. warplanes labeled the "friendlies" in the exercises, Air Force officials said. Gen. Park Shin-kyu, commander of the South Korean Air Force Operations Command, flew an F-5F fighter, while Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force flew a U.S. fighter jet Tuesday, according to the officials. Hundreds of pilots were mobilized for the drill over the southwestern airspace of the Korean Peninsula. Training missions include simulatin

May 15, 2012

US lawmakers push for tactical nukes in Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- A U.S. congressional committee is pressuring the Obama administration to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. The House Armed Services Committee, dominated by Republicans, approved an amendment to the fiscal 2013 national defense authorization bill Thursday that calls for the re-introduction of the sensitive weapons to South Korea, according to Foreign Policy magazine. It also would require Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to submit a report on the feasibility and logistics of redeploying nuclear weapons to South Korea, added the magazine. Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), who reportedly sponsored the amendment, and his staff were not available to confirm the report. "We in the last many years have appealed to China to help us negotiate with North Korea to bring them in line in the quest for peace in the world... China has now embarked on selling nuclear components to North Korea," Franks was quoted as saying in the committee's markup. The North has carried out two underground nuclear tests, in 2

May 12, 2012

Korea, US launch air defense exercise

The South Korean and U.S. air forces began a large-scale, regular joint maneuver Monday to sharpen their ability to work together in simulated war situations, officials said, amid growing concerns that North Korea may conduct a third nuclear test. About 60 warplanes from the allies, including a U.S. aerial refueling aircraft, are taking part in the annual Max Thunder exercise, which will run through May 18, Seoul's military officials said. Hundreds of pilots were mobilized for the drill over the southwestern airspace of the Korean Peninsula, Air Force officials said. Training missions include simulating air battles with four or eight jets, air refueling involving a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft and neutralizing an enemy's air defense system in case of an all-out war, officials said. "The drill will display our readiness and joint air firepower with the U.S. that can immediately retaliate in case of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula," an Air Force official said. There is growing speculation that North Korea may stage another provocation, including

May 7, 2012

Korea deploys new missile capable of hitting anywhere in NK

South Korea has deployed a new long-range cruise missile that puts nuclear and missile sites in the entire North Korean territory within striking distance, defense ministry officials said Thursday, amid growing security jitters sparked by the North's botched rocket launch. The new, home-grown cruise missile has a range of "more than 1,000 kilometers and can immediately strike anywhere in North Korea," said Maj. Gen. Shin Won-sik, the senior official in charge of policy planning at the ministry. "While maintaining unwavering readiness with this longer-range weaponry, our military will firmly and thoroughly retaliate if North Korea conducts a reckless provocation." Shin did not give the name of the new cruise missile, apparently for an intelligence matter, but South Korea has started manufacturing the surface-to-surface Hyunmu-3C with a range of up to 1,500 km since 2010. The previous versions of Hyunmu-3A and Hyunmu-3B, with a range of 500 km and 1,000 km each, were put into service. Together with the new cruise missile, the military has also deployed a new tactica

Apr 19, 2012

Defense