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Could military rescue be solution to Cambodia abductions?
Growing concern over a string of reported abductions targeting South Koreans in Cambodia has prompted lawmakers across party lines to urge that the government take stronger measures, specifically a military rescue operation, to withdraw those held in captivity. However, experts and government officials lean towards using diplomatic channels or investigative cooperation between the two countries instead of force to resolve the issues. The main opposition People Power Party floor leader, Rep. Song
Oct. 14, 2025 -
JCS chief apologizes for military’s role in Yoon’s martial law decree
South Korea’s top military officer issued a rare public apology on Tuesday for the armed forces' role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s illegal declaration of martial law last year. Jin Yong-sung, chair of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a parliamentary audit that he regarded the military’s involvement in the Dec. 3 decree as “an act of rebellion” against the state. “As a soldier in uniform, I failed in my duty to protect the nation and its people by premeditating and actively
Oct. 14, 2025 -
JCS chairman vows firm readiness following N. Korea's military parade
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pledged to ensure a robust readiness posture against security threats, including the North's display of new weapons systems during a recent military parade. The remarks by JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung came days after North Korea showcased its latest Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile under development and other modernized weapons systems during a military parade held in Pyongyang last week. "North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities ar
Oct. 14, 2025 -
Seoul seeks to expand US shipbuilding cooperation to add warships
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it is moving to widen its maritime industrial partnership with the US from routine maintenance contracts to the construction of naval combatants, as the two allies seek to modernize their security ties. According to the ministry’s plan submitted to lawmakers ahead of a parliamentary audit, Seoul’s defense authorities are seeking to “first secure a stable volume of MRO work,” or maintenance, repair and overhaul, and to open talks on building US Navy
Oct. 13, 2025 -
Alliance with South Korea poses military burden, but boosts chip supply competition for US: think tank
While the South Korea-US alliance remains vital to Washington’s strategic posture of deterring threats from China, it is both an asset and a liability, a US think tank said Thursday. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace called the decadeslong alliance militarily burdensome yet indispensable for safeguarding global semiconductor and critical mineral supply chains, in its report “Legacy or Liability? Auditing US Alliances to Compete with China.” The report assessed seven key US treaty al
Oct. 9, 2025 -
JCS chairman urges vigilance during extended Chuseok holiday in command call
Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung on Monday called for maintaining a firm defense posture during the extended Chuseok holiday, the JCS said. Jin made the remarks during a command call with troops and civilian personnel in charge of operations across land, sea, air, cyber and counterterrorism units as the extended holiday runs through Thursday this year. "Thanks to each of you faithfully carrying out your duties during the holiday, with a strong sense of mission to protect the nat
Oct. 6, 2025 -
South Korean peacekeepers mark UN Command’s 75th anniversary with roles in Lebanon, Sudan
South Korean troops in Lebanon and South Sudan are quietly carrying out a mission that their commanders say reflects not only the country’s growing global role but also a debt owed to the international community, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday. As the United Nations Command commemorates its 75th anniversary, Seoul has emphasized its contributions to international peacekeeping operations — pointing to the “Dongmyeong” Unit in southern Lebanon and the “Hanbit” Unit in South Sudan as symbo
Oct. 4, 2025 -
JCS chief vows to continue field training near inter-Korean border
Jin Young-seung, chair of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, reaffirmed Thursday his commitment to field training near the inter-Korean border, stressing that the military must remain strong in supporting the government’s push for reconciliation with North Korea. “If trust-building between the two Koreas is needed as a matter of policy, the military should actively support it,” Jin said during his visit to the Defense Ministry’s press room in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. “However, the military m
Oct. 2, 2025 -
Defense chief quells fears of US troop pullout
South Korea’s defense minister sought this week to tamp down speculation that the US could scale back its troops on the peninsula. Calling such talk unfounded, he emphasized that even as Washington sharpens its military focus on China, the South Korea-US alliance is deepening, not weakening. In a dinner meeting with reporters on Tuesday, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said he had “never once” heard US leaders or lawmakers discuss reducing or withdrawing the roughly 28,500-strong US Forces Korea t
Oct. 1, 2025 -
S. Korea selects US firm L3Harris for airborne control aircraft procurement
South Korea's state arms procurement agency said Tuesday it has selected US defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to supply four new airborne control aircraft as part of the second phase of a project to bolster the country's surveillance capabilities. At a meeting of its defense project committee, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) approved the 3.87 trillion-won ($2.82 billion) project to acquire four Global 6500 aircraft by 2032. Through the second phase of the project, th
Sept. 30, 2025 -
House defense policy bill calls for maintaining 28,500 USFK troops
The US House version of an annual defense policy bill, passed earlier this month, includes a call for maintaining around 28,500 American troops in South Korea and reaffirming the United States' deterrence commitment to the Asian ally, its text showed Monday. The House approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026 in a 231-196 vote on Sept. 10, authorizing $893 billion in military spending. The text of the endorsed bill has recently been released on Congress'
Sept. 30, 2025 -
Captain of US command ship says S. Korea-US alliance has 'never been stronger'
BUSAN -- The captain of the command ship of the US Navy's 7th Fleet said Monday the decadeslong alliance between South Korea and the United States has "never been stronger," as the warship has made its first port call in nearly six years in the South. Captain Louis Catalina, commanding officer of the USS Blue Ridge, made the remarks in a press tour aboard the command ship at a major naval base in the southeastern city of Busan. The 19,600-ton USS Blue Ridge made a port visit at the naval base on
Sept. 29, 2025 -
Navy flaunts maritime strength in fleet review marking 80th anniv.
A P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, escorted by two F-15K fighter jets, dashed across skies over waters off the southeastern port city of Busan on a mild autumn afternoon and dropped 80 flares into the sea. The commemorative move signaled the beginning of the first fleet review in seven years to mark the 80th anniversary of the Navy, the first branch of the military to be established in South Korea. Alongside the P-8A, dubbed the "submarine killer," the ceremony showcased some of the Navy's most re
Sept. 26, 2025 -
North Korean ship with Chinese flag retreats after crossing sea border
The South Korean military fired warning shots early Friday after a North Korean merchant vessel flying a Chinese national flag briefly crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea, officials said. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul, the ship sailed as far as 5 kilometers south of the NLL northwest of Baengnyeongdo at around 5 a.m. before retreating roughly an hour later. The JCS currently assesses the incursion as unintentional. South Korean forc
Sept. 26, 2025 -
Koreas are 2 states in reality, unification minister says
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young once again acknowledged that South and North Korea function as “two separate states in reality,” while stressing that this did not mean permanent division, as South Korea’s ultimate goal remains unification. “Recognizing the two Koreas as separate states does not mean accepting permanent division. This is a pragmatic and realistic perspective, a flexible approach to managing inter-Korean relations,” Chung told reporters on Thursday during a briefing. "In rea
Sept. 25, 2025