Most Popular
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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U.S. military procurement from S. Korea up 12.6% in 2011
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. military purchased more than $1.1 billion worth of South Korean goods and services in the 2011 fiscal year, an increase of 12.6 percent from $991 million in the previous year, according to a report released Sunday.In its annual report to Congress, based on statistics from the Federal Procurement Data System, the Defense Department said it spent a total of $374 billion for procurement activities for the year until September 2011.“Of that amount, approximately $
June 4, 2012
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Korea, US, Japan agree to expand cooperation to deter N. Korea
South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to strengthen cooperation in policy setting to better deter North Korean aggression, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday.The ministry said the understanding was reached during a meeting of senior defense ministers at the two-day-long 11th Asia Security Summit under way in Singapore.South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, U.S. Secretary of Def
June 2, 2012
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US to shift most of naval fleet to Pacific by 2020
The United States will shift the majority of its naval fleet to the Pacific by 2020 as part of a new strategic focus on Asia, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta told a summit in Singapore on Saturday. The decision to deploy more ships to the Pacific Ocean, along with expanding a network of military partnerships, was part of a "steady, deliberate" effort to bolster the US role in an area deemed vital to A
June 2, 2012
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Ministry calls for punishment of officer for criticizing Lee
The Defense Ministry called Tuesday for stern punishment for an Army officer indicted over his Twitter post critical of President Lee Myung-bak, saying the act of criticizing the supreme commander of the armed forces impedes military order and discipline.Military prosecutors have put the 29-year-old captain on trial recently on charges of insulting a superior in connection with his Twitter post criticizing President Lee with indecent language.The indictment was seen by some critics as restrictin
May 29, 2012
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Ministry calls for stern punishment of Army officer over criticism of Lee
The defense ministry called Tuesday for stern punishment for an Army officer indicted over his Twitter posting critical of President Lee Myung-bak, saying the act of criticizing the supreme commander of the armed forces impedes military order and discipline.Military prosecutors have put the 29-year-old captain on trial recently on charges of insulting a superior in connection with his Twitter post
May 29, 2012
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Korea seeks to acquire U.S. missiles, choppers
The U.S. Department of Defense is considering selling Harpoon Block II Missiles and Seahawk Helicopters to South Korea.The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in press releases last week that it had notified the U.S. Congress of the possible sale of 18 of the missiles, eight of the helicopters and their associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training. The estimated costs are $1.84 billion.The DSCA said it informed Congress of the proposal after a request by South Korea. Th
May 27, 2012
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Caisson to be dropped in waters at Jeju naval base construction site
A large caisson structure to be used for building a breakwater off Jeju Island's naval base construction site has been moved into position, South Korea's Navy said Saturday.It said the 8,800-ton structure that is 38 meters long, 25 meters wide and stands 20 meters high has been placed on a floating dock and moved offshore near Gangjeong village.It said the caisson will be the third such unit deplo
May 27, 2012
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Remains of S. Korean Korean War casualties return
The remains of 12 South Korean soldiers found north of the military demarcation line arrived in Seoul on Friday. It is the first time for the remnants of South Korean soldiers killed in the Korean War to be returned from North Korea since the cease-fire in 1953.“The Republic of Korea was defended as they fought at the risk of their lives. We have to find them, even their remains, who sacrificed their lives for the country, to the end. There are no greater patriots than them,” President Lee Myung
May 25, 2012
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S. Korea’s maritime security challenged
Experts say Seoul should bolster Navy amid competition for maritime supremacyAmid intensifying competition among regional powers for maritime primacy, South Korea is not equipped to fend off growing threats to its territorial waters and assert its strategic interests, experts said.With its military prioritizing deterring North Korea and lack of public understanding of maritime security, the country is lagging behind China and Japan despite them repeatedly challenging Korean sovereignty, experts
May 24, 2012
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Seoul plans to beef up missile arsenal
‘Ministry plans to inject 2.5 trillion won over next five years’The South Korean military plans to significantly beef up its arsenal of precision-guided missiles to counter threats from North Korea, officials said Monday.“It is agreed that missile capabilities need to be reinforced in order to fundamentally improve our ability to respond to asymmetric threats from North Korea,” Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters.He was responding to a news report that President Lee Myung-bak
May 22, 2012
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Seoul seeks to boost military ties with China
South Korea recently approached China on signing an agreement regarding military supplies during emergency rescue operations as part of broadening defense cooperation between the two countries, officials said Monday.China, however, is reportedly cautious due to concerns that military agreements with Seoul may negatively impact North Korea.According to Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Kim Min-seok, the two countries are seeking an agreement similar to the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing
May 21, 2012
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Military mulls leasing text-only mobile phones to soldiers
South Korea's military is reviewing a plan to lease text-only mobile phones to soldiers, in a move to allow them to better communicate with their family members, friends and loved ones, a military source said Sunday. Conscripts are banned from possessing mobile phones while on duty and on-base access to the Internet is strictly prohibited.Enlisted men currently only use public phones at their
May 20, 2012
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Seoul cautiously optimistic on missile range extension
Uncertainty still lingers as Washington seems divided over S. Korea’s missile capabilitySouth Korea is cautiously optimistic over the prospect of revising a ballistic missile pact with the U.S. to have longer-range capabilities to bolster deterrence against North Korea, a government source said Wednesday.But as opinion appears divided within a Washington government that has spearheaded the global agenda of non-proliferation and arms control, uncertainty still lingers over the outcome of the rece
May 16, 2012
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No plan to deploy tactical nukes in S. Korea: Pentagon
The Pentagon said Monday that it will not redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea."Our policy remains in support of a non-nuclear Korean peninsula. There is no plan to change that policy," a spokesperson for the Department of Defense told Yonhap News Agency on the customary condition of anonymity."Tactical nuclear weapons are unnecessary for the defense of South Korea and we have no plan
May 15, 2012
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South Korea cautions against deployment of U.S. tactical nukes
Seoul officials and experts cautioned against the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula proposed by some in the United States, which they fear could refuel an atomic arms race in Northeast Asia. The U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved an amendment to the fiscal 2013 national defense authorization bill that calls for the re-introduction of the sensitive weapons to South Korea, according to the diplomacy publication Foreign Policy.While the South Kor
May 14, 2012
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N.K. defectors may be allowed into military in the South
The Defense Ministry is studying a proposal to allow young North Korean defectors here do military service, officials said on Monday.About 3,600 North Koreans under the age of 20 have come to South Korea since the early 1990s, according to the Ministry of Unification’s data.Citing unnamed high-level military officials, a local newspaper reported the ministry is considering revising related laws to allow North Koreans in the eligible age groups join the armed forces.The order came from Minister o
May 14, 2012
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Korea, U.S. to hold bio-threat exercise
Korea and the U.S. will conduct an anti-biological threat exercise from May 15 until 18, the Ministry of National Defense announced Friday. Known as the Able Response 12, the exercise will involve 50 Korean and U.S. government organizations and 190 experts from related fields. The exercise, held for the second time, is designed to test the country’s capabilities in responding to biological threats that occur naturally such as avian influenza epidemics as well as those arising from acts of terror
May 11, 2012
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Korea closer to selling trainer planes to Peru
Korea and Peru have made significant progress in the negotiations concerning trade of Korea’s KT-1 training aircraft, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said Friday. “With regards to defense industry cooperation, we are interested in pilot training and the negotiations with the Korean government have made significant progress,” Humala said on Friday. Korea has been in talks with Peru since last year to export the KT-1 turboprop training aircraft. “The training aircraft issue will soon take shape.
May 11, 2012
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22 more nations recognized for support in Korean War
The number of countries recognized as having supported South Korea or expressing intent to do so during the Korean War was officially revised to 63 from the previous 41 on Thursday.According to the Ministry of National Defense, research has shown that 22 countries that had until now not received recognition had in fact sent supplies or expressed the intent to do so during the 1950-53 war. The ministry said that the figure used until now was based on incomplete records, but the recent declassific
May 10, 2012
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South Korea, Japan to sign defense pacts
South Korea and Japan are moving to lay the ground for closer military cooperation as the North Korea threat and regional instability grows. The two countries are pushing to sign two military agreements by the end of the month, according to Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense. Korea and Japan have been working together to form the General Security of Military Information Agreement and Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement since January last year, during Japanese Minister of Defense Toshimi
May 8, 2012