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Pompeo says Kim meeting reflects commitment to diplomacy
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May 21, 2018 Defense

Ministry dismisses speculation about possible scaling-back of drills with US

South Korea's defense ministry on Monday dismissed growing speculation that Seoul and Washington could scale back their regular summertime military exercise to avoid provoking North Korea. Last week, Pyongyang abruptly suspended high-level inter-Korean talks, taking issue with the ongoing Max Thunder air drills between Seoul and Washington, which it slammed as a "rehearsal for invasion.""There is no change in our stance regarding the combined exercise that is annual and defensive in nature," Cho

US affirms no plan to change USFK size, role

The United States has reaffirmed that it has no plan to change the size of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea, a Seoul official said Friday, amid the growing talk of a potential drawdown in line with ongoing peace efforts.The reaffirmation came at the allies' third round of negotiations on sharing the cost for the upkeep of American forces that have served in the South as a major deterrent against North Korean aggression."While reaffirming its firm security commitment on the Korean Peninsula, the

May 18, 2018
Defense
History of US troops in Korea gains new attention amid talk of their future

A resurgent debate over the future of US Forces Korea is bringing a renewed attention to the history of American troops here that now serve as a key guarantor of security for South Korea.The US troop presence in Korea dates back to 1888, when a small military advisory group of interpreters set foot here after the 1882 Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States of America and Corea (Korea) initiated the countries' exchanges.A larger US military contingent was dispatched to Korea in Se

May 18, 2018
Defense
Defense chief apologizes to Gwangju uprising victims, vows to probe sexual assault allegations

　Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Monday pledged to resolve questions surrounding the military’s helicopter shootings and sexual assault allegations against civilians during the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju in 1980. 　During a meeting with the survivors of pro-democracy movement in Gwangju, Song said that the military would address its every wrongdoing during the former President Chun Doo-hwan‘s crackdown of the pro-democracy movement. 　Song’s remark came after the allegation that the

May 14, 2018
Defense
Navy launches second amphibious assault ship

BUSAN -- South Korea’s military on Monday celebrated the launch of its second amphibious assault vessel, pledging to ratchet up efforts to defend against maritime challenges in surrounding waters. 　Named after South Korea’s southernmost island, the 14,500-ton Marado vessel made its first public debut at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction, a shipbuilder located in Yeongdo, Busan.　　Defense Minister Song Young-moo hosted the launch ceremony, which was attended by top military br

May 14, 2018
Defense
Korea, US set for continued talks on sharing defense cost

South Korea and the US will hold another round of negotiations next week on sharing the cost of maintaining American troops in Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.The third session of the 10th Special Measures Agreement talks between the allies will be held in Washington DC on Monday and Tuesday, it said.The previous ones took place in Honolulu in March and on Jeju Island in April.The two sides plan to have "in-depth consultations" to fine-tune their positions on the basis of discussions

May 11, 2018
Defense
S. Korea, China resume defense policy talks

South Korea and China on Monday held their first working-level defense talks in over two years in Seoul to discuss inter-Korean ties, regional security issues and future bilateral cooperation. Yeo Suk-joo, the policy chief at South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, met with his Chinese counterpart Hu Changming, chief of the Office for International Military Cooperation at the Central Military Commission.It was the first working-level defense policy talks since January 2016 as the meetings we

May 7, 2018
Defense
Ministers visit border islands for discussions on maritime peace zone

Four South Korean ministers traveled to two western border islands on Saturday to solicit residents' opinions over a recent cross-border summit agreement to establish a maritime peace zone, Seoul officials said.Defense Minister Song Young-moo speaks during his visit to a military unit on Saturday. (Yonhap)Song Young-moo, Kang Kyung-wha, Cho Myoung-gyon and Kim Young-choon, the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, unification and oceans, respectively, visited Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands

May 5, 2018
Defense
S. Korean presidential aide rejects talk of US troops reduction

South Korea's top national security adviser on Friday rejected talk of a possible downsizing of US troops on the Korean Peninsula.Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential National Security Office, told reporters after meeting with his US counterpart John Bolton, that such talk was also unhelpful."I think it's unacceptable that the issue of the US Forces Korea keeps being raised," he said before his departure from Dulles Airport near Washington."At my meeting (with Bolton) today, we reaffirmed t

May 5, 2018
Defense
[Breaking] Seoul dismisses possible reduction of US troops in S. Korea

The United States is not considering a reduction in the number of its troops stationed in South Korea, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday, quoting an official from the White House National Security Council.The New York Times earlier reported that US President Donald Trump has instructed the Department of Defense to review a possible reduction of US Forces Korea."A key official from the White House NSC has said the report is not true at all," Yoon Young-chan, c

May 4, 2018
Defense
Moon's adviser denies he called for withdrawal of US troops

A special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in denied Thursday that he called for the withdrawal of US troops from the South.Moon Chung-in, who serves as a foreign policy and national security adviser, sparked controversy this week after he argued that it will be "difficult to justify" the US Forces Korea's continuing presence following the possible signing of a peace treaty between the Koreas.President Moon was quick to reject the idea, saying the troops' presence is a matter of the So

May 4, 2018
Defense
Military seeks speedy implementation of inter-Korean summit deal

South Korea's defense ministry has launched a task force to follow up on the latest inter-Korean summit agreement on easing tensions and building confidence, officials said Friday.It consists of officials at the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as civilian experts."It's a task force for making preparations for follow-up measures to implement the Panmunjom Declaration," a ministry official said. "(We) plan to take advice from an advisory panel of outside experts.

May 4, 2018
Defense
S. Korea military seeks to cut service period to 18 months

　With the two Koreas seeking to ease cross-border tensions following the inter-Korean summit last week, the South Korean Army’s mandatory military service is expected to be cut from 21 to 18 months before 2022 when President Moon Jae-in’s five-year term ends. 　According to the Ministry of National Defense, the military will submit such plans to Moon this month. On the campaign trail, Moon pledged to cut the period of military service and the number of troops. 　If the measures take effect, the A

May 3, 2018
Defense
Pentagon declines to weigh in on USFK withdrawal controversy

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon on Wednesday declined to address a controversy over whether American troops could be pulled from South Korea in the event of a peace treaty with North Korea.The issue emerged as a hot topic after a special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the US troops' presence would be "difficult to justify" if a peace treaty was signed to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War.Moon rejected the idea, saying the US Forces Korea's stationing was an alliance issue that

May 3, 2018
Defense
Minister: S. Korea-US alliance behind inter-Korean summit success

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said Wednesday the country's robust alliance with the United States was a key element behind the success of the inter-Korean summit talks last week.During a meeting with a group of visiting US lawmakers, he also stressed the importance of the time-honored alliance for the future peace process on the peninsula, according to the ministry.The minister expressed hope for a "meaningful outcome" for denuclearization from the upcoming North Korea-US summit a

May 2, 2018
Defense

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