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Korea, US to keep Nuclear Consultative Group under Trump administration
South Korea and the United States will keep their Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) running under the administration of US President Donald Trump despite speculation it could be scrapped, with its next meeting set to take place as early as June, an official said Wednesday. The NCG was launched by former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and former US President Joe Biden following their April 2023 summit to strengthen the US "extended deterrence" commitment to defending its ally South Korea wit
April 23, 2025 -
South Korean Army leads at US sniper competition
The South Korean Army's sniper team came out on top of all international participants, excluding the US, at the 2025 International Sniper Competition, South Korean Army officials said Wednesday. The event, hosted by the US Army and held from April 4-10 at the US Army Sniper School at Fort Moore, Georgia, had 35 teams competing from 9 countries, including the United States, Germany, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Representing South Korea, the only Asian nation invited to the annual competition f
April 23, 2025 -
Arms agency hold talks on Surion helicopter exports to Iraq during arms fair
South Korea's arms procurement agency said Wednesday it has taken part in a defense exhibition in Iraq and held talks with Iraqi military officials over exports of the South's Surion helicopters. Officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration visited the Middle Eastern country for the International Defense Exhibition from Saturday through Tuesday to promote South Korean weapons systems, according to the agency. In a meeting with Iraq's Defense Minister Thabet Mohammed Al-Abbasi, D
April 23, 2025 -
Seoul launches 4th spy satellite to boost NK surveillance
South Korea’s military launched its fourth domestically developed spy satellite on Tuesday, advancing efforts to build a constellation of reconnaissance satellites aimed at enhancing the nation’s capability to monitor North Korea and detect signs of potential provocations in real time. The satellite lifted off at 9:48 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a Falcon 9 rocket operated by US space company SpaceX. It successfully separated from the launch vehicle approximatel
April 22, 2025 -
Two Chinese nationals caught filming near US military base in Pyeongtaek
Two Chinese nationals were caught filming near a US military facility in Pyeongtaek on Monday, a month after two other Chinese citizens were found photographing aircraft near an air base in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The security investigation division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said it booked the two without detention on suspicion of violating the Military Facility Protection Act. The suspects took unauthorized photographs near Osan Air Base, also known as K-55, around 9 a.m.
April 22, 2025 -
Pilot mistook jettison button for heating in KA-1 incident: Air Force
A South Korean Air Force pilot mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button while attempting to adjust the heating in a KA-1 light attack aircraft that accidentally dropped its weapons and fuel tanks last week, authorities said Monday. The Air Force said the pilot was attempting to adjust an air vent that was disrupting his vision when the incident occurred at 8:22 p.m. on Friday over Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, during a nighttime mock firing exercise. The vent and emergency jettison butt
April 21, 2025 -
S. Korea to launch 4th military spy satellite this week
South Korea plans to launch its fourth military reconnaissance satellite from a US space base this week, the defense ministry said Monday, as the country seeks to better monitor North Korean threats with independent surveillance capabilities. The military plans to launch the synthetic aperture radar satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 8:48 p.m. on Monday, according to the ministry. The launch will be part of South Korea's plan to deploy
April 21, 2025 -
Military under fire for 'lack of discipline' after series of major accidents
South Korea’s military has come under fire for lax discipline following a series of major accidents in recent months, including the latest involving the Air Force’s accidental dropping of two gun pods from a KA-1 light attack aircraft during training on Friday. The series of incidents came amid a leadership vacuum in the military that began in December, prompting security concerns due to signs of a weakened defense posture. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and several other key unit command
April 20, 2025 -
Air Force retrieves gun pods accidentally dropped from KA-1 aircraft
The Air Force said Saturday it has retrieved two gun pods that accidentally dropped from a KA-1 light attack aircraft during training this week. The aircraft was conducting flight maneuvers over Pyeongchang, approximately 125 kilometers east of Seoul, on Friday night when it jettisoned two gun pods and two empty fuel tanks. No casualties or property damage have been reported. "Starting at 6 a.m. today, we mobilized one HH-60 helicopter and around 270 troops to search the area where (the parts) w
April 19, 2025 -
No first South Korea-US defense talks before election as Seoul’s chief skips Shangri-La
South Korean acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho is "highly likely" to skip the Shangri-La Dialogue, where he had been expected to hold his first meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Friday. Concerns are mounting among some in Seoul, as Kim’s absence at the global defense forum means there will be no defense ministerial talks with the US until after South Korea’s early presidential election on June 3. “We will have to review the matter
April 18, 2025 -
Army holds nighttime firing drills in border county of Goseong
The Army conducted a nighttime firing exercise in the border county of Goseong earlier this week, the armed service said Friday, in efforts to bolster readiness against potential North Korean provocations. About 300 troops from the Army's Third Corps took part in the exercise conducted Wednesday and Thursday in the coastal county of Goseong, some 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to the Army. The drills mobilized some 40 pieces of key equipment, including the K9A1 self-propelled howit
April 18, 2025 -
Naval chiefs of S. Korea, US, Japan discuss trilateral cooperation against NK threats
The naval chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan held a teleconference Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen their trilateral cooperation against North Korean threats, the South's Navy said. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Yong-mo underscored the need for further bolstering their cooperation during the talks with his US and Japanese counterparts, Adm. James Kilby and Adm. Akira Saito, according to the Navy. "Through continued cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan, Nort
April 17, 2025 -
S. Korea, US launch joint Freedom Flag air drills
South Korea and the United States kicked off a joint large-scale air exercise Thursday, the South's Air Force said, in efforts to bolster their interoperability and combined readiness posture against North Korean threats. Some 1,100 troops and 90 aircraft from both sides were mobilized for the semiannual Freedom Flag exercise, which runs through May 2, according to the Air Force. Among the assets mobilized for the two-week drills were the South's F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets, as well as t
April 17, 2025 -
S. Korea, US hold joint mine warfare exercise in waters off Pohang
South Korea and the United States have conducted a combined naval exercise in waters near Pohang, North Gyeongsan Province, to enhance their joint mine warfare capabilities, the South's Navy said Wednesday. The nine-day exercise, which concluded on Tuesday, involved 10 warships and three helicopters from both sides, including the South's Nampo MLS-II minelayer and the US mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM-10), according to the Navy. The training involved various exercises — such as layin
April 16, 2025 -
S. Korea, US hold joint air drills with B-1B bomber
South Korea and the United States conducted a joint air exercise over the Korean Peninsula Tuesday involving two US B-1B strategic bombers, the South Korean Defense Ministry said. This marks the second deployment of a US strategic asset to the peninsula since the launch of the Trump administration in February, following a previous mission on Feb. 20. The drill featured South Korea’s F-35A stealth fighters and F-16 jets, along with US F-16 fighters, and aimed to enhance the regular visibility of
April 15, 2025