South Korea - The Korea Times

Military Considers Longer Basic Training

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The military is considering doubling the period of basic military training for conscripts in a bid to fill a possible gap in combat readiness from the planned reduction in service period, sources said Sunday. The idea was first discussed during a meeting of top military brass on Dec. 9, and the Ministry of National Defense is studying follow-up measures, they said. ``We're considering an option to have recruits undergo three to five weeks of additional training following the mandatory five-week basic training,'' a ministry official said, asking not to be named. Follow-up training will focus on allowing recruits to learn specified skills for their jobs, he said. Currently, recruits are required to undergo five weeks of basic military training before their two-year-long compulsory service in the military. South Korea maintains the conscription system in which all able-bodied men over 19 must serve in the military for 24 to 27 months. The military has been studying ways to resolve problems concerning a potential manpower shortage th

Dec 27, 2009

ROK-US Alliance Evolves, Challenges Linger

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The year 2009 saw South Korea and the United States take a new step forward in their strategic military alliance, as they ironed out thorny issues of mutual concern, defense experts say. North Korea's continued, provocative military actions on the peninsula also boosted the importance of the alliance, they added. ``Overall, the development of the alliance was fruitful this year, but there are still issues to be further fine-tuned,'' a defense researcher here told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity. He was apparently referring to Seoul's recent decision to redeploy troops to Afghanistan to help U.S. and other coalition forces fight against terrorists there as a case in point. ``As for the deployment to Afghanistan, which is hailed by the U.S. administration, there are still unresolved issues and questions, such as the appropriate number of troops and the timing of the deployment,'' the researcher said. ``The motion hasn't been approved by the National Assembly and we're not sure that the deployment can go ahead as scheduled in the fi

Dec 24, 2009

Coast Guard Orders 3rd AW139 Helicopter

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter AgustaWestland has signed a contract to deliver a third AW139 medium-twin helicopter to the Korea Coast Guard (KCG), the U.K.- and Italy-based company said Wednesday. On Dec. 10, the first two AW139 maritime patrol helicopters were handed over to the KCG during a ceremony held at Gimpo Airport in Seoul. The latest order represents the sixth AW139 helicopter to be sold to South Korea, the firm said in a news release. Earlier this year, the first AW139 was delivered to the Gangwon Fire Department, and Samsung Corp. recently received its first of two AW139s to be used for VIP and corporate transport. "The contract for a third AW139 helicopter not only demonstrates the expansion of the AW139 into the demanding and rigorous role of offshore search and rescue but indicates how the AW139 is highly regarded by organizations such as the Korea Coast Guard," Andrew Symonds, vice president of the Northeast Asia branch of AgustaWestland, said. The KCG's AW139 will be used for maritime patrol, search-and-rescue (SAR) and emergency medical servi

Dec 23, 2009

Professor Named Defense Reform Chief

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter Professor Hong Kyu-deok of Sookmyung Women's University was named Wednesday as chief of the Ministry of National Defense's defense reform bureau, the ministry said. Hong, 52, who replaces retired major general Kim Kyeong-deok, is the first civilian to take the post, it said. Hong's appointment was construed as an effort by the Lee Myung-bak administration to restructure the defense bureaucracy and strengthen civilian roles in the military, observers say. Hong will oversee the Defense Reform 2020 plans focused on streamlining the manpower-oriented military into a slimmer, stronger version. Under the reform package unveiled in 2005, the military plans to reduce the nation's number of troops from 690,000 to 517,000 by 2020 in stages, while equipping its armed forces with high-tech weapons systems. Hong served as an advisor during President Lee Myung-bak's 2007 campaign and subsequently served as a member of Lee's transition committee. gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Dec 23, 2009

Samsung Thales to Export Military Communication System to Iraq

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter Samsung Thales (STC), a leading electronic defense systems maker in South Korea, has won a contract to export its military communication system to Iraq, the company announced Wednesday. The contract marks the first time a Korean military communication system has been exported, it said in a news release. So far, the country has exported single and small communication devices, such as wireless telegraphs and tactical radios. STC and Samsung SDS signed the contract with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense to provide the defense communication network, which includes a high-speed radio transceiver (HRT21I), to Iraq next year, according to the release. The contract for the first phase of the project is valued at $64 million, it said. The figure exceeds the total value of exports in the field of military communication over the past decade. The second phase contract is expected to be worth over $100 million, it said. The second phase program is to begin in 2011. "The winning of this contract is meaningful because after delivery of the military

Dec 23, 2009

Korean Trainer Gets Safety Certificate

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The KT-1T basic trainer exported to Turkey has received the domestic airworthiness certification, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Tuesday. The KT-1T, produced by the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), is the first Korean aircraft to receive the domestic airworthiness certificate. The certification system took effect in August. Under the system, a DAPA-affiliated committee of airplane experts and technicians monitor, inspect and evaluate procedures related to domestic military aircraft design, production and maintenance to check whether the planes are safe and their specifications meet international standards. Previously, Korea had to pay foreign airworthiness agencies to evaluate its military aircraft and wait for certificates. Less than 10 nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and other NATO member states, have their own airworthiness certification system in place. The KT-1T variant has a few upgrades from the original KT-1 aircraft. The upgrades include a pressurization s

Dec 22, 2009

Seoul to Attend NATO Meeting on Afghanistan

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter South Korea will dispatch a delegation to a NATO-led international conference on Afghanistan to be held early next year, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday. NATO's military committee recently invited Korea to the conference, which will focus discussion on the reconstruction mission of coalition troops in the Central Asian nation, they said. "A general-ranked officer from the Joint Chiefs of Staff will attend the meeting," an official said. "We expect our participation in the conference will help expand relations with NATO member states to a greater extent." Korea plans to send 320 troops to Afghanistan to work with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan next year. The forces will accompany 100 civilian reconstruction workers. The ruling and opposition parties Monday agreed to deal with a motion calling for the troop dispatch during a National Assembly session in February. Opposition parties have opposed the deployment, citing the worsening security situation in Afghanistan. gallantju

Dec 22, 2009

Koreas to Open Modern Military Hot Lines

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter South and North Korea will open new military communication lines across the eastern and western borders, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday. Work to replace older copper cables with fiber-optic ones has been completed, and test trials are scheduled for Dec. 24 and 25, a ministry spokesman said. Last year, the North asked the South to help repair its older military hotlines. In October, Seoul delivered communication equipment and materials worth 950 million won ($819,000) to Pyongyang. The modernization work began on Dec. 1. The spokesman said the modernized lines will help make it easier for both Koreas to exchange information concerning personnel engaged in inter-Korean activities. The inter-Korean military lines, in general, are used to grant permission to South Korean citizens who are travelling to and from the North. Lines across the western part of the border are mostly used for those commuting to a joint industrial complex in the North's border town of Gaeseong, while the east-side lines are used for Hyundai Asan

Dec 22, 2009

UK-Italy Helicopter Maker Vying for Korean Attack Chopper Bids

By Jung Sung-ki Korea Times Correspondent VERGIATE, Italy ― It was a sunny autumn day and the "chop-chop" sound of the rotor blade of a helicopter was heard from the air. A blue and white helicopter was sinking out of the blue sky and approaching the ground. "That's the helicopter for Samsung," Roberto Caprarella, a media relations official of AgustaWestland, an U.K.-Italy helicopter company, said Nov. 11 while leading a tour of a plant here, located about 45 kilometers northwest of Italy's northern city of Milan. The helicopter was the first of the two AW139 medium-sized utility helicopters ordered by Samsung Techwin, a defense business arm of Samsung Group, the largest conglomerate in South Korea, Carprella said. The helicopter, used to transport of Samsung VIPs and top executives, was there for pilot training before final delivery, he said. The other is to be delivered for the first quarter of next year. The helicopter manufacturer believes the order from Samsung, the world's largest conglomerate, is very symbolic and will help further open the door for the comm

Dec 21, 2009

Exclusive S. Korea Plans to Develop Light Attack Helicopter

By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is in favor of developing a homegrown light attack helicopter under the Korea Attack Helicopter (KAH) program, multiple military sources said Sunday. At the same time, the agency plans to purchase foreign heavy attack helicopters under the AH-X initiative. Under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense since May, the DAPA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have been reviewing KAH's operational requirements, which had originally called for a medium-light attack helicopter. Whether or not the KAH could replace the AH-X program was also a key topic. Proponents of the KAH have argued it is possible for the country to develop and produce heavy attack helicopters with technical assistance from a foreign manufacturer. But others say introducing the high/low mix concept of operating both AH-X heavy attack helicopters and a KAH light attack fleet will help enhance operational effectiveness. The National Assembly is reviewing a plan to invest about 3 billion won ($2.6 million) to

Dec 20, 2009

Defense

Defense

Military Considers Longer Basic Training

ROK-US Alliance Evolves, Challenges Linger

Coast Guard Orders 3rd AW139 Helicopter

Professor Named Defense Reform Chief

Samsung Thales to Export Military Communication System to Iraq

Korean Trainer Gets Safety Certificate

Seoul to Attend NATO Meeting on Afghanistan

Koreas to Open Modern Military Hot Lines

UK-Italy Helicopter Maker Vying for Korean Attack Chopper Bids

Exclusive S. Korea Plans to Develop Light Attack Helicopter

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