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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Defense chief calls for safety measures

By Jung Sung-ki Defense Minister Kim Tae-young directed all branches of the country’s armed forces Thursday to implement safety measures to prevent accidents during training exercises. Kim apologized for the recent fatal accidents involving service members of the Army, Navy and Air Force, Kim’s spokesman said. “Minister Kim expressed deep concern over a series of accidents in recent days during a meeting with senior ministry officials,” ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said. “He directed each military service to devise practical measures to prevent accidents.” The Ministry of National Defense itself will also look for ways to prevent the recurrence of fatal accidents, the spokesman said. The military has been hit by a series of accidents in recent weeks, raising questions of a lack of discipline or proper safety measures. On Wednesday, an inflatable boat with eight Army engineers on board capsized during a river-crossing training exercise on the southern Han River. The soldiers were conducting a training exercise ahead of the Hoguk exercise slated for next

Nov 18, 2010

US Marine won’t participate in exercise in West Sea

By Jung Sung-ki The U.S. Marine and Navy will not participate in the forthcoming amphibious training exercise with their South Korean counterparts scheduled for later this month, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced Tuesday a plan to hold a large-scale military drill from Nov. 22-30 with the participation of about 70,000 troops from all the four services of the South Korean Armed Forces. As part of the “Hoguk” exercise, the South Korean and U.S. Marines and Navies had originally planned a joint amphibious exercise in the western waters of the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. Marine’s expeditionary force from Okinawa, Japan, was scheduled to take part in the landing exercise. A local newspaper speculated that the cancellation of participation by the U.S. Marines in the exercise comes amid repeated complaints from China about joint maritime maneuvers conducted by U.S. and South Korean forces in the West Sea. Beijing considers most of the West Sea, or Yellow Sea, to be its territory, despite international agree

Nov 18, 2010

3 soldiers killed in boat capsizing

By Jung Sung-ki Three soldiers died and one was left in critical condition after their boat capsized during a river-crossing drill on the southern Han River, the Army said Wednesday. The small inflatable boat carrying eight engineering troops overturned in the river near Yeoju, about 105 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at around 3:50 p.m., the spokesman said. All of eight soldiers were recovered immediately, but three were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, he said. Another soldier remains unconscious, while the remaining four were not in critical condition, he added. All of the crew were wearing life jackets at the time of the accident. “The boat didn’t have an engine, so the soldiers were rowing the boat,” the spokesman said. “The boat could have capsized due to the strong current.” Army investigators are probing the exact cause of the accident, the latest in a series of accidents involving servicemembers in recent days. On Nov. 10, a Navy patrol ship collided with a fishing boat in waters off the southern island of Jeju, killing three sailors. Two

Nov 18, 2010

Three killed in capsizing

By Jung Sung-ki Three soldiers died and one was left in critical condition after their boat capsized during a river-crossing drill on the southern Han River, the Army said Wednesday. The small inflatable boat carrying eight engineering troops overturned in the river near Yeoju, about 105 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at around 3:50 p.m., the spokesman said. All of eight soldiers were recovered immediately, but three were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, he said. The remaining four were not in critical condition, he added. All of the crew were wearing life jackets at the time of the accident. “The boat didn’t have an engine, so the soldiers were rowing the boat,” the spokesman said. “The boat could have capsized due to the strong current.” Army investigators are probing the exact cause of the accident, the latest in a series of accidents involving servicemembers in recent days. On Nov. 10, a Navy patrol ship collided with a fishing boat in waters off the southern island of Jeju, killing three sailors. Two days later, an RF-4C surveillance aircr

Nov 17, 2010

Army should develop smart power

By Jung Sung-ki It’s time for the South Korean Army to develop “soft power” ― the ability to attract and persuade rather than force, a defense experts said Tuesday. In a security forum in Seoul, retired Gen. Lee Hee-won, a special advisor to the President for defense and security affairs, called for building a “smart” Army to better adapt to changes. “The ROK Army is facing a new environment that requires a new paradigm of strategy,” Lee, former deputy commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, said in a keynote speech at the 2010 Army Policy Forum at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul. “Against that backdrop, the Army should make efforts to combine hard and soft power. These efforts will help the Army to build a ‘smart, future-oriented’ structure, as well as create a synergy effect to better respond to situations both in peacetime and wartime,” he said. He elaborated that the Army should be able to conduct multi-roles in a more efficient way and have an advanced culture. “While maintaining hard power, the military should streamline its structu

Nov 16, 2010

NK pilot defector promoted to colonel

By Jung Sung-ki A former North Korean Air Force pilot who defected to South Korea in 1996 has been promoted to the rank of colonel, according to the Republic of Korea Air Force Tuesday. On May 23, 1996, Capt. Lee Chul-su defected to the South by flying south over the Yellow Sea in an aging MiG-19 fighter to land at Suwon air base. Lee was the second North Korean fighter operator that had defected to the South since Capt. Lee Ung-pyong defected and landed his MiG-19 at a South Korean airfield in 1983. Lee had served as a senior pilot in North Korea’s 1st aviation division. After defecting, Lee held the rank of major and served with the ROK Air Force’s combat development group and other pilot training organizations. He has lectured on various subjects including North Korean flying skills, and tactics.

Nov 16, 2010

Korean female Army officer named UN PKO policymaker

By Jung Sung-ki A South Korean female Army officer will be dispatched this week to the United Nations’ peacekeeping operations bureau as a chief policy and doctrine developer, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. This is the first time that a female officer of the South Korean military has been appointed as a member of the U.N. Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO), the ministry said in a news release. Lt. Col. Choi Kyung-hee will depart Tuesday, it said. “Choi will be dispatched as an officer in charge of developing policies and doctrines,” it said. “She will serve with the DPKO for two years.” Previously, she served with a South Korean contingent in East Timor between 2002 and 2003 and also worked at a U.N. mission office in Liberia between 2008 and 2009, according to the release. Currently, there are three South Korean officers at the DPKO. “Choi’s dispatch will further help to increase South Korea’s role in U.N. peacekeeping operations,” a ministry spokesman said. Currently, more than 600 South Korean troops and military officials hav

Nov 15, 2010

2 airmen killed in spy jet crash

By Jung Sung-ki Two pilots of an RF-4C surveillance aircraft were killed Friday, after the 40-year-old plane crashed into a mountain near Imsil, North Jeolla Province, during a routine training mission, the Air Force said Friday. The body of one pilot and the wreckage of the aircraft were found near the site, a spokesman for the Air Force said. “A search-and-rescue team found the body of one pilot and the aircraft wreckage on the mountain,” the spokesman told reporters. “It is presumed that the copilot was killed in the jet crash.” The spy plane took off from an air base in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, at 11:50 a.m. and disappeared from radar around 12:30 p.m., it said. Search-and-rescue helicopters were dispatched to the area, while an investigation team led by Vice Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kim Yoong-hong was set up, according to the statement. South Korea introduced RF-4C planes, modified from the F-4 Phantom II of the U.S. Air Force, in the early 1990s. Equipped with surveillance cameras and radar systems, the aircraft fly missions near the inter-Kor

Nov 12, 2010

No waver in commitment to security of S. Korea

By Jung Sung-ki It was like the eve of a big festival. At the Collier Field House in the South Post of Yongsan Garrison, U.S. soldiers and staff were busy with setting up a stage, while a military band was rehearsing, playing the national anthems of the United States and Republic of Korea and other songs. That was the scene just hours before U.S. President Barrack Obama was to visit the gym and meet the men and women in uniform serving in South Korea. Obama arrived in Seoul Wednesday to attend the G20 Summit. The day also marked Veterans’ Day in the U.S. “Any President’s visit can be honored,” Sgt. Juarez of the 501st Military Intelligence Brigade told The Korea Times. “It’s a big thing. We have a chance to meet the President at this close distance.” The gym was getting packed with about 1,400 U.S. servicemembers making their way to their seats as Obama’s appearance, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., was nearing. A group of Korean and U.S. Korean War veterans who participated in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir sat near the podium, while several South Korean generals

Nov 11, 2010

Cabinet approves troop dispatch to UAE

By Jung Sung-ki The Cabinet approved a plan Tuesday to send a battalion of combat troops to the United Arab Emirates next year on a two-year mission to support the training of the Arab nation’s service members. The Ministry of National Defense last week announced that about 130 special warfare forces would be dispatched to the Emirates. The decision to send troops to the UAE is part of broader defense cooperation plans between the two nations, following Seoul’s successful winning of a $20 billion contract to build four nuclear reactors there. Ministry officials say the troop dispatch to the UAE would promote South Korea's interests in a non-conflict environment, where economic ties would also benefit. The proposed plan, subject to approval by the National Assembly, is expected to trigger controversy in parliament as opposition parties have vowed to vote against it, citing safety concerns for the troops. The ruling Grand National Party has 171 seats in the 299-member legislature, while the main opposition Democratic Party holds 87 seats.

Nov 9, 2010
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