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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.

3-Star General May Head USFK

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter A three-star general is likely to assume command of the U.S. Force Korea (USFK) after the planned command rearrangements designed to shift the roles of American forces here to naval- and air-centric supporting ones are completed, sources said Monday. Currently, a four-star Army general is in charge of the 28,500-member USFK. The commander also serves as chief of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the U.N. Command (UNC). But the four-star general will move to the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) in Hawaii by 2012 when South Korea takes back wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the USFK, as part of a realignment of U.S. forces in Asia and the Pacific, they said. The general then would likely take charge of all U.S. Army forces in the Asia-Pacific region. "South Korea wants a four-star general to take command of the USFK even after the OPCON transition in 2012 as it is not only of U.S. strategic importance on the peninsula but also deals with a stronger ROK-U.S. alliance," an American military source here told The

Jan 11, 2010

Exclusive S. Korea to Transfer UAV, Missile Technologies to UAE

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter Korea promised to transfer technology for its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following its successful bid to build four nuclear reactors in the Middle East nation, a government source said Thursday. Defense Minister Kim Tae-young made the commitment during his visit to the UAE in November to discuss bilateral defense issues as well as to support the landmark $20 billion deal, the source told The Korea Times. Kim also offered to provide key arms technologies related to the homegrown Hyunmoo ballistic and cruise missiles to the UAE as part of efforts to expand defense cooperation between the two countries, he said on condition of anonymity. Technology on an electromagnetic pulse bomb (EMP) is among the key items for cooperation promised by Korea, said the source. The state-funded Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has been pushing to develop the bomb capable of neutralizing an enemy's command-and-control, communications and defense radar systems. EMPs can severely disrupt electronic equipment, whi

Jan 7, 2010

Bidding for Military Communication Network System in Mudslinging

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter A 4-trillion-won project to equip the nation's armed forces with the most up-to-date military communication network system is in rough-and-tumble shape due to heated competition between bidders. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is conducting an in-house audit of the bidding for the program ― the development of the Tactical Information Communication Network (TICN) ― after two bidders filed complaints with the agency over alleged foul play by their competitor. As a result, the already long-delayed program, which was initiated in 2003, is expected to see a further delay. The TICN is a cutting-edge digital command-and-control and sensor-to-shooter battlefield system expected to replace the existing SPIDER communication systems run by the Army by 2020. It is designed to advance into a high-speed, large-capacity, long-distance wireless relay transmission system. SPIDER can only transmit still images and voice data, but TICN allows for the integrated transmission of video, image and voice data at more than 10 times the cu

Jan 6, 2010

Korea Sets Goal of $1.5 Bil. of Arms Sales This Year

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has set a goal of achieving $1.5 billion in defense exports this year, up 28 percent from last year's 1.17 billion, the largest amount ever. ``To this end, pan-government efforts to pioneer worldwide defense markets and come up with related measures will be implemented,'' a DAPA spokesman said. Last year's exports marked a 13 percent increase from the previous year's $1.03 billion, he said. Key export items included depot level maintenance for submarines, submarine combat systems, wheeled armored vehicles, spare parts for the KT-1 basic trainer and military communication systems, the spokesman said. About 100 domestic defense companies contributed to expanding arms sales abroad last year, he added. The spokesman said the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet was a key defense good for export next year. The trainer jet, jointly built by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin of the U.S., is competing for a trainer acquisition deal in Singapore, which is expected

Jan 5, 2010

Seoul Wants to Recover War Remains in NK

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter South Korea will discuss with North Korea the repatriation of war remains buried in the North as part of humanitarian efforts, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. Ministry officials said they had established detailed measures for an envisaged inter-Korean joint excavation of the remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, and will propose the plans to the North soon. The joint effort had already been agreed upon by the two Koreas during the second inter-Korean defense ministerial talks in November 2007, according to the officials. Vice Defense Minister Chang Soo-man told reporters, ``The proposal for the joint excavation is also part of efforts to improve ties between the two Koreas.'' ``It's time to take bilateral efforts to improve relations. If North Korea responds to our proposal positively, that will be a great step forward in improving inter-Korean ties,'' Chang said. Earlier in the day, President Lee Myung-bak pledged in his New Year's address that he would prioritize repatriating the remains of fal

Jan 4, 2010

K2 Tank Production Suffers Budget Cut

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The planned production of homegrown K2 Black Panther main battle tanks this year has suffered a major setback due to a reduction of the related budget. The National Assembly passed its 292-trillion-won (some $251 billion) spending plan for 2010, which included 29.5 trillion won in funding for defense, on Dec. 31. The defense budget represents a 3.6-percent increase from last year but a decrease from the original plan proposed by the Ministry of National Defense, which called for a 7.9-percent increase. Among the arms improvement programs, K2 tank production was hit the hardest by the cut. The Assembly slashed 50 billion from the proposed 88.2 billion won for producing the new tanks this year amid reports over technical problems with the tank's "power pack" system. The Agency for Defense Development began field trials of the domestically-built engine and transmission system in July last year but problems emerged during the tests, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Originally, the production of some 390 K2

Jan 3, 2010

Destroyer Named Best Gun Ship

The Yang Man Chun (DH-973) KDX-I class destroyer was recognized as the top gunnery ship of the year, the Navy said Tuesday. The 3,200-ton destroyer of the 3rd Navy Command received the highest score in the annual evaluation of ship-to-air/ship-to-ship firing capability among the Navy's destroyers, frigates and patrol ships, it said in a news release. The ship has a 32-cell strike-length Mk 41 Vertical Launch System for SM-2 Block IIIA area-air defense missiles, a 21-round RAM inner-layer defense missile launcher, a 30mm Goalkeeper close-in weapon system, and a Mk 45 Mod 4 127MM gun. It is also armed with eight Haeseong anti-ship missiles and two triple 324mm anti-submarine torpedo tubes. gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Dec 29, 2009

20 Navy Officers Indicted for Corruption

The Ministry of National Defense announced Tuesday that it will indict 20 officers at the Navy's Gyeryongdae military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province on charges of engaging in irregularities in military equipment acquisition and influence-peddling. The corruption cases resulted in a loss about $670 million won to the state coffers, the ministry said, unveiling the results of its months-long investigation. In one example, a Marine colonel helped a local construction company win a contract from the Navy in 2003 and received 40 million won from the firm in kickbacks. The investigation began in October under the direction of Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, after Lieutenant Commander Kim Young-soo spoke up the irregularities. gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Dec 29, 2009

USFK Offers Child-Friendly Protective Masks

The 2ND Infantry Division of the U.S. Forces Korea has distributed new child-friendly chemical environment protective masks to its servicemembers with children, according to the Stars and Stripes said Monday. The U.S. military newspaper said the move is part of efforts to better protect American children in South Korea from possible chemical and biological attacks by North Korea. ``It's just a [matter of] preparation,'' Army Capt. Allan Garcia, the 2nd Infantry Division's chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear operations officer, was quoted as saying. ``You just never know what the capability … is of [North Korea].'' Garcia said the model being replaced was good only for children 3 and younger, and was ``more like a plastic bag that you put your kids in.'' The new model, however, is good for children 8 and younger and ``looks more like a space suit,'' he said. gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Dec 28, 2009

Korea, UAE Seek Closer Defense Ties

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discussed ways to create a stronger defense relationship last month, officials here said Monday. Defense Minister Kim Tae-young flew to the UAE in November twice to discuss bilateral defense issues as well as to support Seoul's successful bid to win a $20 billion contract to build four nuclear reactors in the Middle Eastern nation, they said. ``Based on a Korea-UAE memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2006, Kim and his UAE counterpart discussed the details of the defense cooperation between the two nations,'' an official at Seoul's Ministry of National Defense said on condition of anonymity. ``The UAE asked South Korea to provide lots of information regarding possible defense cooperation programs.'' The official neither confirmed nor denied a report that both sides had signed an agreement on specific defense cooperation. The UAE sought to review South Korea's battlefield training system using the Military Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES), harbor pro

Dec 28, 2009
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