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S. Korea conducts separation test for homegrown long-range air-to-surface guided missile
The state arms procurement agency has successfully conducted a safe separation test for a homegrown long-range air-to-surface guided missile under development, officials said Wednesday. The test, which is aimed at verifying whether the missile clearly detaches from the aircraft without affecting its safety and functions, took place at an Air Force unit on Monday, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. DAPA plans to conduct various tests of the missile using a test FA-50 air
June 25, 2025 -
Trump struck Iran — but North Korea is a different story
US President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities has been widely seen as reinforcing North Korea’s long-held belief: That nuclear weapons are essential for regime survival. The strikes are likely to have furhter dimmed the prospects for nuclear dialogue with Washington and accelerate Pyongyang’s push for deeper military cooperation with Russia. Still, analysts in Seoul stressed that North Korea’s case is fundamentally different from Iran’s. Not onl
June 23, 2025 -
Military urges caution against N. Korean land mines possibly being brought to South by heavy downpours
South Korea's military on Sunday urged caution against North Korean land mines in wooden casings possibly flowing into the South during heavy downpours. "If torrential rains occur, there is a risk that North Korean land mines will be dislodged and may flow into our area," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The JCS advised citizens not to come into contact with objects suspected to be land mines if they come across them. The JCS also urged citizens to report them to nearby police or m
June 22, 2025 -
Trump repeats NATO members should spend 5% of GDP on defense
US President Donald Trump reiterated Friday that North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states should spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense, while saying the United States should not. Trump made the remarks during a press availability as he is preparing to attend a NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, next week, where the defense spending target is expected to figure prominently. "I don't think we should, but I think they should," he said, responding to a question about t
June 21, 2025 -
South Korea says defense spending against GDP already ‘very high’
South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Friday hinted at concerns over an announcement by the Donald Trump administration that its Asian allies are subject to the “new standard” of spending 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense. South Korea’s defense spending, which stands at some 51.2 trillion won ($37.5 billion) or 2.32 percent of its GDP, is already “very high,” the ministry noted in a statement. "Among key US allies, South Korea is one of the countries that has an extremely high defense s
June 20, 2025 -
2 Marines,1 civilian accused of killing, injuring dogs with BB guns
Two active-duty Marines and one civilian in their 20s are under investigation for killing one dog and seriously injuring two others with BB guns. The Geoje Police Station said Wednesday that two active-duty soldiers and one civilian — all unnamed males in their 20s — fired hundreds of BB pellets at four dogs that were tied up in a restaurant yard in a small town in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on June 8. Of the four dogs, one died as a result of the attack, while two sustained serious injur
June 20, 2025 -
'Standard' of 5% GDP defense spending applies to S. Korea, Asian allies: Pentagon
The Pentagon said Thursday that South Korea and other Asian allies are also subject to the "global standard" of spending 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense, a proposal that US President Donald Trump has put forward for European allies Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell made the remarks, a day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that there is now a "new standard for allied defense spending that all of our allies around the world, i
June 20, 2025 -
USFK cuts may signal weakened commitment: ex-US diplomat
Any “substantial adjustment” to the size of the US Forces Korea could be seen as a sign of Washington “reducing” its commitment to maintaining peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific region, a former US senior diplomat said Thursday. "My worry will be that any substantial adjustment will be misinterpreted (or) will be interpreted as somehow the United States reducing its commitment to peace and stability, or raising questions about whether the US is somehow withdr
June 19, 2025 -
S. Korea to launch advisory committee for arms exports
South Korea is preparing to launch an advisory committee under the state arms procurement agency, consisting mostly of non-governmental experts, to boost its defense technology exports, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration recently came up with the plan and is "preparing to launch the committee,” a DAPA official told The Korea Herald via phone. “The review and nomination of candidates will kick off in September.” The committee will consist of
June 18, 2025 -
S. Korean Navy, Marine Corps to join multinational drills in Australia
South Korea's Navy and Marine Corps will take part in a biennial multinational exercise set to kick off in Australia next month in efforts to hone operational capabilities with forces from 18 other nations, the Navy said Wednesday. Some 840 personnel, including those from the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Army's special operations forces, will join the Talisman Sabre exercise scheduled to take place in a northeastern region of Australia from July 3-27, according to the Navy. South Korea plans t
June 18, 2025 -
US calls Russia's use of NK workers, soldiers for operations against Ukraine 'deeply concerning'
The United States on Tuesday described Russia's continued use of North Korean workers and troops for operations against Ukraine as "deeply concerning," after Russian media reported Pyongyang will send additional 6,000 military workers and sappers to Russia's front-line Kursk region. A State Department spokesperson made the remarks, underscoring that the income generation by North Korean workers in Russia and other foreign countries constitutes a violation of a UN Security Council resolution. TAS
June 18, 2025 -
USFK raises security threat levels amid Israel-Iran conflict
US military bases in South Korea have raised the security protection measures by one notch amid an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran that has fueled concerns of a wider war in the Middle East. “All installations across U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility have raised their Force Protection Condition (FPCON) level from Alpha to Bravo as a precautionary measure,” the USFK said in a statement shared social media platform X. The USFK, however, did not cite reasons why the FPCON
June 17, 2025 -
Crashed Navy patrol plane's voice recorder damaged beyond repair
A cockpit voice recorder recovered from a P-3CK maritime patrol plane crash last month has been determined damaged beyond repair, the Navy said Friday, leaving investigators to rely on other evidence to determine the cause of the crash. The Navy had earlier sent the voice recorder to a private company for data extraction after the aircraft crash in Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on May 29, which killed all four crew members on board. The company, however, notified the Navy on J
June 13, 2025 -
Korea, Indonesia finalize deal to cut Jakarta’s KF-21 contribution
South Korea and Indonesia have finalized an agreement to set Jarkarta’s contribution to the joint development of the KF-21 Boramae fighter jet at 600 billion won ($437 million), the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Friday. The agreement, signed during the Indo Defence exhibition in Jakarta earlier this week, follows more than a year of negotiations and delays surrounding payment terms and a diplomatic row over a technology leak. Indonesia has so far paid around 400 billion won. Th
June 13, 2025 -
S. Korea, Indonesia finalize deal to cut Jakarta's payments for KF-21 fighter jet project
South Korea and Indonesia have finalized a deal to slash Jakarta's contribution to the joint KF-21 fighter jet project to 600 billion won ($443 million), less than one-third of the original amount, Seoul's defense procurement agency said Friday. The two sides signed the agreement at an arms exhibition in Jakarta on Wednesday, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said, clearing uncertainties over the financing of the 8.1 trillion-won project. The project, launched in 2015, is designed t
June 13, 2025