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Acting president orders troops to respond overwhelmingly to enemy's provocations
Acting President Han Duck-soo visited troops on the front lines Tuesday and ordered them to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation from the enemy. Han met with troops of the Army's 1st Infantry Division in the border city of Paju and checked the military's readiness. "Under the grave security situation, we must anticipate all provocation scenarios that North Korea could stage and prepare thoroughly," he said. "Deter the enemy's provocations by maintaining a firm military readiness posture and
April 1, 2025 -
USFK denies claim of possible deployment under Korean martial law
United States Forces Korea on Tuesday dismissed online claims suggesting that US troops stationed in South Korea could be mobilized if Seoul were to declare martial law, labeling such assertions as false information. The denial came in response to a post made Sunday on social media platform X, where a user wrote in Korean: "If spies or China are related to the wildfires, it could immediately lead to DEFCON, martial law and US military deployment," refering to local news reports covering a US mes
April 1, 2025 -
Concerns rise in S. Korea over potential shift in role of USFK
Seoul should brace for Washington's possible adoption of 'strategic flexibility' for US troops here, expert says Concerns are mounting in South Korea over a potential shift in the role of the 28,500 US troops stationed here amid evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. Such worries have existed for decades, but have been exacerbated following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, experts noted. The possibility of the second Trump administration diverting
April 1, 2025 -
Defense Ministry says USFK role on Korean Peninsula 'will remain unchanged’
South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Monday attempted to dispel concerns over speculations that the second Trump administration could reduce the number of US troops stationed here in order to focus on deterring threats from China and bolstering homeland defense. “The biggest role of the US Forces Korea in South Korea is to uphold the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and that will remain unchanged,” Seoul's Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou said during a regular press briefing. J
March 31, 2025 -
Acting president slams North Korea’s ‘illegal arms trade’ with Russia
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday said that North Korea’s ongoing illegal arms trade with Russia has allowed the “degenerate” regime to plot new forms of provocations. “Through illegal arms trade with Russia, (North Korea) has been plotting new forms of provocations by upgrading its weapons system aimed to threaten us,” Han said in a speech marking the 10th West Sea Defense Day. Friday’s ceremony was held at the national cemetery in Daejeon to honor and remember the 55 s
March 28, 2025 -
Arms agency chief discuss K9, cooperation in Norway
The head of the state arms procurement agency held talks with key defense officials in Norway earlier this week to discuss arms industry cooperation and the operation of the South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzer, officials said Friday. Seok Jong-gun, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, met Norway's State Secretary of Defence Andreas Flam on Wednesday, according to DAPA. In the meeting, they discussed Norway's operation of self-propelled howitzers, as well as potential u
March 28, 2025 -
North Korea 'probably prepared' for nuclear test to gain edge in talks: Gabbard
North Korea is likely ready to conduct another nuclear test to gain the upper hand in potential negotiations, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated Tuesday, citing Pyongyang’s expanding strategic weapons program and growing ties with Russia as additional factors strengthening its negotiating position against Washington. “North Korea is probably prepared to conduct another nuclear test on short notice and continues to flight test ICBMs to demonstrate their increasing capabilit
March 26, 2025 -
Navy holds remembrance ceremony for fallen sailors of 2010 warship sinking by N. Korea
The Navy held a ceremony Wednesday to honor sailors killed during the 2010 sinking of the Cheonan corvette by a North Korean attack in the Yellow Sea. The 1,200-ton warship sank near the western Northern Limit Line, a de facto inter-Korean maritime border, in March 2010, after a North Korean midget submarine fired a torpedo. The attack killed 46 sailors, while 55 others were rescued. About 200 guests, including bereaved family members and surviving sailors, took part in the ceremony marking the
March 26, 2025 -
2 Air Force pilots suspended from air duty for 1 yr after accidental bombing of civilian area
The Air Force on Friday suspended two pilots from air duty for one year after they mistakenly dropped multiple bombs on a civilian village earlier this month, injuring dozens of residents. On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians. The Air Force has booked the two pilots on charges of negligence resulting in injury, and conducted a qualifi
March 21, 2025 -
Korea’s arms procurement chief to visit Europe to boost defense exports
Seok Jong-gun, minister of South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration, will visit several European countries starting next week to promote South Korean defense exports amid rising demand for armament in the region. According to the arms procurement agency on Friday, Seok will travel to Norway, Romania and Sweden from Tuesday through March 31. In Norway, which has already imported K9 self-propelled howitzers from Hanwha Aerospace, Seok will hold high-level talks to discuss potential
March 21, 2025 -
S. Korean, US Marines hold combined arms, infantry drills
South Korean and US Marines have conducted a three-week combined arms and infantry exercise to enhance their joint operational capabilities and sharpen combat techniques, the South's Marine Corps said Friday. Some 1,100 troops from South Korea's 1st Marine Division and the US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force joined the drills conducted in the southeastern city of Pohang and the border cities of Pocheon and Paju from March 3 through Friday, according to the Marine Corps. The drills mobilized air an
March 21, 2025 -
Defense Ministry summons Russia’s military attache over warplanes’ KADIZ entry
South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Thursday summoned Russia’s military attache in Seoul, Col. Nikolai Marchenko, to formally protest multiple Russian warplanes’ entry into South Korea’s air defense identification zone, also known as the KADIZ. In a statement to reporters, the ministry said it summoned Marchenko to protest strongly against the incident and to prevent anything similar in the future. Multiple Russian military planes consecutively entered the KADIZ over the East Sea earlier in the da
March 20, 2025 -
Defense Ministry denies purchasing over 3,000 body bags for Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law
The Defense Ministry on Thursday denied rumors that the Army placed a substantially larger purchase of over 3,000 body bags more than normal to prepare for thousands of deaths during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law imposition. “The Army typically has body bags reserved and managed in case of war,” a South Korean Army official, who declined to be named, said during the ministry’s regular briefing. “The body bags that were delivered in December last year were aligned with the Joint Ch
March 20, 2025 -
S. Korea, US wrap up key joint military exercise against NK threats
South Korea and the United States wrapped up a major annual combined military exercise aimed at bolstering their defense capabilities against North Korean military threats Thursday, the South's military said. The computer-simulated Freedom Shield exercise drew to an end after an 11-day run in the face of North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats and deepening military cooperation with Russia. This year's exercise marked the first major military exercise by the allies since US President
March 20, 2025 -
Ruling party urges military appointments amid leadership void
The ruling People Power Party on Wednesday called for immediate appointments to fill vacant military leadership posts, attributing recent accidents to a breakdown in discipline stemming from the current leadership vacuum. Several high-ranking officers were suspended for their alleged involvement in President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. “The absence of military leadership has led to ongoing gaps in national security and a breakdown in military discipline, which
March 19, 2025