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S. Korea Navy launches task fleet command
South Korea’s military has launched a naval task fleet command that operates Aegis destroyers equipped with a radar system capable of detecting missiles up to 1,800 kilometers away as well as ballistic missile interceptors, to better counter North Korean provocations at sea. On Monday, the South Korean Navy held an inauguration ceremony for the Task Fleet Command at the Jeju Naval Base in Gangjeong on the southern coast of Jeju Island. “The Task Fleet Command will serve as a central unit to dete
Feb. 3, 2025 -
Top S. Korean, US Air Force commanders vow to bolster combined defense capabilities
The top Air Force commanders of South Korea and the United States held video talks Friday and vowed to enhance their combined defense capabilities through various joint training this year, the South's Air Force said. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su and his US counterpart, Gen. David W. Allvin, made the pledge in their first video conversation of the year, aimed at strengthening the partnership between the two nations' armed services. Both sides said they will faithfully conduct variou
Jan. 31, 2025 -
Navy to dispatch landing ship to fleet review ceremony in Indonesia
The Navy said Thursday it will dispatch the 4,900-ton landing ship Nojeokbong to an international fleet review ceremony in Indonesia next month. The event, set to take place at Benoa Harbor from Feb. 15-22, will feature participation from approximately 30 countries. A maritime parade will include around 30 warships from over 10 nations, including South Korea, the United States, Japan and Australia, according to the Navy. It will mark the first time the Navy has sent a warship to an international
Jan. 30, 2025 -
Defense chiefs of S. Korea, Estonia discuss defense, arms cooperation
Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur on Monday discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the defense sector and the arms industry, the defense ministry said. In the talks held in Seoul, Kim noted that the two countries' cooperation in the cybersecurity sector has been advancing and suggested expanding such ties to other areas, according to the defense ministry. Kim also briefed Pevkur on the South Korean weapons system, including the K9 self-
Jan. 27, 2025 -
NK holds off provocations but strengthens reinforcements for Russia: JCS
North Korea shows no signs of immediate provocations following its recent missile launches ahead of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Instead, the pro-Russian regime is expected to deploy more troops to Ukraine, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday. In a report released Friday morning, the JCS stated that North Korea has shown no activities indicating imminent provocations, apart from conducting seasonal military drills since December. “North Korea appears focused o
Jan. 24, 2025 -
South Korea, UK hold talks on defense exports
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense hosted a defense cooperation meeting with the United Kingdom’s defense export agency, in line with the countries' joint efforts to develop opportunities in defense exports to a third country. According to the ministry on Tuesday, Lee Young-bin, director of the ministry’s planning and coordination office, met with Oliver Harry, the director of UK defense and security exports under the UK’s Department for Business and Trade who is tasked with supporting B
Jan. 21, 2025 -
Defense ministry approves plan to relocate Daegu military airport
The defense ministry has officially approved a plan for the relocation of a military airport in the southeastern city of Daegu, officials said Tuesday. The ministry and the Daegu municipal government have been seeking to relocate the Daegu airport to a joint civilian-military airport to be built in the nearby counties of Uiseong and Gunwi by 2030. Under the plan, the Daegu city government will build the new airport and donate it to the defense ministry, while the ministry will transfer the forme
Jan. 21, 2025 -
South Korea to develop indigenous 'Iron Dome' system
South Korea has started development of a low-altitude missile defense system, akin to Israel’s "Iron Dome," to better counter long-range North Korean artillery threats. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration held a project kickoff meeting on Monday attended by military officials, representatives from the Agency for Defense Development -- a state-run defense think tank -- and prototype manufacturers, including LIG Nex1, Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems. According to DAPA, the ADD will
Jan. 20, 2025 -
S. Korea to hold overseas combined drills in UAE next month
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates will conduct combined drills in the Middle East nation in February, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday, as part of efforts to bolster their defense cooperation. Under the plan, service members of the South Korean Army, Navy and Marine Corps departed for the UAE from a naval base in Jinhae, 312 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier in the day to attend the combined exercise scheduled for Feb. 10-20, according to the ministry. The upcoming exercise, orga
Jan. 20, 2025 -
S. Korea eyes $300 m K9 howitzer exports deal with Vietnam
South Korea is in the final stage of reaching a $300 million agreement to export homegrown K9 self-propelled howitzers to Vietnam, industry and government sources said Monday, in what would mark the first arms exports to the Southeast Asian nation when finalized. Under the envisioned plan, South Korea will ship around 20 K9 howitzers to Vietnam, which would make Hanoi the 10th country outside of Seoul to acquire the weapons systems, according to the sources. South Korea has so far shipped the K9
Jan. 20, 2025 -
Top military officer inspects readiness posture against N.K. threats near NLL
South Korea's top military officer on Friday visited the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command and a radar site under the command to inspect its readiness posture against North Korean threats near the western inter-Korean maritime border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo visited the naval command in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, where he paid respects at a monument built in remembrance of 46 sailors who were killed during the 2010 sinking of the Cheonan corvet
Jan. 17, 2025 -
S. Korean military official urges international cooperation against NK-Russia alliance threats
The head of strategic planning at the Joint Chiefs of Staff called for “close coordination” among the international community against threats stemming from North Korea’s military support to Russia at a recent NATO meeting. The JCS said Friday that Lt. Gen. Son Jeong-hwan, head of strategic planning for the South Korean military, explained to top military officials around the world, that “North Korea’s recent military support to Russia and missile launch provocations are becoming a big threat to
Jan. 17, 2025 -
S. Korea approves plan to produce L-SAM defense system
The government has approved a plan to start the production of a newly developed homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM), the state procurement agency said Thursday, as South Korea seeks to boost its air defense capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The Defense Project Promotion Committee reviewed the completion of the development and approved a 1.73 trillion won ($1.19 billion) project to manufacture the missile defense system through 2030, according to the
Jan. 16, 2025 -
Monthly salaries of junior officers, NCOs bumped up 6%
Annual salaries of entry-level military officers and non-commissioned officers have been increased by an average of 6 percent this year to improve the working conditions of South Korean troops, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The monthly salary for a new staff sergeant rose 6.6 percent on-year to 20 million won ($1,372.91) in 2025, according to the policy direction for this year outlined by the ministry during a briefing to acting President Choi Sang-mok. The salaries of sergeants and second
Jan. 16, 2025 -
Defense Ministry vows continuation of NCG under Trump 2.0
South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Thursday pledged to build a system that would help Seoul’s key nuclear deterrence talks with the US to continue in a “sustainable and stable manner.” The vow was included in the policy direction for this year outlined by the ministry during a briefing to acting President Choi Sang-mok. It was also announced amid growing concerns that the Nuclear Consultative Group, the allies' nuclear deterrence body launched during the Biden administration, could dissolve under
Jan. 16, 2025