South Korea and the United States were to begin two days of biannual defense talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss regional security situations and pending alliance issues, the defense ministry said. During the 20th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), the two sides plan to discuss "major pending security issues," such as the assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and the policy coordination on North Korea, according to the ministry. The meeting comes two da

The recent missile tests President Moon Jae-in oversaw and praised marked a milestone that experts say shows a rapidly growing South Korean missile capability. Here are key takeaways on what it means for North Korea and foreign powers. Fending off North Korea South Korea is the first non-nuclear state to have tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile. SLBMs -- which have also been developed by China, France, India, Russia, the UK and the US -- are designed to deliver a fatal second strik

Six Army soldiers and three Marines have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,723, the defense ministry said Friday. The three Marines in Gimpo, west of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after an infection was reported at their base, according to the ministry. Among the Army soldiers, five -- one from the eastern county of Inje, two from the western city of Incheon and one each from Paju, north of Seoul,

Veterans Affairs Minister Hwang Ki-chul left for Britain on Friday for events to mark the 70th anniversary of a Korean War battle and remember the sacrifices made by the British soldiers during the conflict, his office said. The trip was arranged on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Imjin River on April 22-25, 1951, during which the 29th British Infantry Brigade headed off the invasion of three Chinese infantry divisions into Seoul. During the five-day visit, Hwang will

The US military in South Korea conducted a surgical strike drill simulating targeted attacks on major North Korean facilities, officials said Friday, amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the North's missiles launches. The Exercise Teak Knife was conducted at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sept. 13, which provided opportunities for US special tactics airmen "to practice skillsets used in special operations across the Indo-Pacific," the US Special O

The defense ministry on Thursday declined comment on North Korea's branding of South Korea's new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) as a "clumsy product," only saying that the country has been steadily strengthening defense capabilities. On Monday, Jang Chang-ha, the chief of the North's Academy of National Defense, said in a statement South Korea's newly unveiled SLBM looked like a "poor weapon without all its shape," questioning its underwater capabilities. Asked f

The Air Force has formed a space committee jointly with civilian experts to chart a path for South Korea to expand its presence in space and strengthen defense capabilities against emerging threats, officials said Thursday. An inauguration ceremony for the 43-member "Air Force Space Power Development Committee" was set to be held at the Air Force headquarters in the central city of Gyeryong, officials said. Co-headed by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho and the Korea Aerospace R

A hit Netflix series exploring the culture of abuse among South Korea’s enlisted soldiers is fueling calls for the military to get tougher on rights violations, just as a military task force in charge of reform is set to wrap up its work. “D.P.,” short for Deserter Pursuit, aired Aug. 27 and is one of the top shows in Korea. It looks at the country’s mandatory conscription system, and physical and mental abuse in the military take center stage. Most of this abuse takes

Four Army soldiers and four airmen have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,681, the defense ministry said Friday. Three airmen in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a virus case was reported at their base, while an Air Force officer in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was found to have been infected after a business trip, according to the ministry. In the west

  President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that South Korea's upgrading of its missile capabilities can help deter North Korean provocation.    He was speaking to officials at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) following the successful underwater test-launch of an indigenous submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at a local test site.    Hours earlier, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea. Moon stressed that his country had conducted the SL

South Korean health care startup U-Medi on Wednesday hosted a commemorative event marking the 71st anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation in Camp Humphreys at Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The event, held in Pyeongtaek Ray Duke Memorial Library inside the military post, is the first joint event of the United States Forces Korea and private sector entities, according to U-Medi Chief Executive Officer Ha Won-beom. U-Medi, the Incheon-based startup, said the commemorative event is aimed at

Three Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,665, the defense ministry said Wednesday. One soldier in Ansan, south of Seoul, and another in the western city of Incheon were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, while one in the central county of Jincheon was found to have been infected after a family member tested positive, according to the ministry. Nationwide, South Korea re

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to hold trilateral talks in Tokyo on Tuesday about efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea, amid renewed tensions over the recalcitrant regime's recent missile launches. The talks between Seoul's nuclear negotiator, Noh Kyu-duk and his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, come after the North test-fired a new type of long-range cruise missile over the weekend amid signs of its

Six American soldiers and three family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. Four of the service members and a family member arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, while the others arrived at Incheon international airport, west of the capital, via commercial flights between Aug. 26 and Sept. 6, according to the US military. The latest cases raised the t

S. Korea has better submarines to launch missiles, N. Korea has better missiles