Most Popular
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle
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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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Navy pushes blue-water operations
South Korea’s chief of naval operations on Thursday vowed to bolster blue-water capabilities to handle not only North Korean threats but also a broader range of maritime challenges from overseas.During a security forum in Seoul, Adm. Choi Yoon-hee said he would push to change the paradigm of wartime theater operations for the Navy to assume an active, leading combat role. He also stressed the need for a strategic maneuver fleet.“The Navy will go beyond the current maritime operations concept und
Feb. 7, 2013
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Military commander hints at 'pre-emptive strike' on N. Korea
South Korea's top military commander said Wednesday that his military is ready to make a "pre-emptive strike" against North Korea, even at the risk of a full-scale war, if there are signs that the North may attack using nuclear weapons ahead of its third nuclear test.Gen. Jung Seung-jo, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the remarks during a parliamentary defense meeting convened as tension runs high on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang vowed to conduct a nuclear test in retaliat
Feb. 6, 2013
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Seoul faces tough choices to contain N.K. nuke threat
South Korea faces a tough task in bolstering its deterrence capabilities against a North Korea feared to emerge as a genuine nuclear power if an impending third test is successful.Experts said Seoul and Washington should map out a comprehensive deterrence strategy, stressing that North Korean technology to miniaturize nuclear warheads, along with its ballistic missile capability, would pose a grave threat to security on the peninsula and beyond.Some emphasize a military approach to neutralize th
Feb. 6, 2013
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Defense chief takes flak for leaving Seoul amid N.K. threat
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin left for Saudi Arabia on Monday night for a defense cooperation deal despite growing tensions over North Korea’s preparations for a third nuclear test.Seoul officials defended his three-day visit, saying that the military was fully ready for all possible contingencies. They underscored that the bilateral pact would help bolster Korea’s defense industry and enhance its energy security.“We are all ready prepared for an emergency as we have made all the arrangements fo
Feb. 5, 2013
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S. Korea, U.S. to hold naval exercise amid signs of N. Korean nuclear test
(Yonhap) -- South Korean and U.S. forces will conduct a three-day joint naval exercise next week in the East Sea, military officials here said Saturday, a move seen as a warning to North Korea ahead of its possible nuclear test. "South Korea and the U.S. will launch the joint comprehensive military drills on Monday for a three-day run in the East Sea," a military official said. "It will include diverse exercises for anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and anti-ship training." The communist count
Feb. 2, 2013
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Defense chief calls for early deployment of 800-km missiles
South Korea's defense minister on Thursday ordered an early development and deployment of long-range ballistic missiles that can hit all parts of North Korea. Minister Kim Kwan-jin visited a front-line unit to urge the military to stay vigilant against any provocations from the North after it threatened a third nuclear test in response to the U.N.Security Council sanction for Dec. 12 rocket launch.His inspection came after President Lee Myung-bak warned of "grave consequences" against the North
Jan. 31, 2013
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Japanese media expresses concerns over Naro launch
Japanese media expressed deep concern over Korea’s scientific satellite launch on Wednesday. Major Japanese media reported the news on Thursday, arguing the event could antagonize North Korea.Yomiuri Shimbun said, “North Korea will resist South Korea’s rocket launch. This will be used as an excuse for its third nuclear test in the future.” NHK said, “South Korea is celebrating its first successful satellite launch with the assistance of Russia. Even so, there exists the possibility that North Ko
Jan. 31, 2013
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Korea has low corruption risk in defense sector: report
South Korea has a low risk of corruption in its defense sector, but it still needs to improve transparency, an international anti-corruption index showed Tuesday.The Transparency International’s defense and security program listed South Korea among seven countries in the “B band,” which means they have a “low risk” of corruption, based on detailed assessments of five main indicators: politics, finance, personnel, operations and procurement.Other countries included in the group were the United St
Jan. 29, 2013
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Military to create new senior NCO rank
The Defense Ministry seeks to establish a new senior-level rank in the non-commissioned officer system to secure more experienced, skillful personnel and boost their morale, officials said Sunday.It reported the plan to the presidential transition committee, they said. The plan could be put into action as early as later this year, officials predicted. “As the ministry plans to bolster the NCO number, the new rank will help ensure a clearer differentiation of troops in terms of their level of mil
Jan. 27, 2013
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Guideline for ’entertainment soldiers’ established
The Ministry of National Defense has set a new guideline for “entertainment soldiers” to regulate off-duty leave and leaving base on official duty. Celebrities serving as entertainment soldiers will receive the same amount of vacation as regular soldiers, according to the guidelines set by the Defense Ministry. In addition, entertainment soldiers will have to return to base by 10 p.m. should they leave for a performance. “An entertainment solider leaving base alone is strictly prohibited and he
Jan. 24, 2013
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USFK curfew to go on indefinitely: commander
U.S. troops in South Korea will continue to be restricted to their bases from 1 to 5 a.m. for "mission readiness," according to their top commander."This curfew is imposed due to operation and mission-readiness requirements," Gen. James Thurman, chief of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said in a recent memorandum carried by the Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military newspaper. "I expect USFK will maintain an appropriate state of awareness and mission preparedness for a significant period."Former USFK
Jan. 18, 2013
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Korea develops mid-range GPS-guided bombs
South Korea has developed bombs equipped with global positioning system capable of targeting distant enemies day and night, the state arms development agency said Monday. The Agency for Defense Development and 20 defense firms, including LIG Nex1, have jointly developed the 225-kilogram guided bomb with a 40 billion won ($378 million) budget in the last five years to improve combat capabilities of fighter jets, it said.“The Korea GPS-guided bomb shows that South Korea is capable of developing a
Jan. 14, 2013
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Park to meet with U.S. delegation
President-elect Park Geun-hye will meet with a group of special envoys sent by U.S.President Barack Obama later this week, her spokeswoman said Monday."President-elect Park will meet with a U.S. delegation led by Kurt Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, on Jan. 16," said Park's spokeswoman Cho Yoon-sun.Campbell will come with high-profile officials including Mark Lippert, the assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, and Dan
Jan. 14, 2013
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U.S. Army chief says S. Korea capable of taking wartime
South Korea has been working closely with the United States to reclaim its wartime operational command from Washington in 2015 as scheduled, the U.S. Army chief of staff said Friday.Gen. Raymond Odierno was in Seoul for a two-day trip which included a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Gen. Cho Jung-hwan. The topics included ways to strengthen the allies’ deterrence against North Korea after the planned transfer of operational command."I'm very confident that South Korea is more than ca
Jan. 11, 2013
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Korean, U.S. Army chiefs vow to strengthen alliance
The United States Army chief of staff met his Korean counterpart on Friday to discuss ways to maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea and work together to prepare events marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, the Army here said.Gen. Raymond Odierno was on a two-day visit to Seoul to give support to American soldiers and meet his Korean counterpart Gen.Cho Jung-hwan as the two countries are preparing a variety of events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the truce
Jan. 11, 2013
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Military to double soldiers' pay during Park's term
The defense ministry plans to double soldiers' salaries in the next five years to carry out incoming President Park Geun-hye's election pledge, officials said Thursday.The plan will be reported to Park's transition team on Friday, the first briefing by a government agency since Park was elected in December, along with other major defense and security issues.The move comes as Park promised to double soldiers' pay, which is set at 96,000 won ($90) on average, to appeal to soldiers and their parent
Jan. 10, 2013
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Park’s plan to shorten military service causes security concerns
President-elect Park Geun-hye’s election pledge to shorten compulsory military service by three months to 18 months has raised concern that it could result in a troop shortage and weaken the country’s combat capabilities.Some experts argue that the plan could cause a wartime operational challenge given that the U.S., in case of peninsular contingencies, is expected to focus on naval and aerial operations due to the vulnerability of ground forces and its political cost.Seoul’s Defense Ministry fo
Jan. 9, 2013
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Ministry imposes lightest punishment on singer Rain
K-pop star Rain, a military corporal, received the lowest punishment from the Defense Ministry on Tuesday for dating actress Kim Tae-hee while on official duty.A disciplinary panel at his battalion decided to put the 30-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, on a seven-day probation. He was recently found to have met with the top actress on several occasions last month.The Defense Ministry has vowed to enhance monitoring of entertainment-career soldiers amid criticism about special tr
Jan. 8, 2013
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Normalized tours impossible this year: USFK
The U.S. military in South Korea said Friday it will again be unable this year to normalize tours of its troops here where more troops will be accompanied by their family members.The U.S. military has been trying since 2008 to increase the number of troops on "normal" or family-accompanied tours to about half of its 28,500 soldiers stationed in South Korea by 2020, but it has been unable to begin the process largely due to lack of funds.The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said in a statement that its c
Jan. 4, 2013
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Allies set up joint working group on new command
The South Korean and U.S. militaries have set up a joint working group to discuss their new combined command structure to be established following Seoul’s retaking of wartime operational control slated for December 2015.“As agreed in the Security Consultative Meeting last October, the allies have been in consultation over the future command structure,” said Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok in a regular press briefing. “To develop the discussion, a joint working group was launched on De
Jan. 4, 2013