Hegseth to visit Seoul for 1st meeting with S. Korean defense chief

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will make his first trip to Seoul next week to meet with his South Korean counterpart, marking the two allies’ first ministerial-level defense talks since he took office, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Monday. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back will hold the 57th Security Consultative Meeting with Hegseth on Nov. 4. The annual meeting, hosted alternately by the two countries, will take place in Seoul this year. The meeting will mark the first face-to-face talks bet

Oct. 27, 2025

Two North Korean soldiers cross border in pursuit of defector: military source

Two North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean border last week, apparently in pursuit of a fellow soldier who had defected to the South earlier that day, a South Korean military source said Friday. The incident took place on Oct. 19, when the armed soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line in the central section of the border and advanced about 200 meters toward a South Korean guard post, said the source, requesting anonymity. South Korean troops responded with warning broadcas

Oct. 24, 2025

S. Korea, US to shorten joint air drills to 1 week

South Korea's Air Force said Thursday a joint large-scale air exercise with the United States will be shortened to one week from the regular two weeks, given the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held next week here. The Air Force said the semiannual Freedom Flag exercise was originally planned to be held for two weeks starting from Sept. 27. But the two sides agreed to launch the joint drill after the APEC summit, scheduled to take place on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, for o

Oct. 23, 2025

NK claims test-fire of 'hypersonic projectile’ ahead of APEC summit

North Korea said Thursday it had test-fired what it claimed to be a hypersonic projectile the previous day — a weapon that, if proven effective as a missile, could challenge South Korea’s missile defense systems. According to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, two “hypersonic projectiles” launched from the capital Pyongyang toward the northeast struck their intended targets on a mountain ridge in Orang, North Hamgyong Province. The reported flight distance was about 400 kilometers

Oct. 23, 2025

Army’s NCO recruitment rate plummets in 5 years

The South Korean Army’s noncommissioned officer recruitment rate has plunged over the past five years, amid growing calls to improve working conditions for junior officers, data showed Wednesday. According to data submitted to Rep. Hwang Hee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, by the Republic of Korea Army, its NCO recruitment rate dropped from 95 percent in 2020 to just 42 percent in 2024 — a decline of 53 percentage points, marking the lowest among all branches of the armed forces. Of the

Oct. 22, 2025

S. Korea set for launch ceremony of 1st 3,600-ton naval attack submarine

South Korea was to hold a launch ceremony for its first 3,600-ton-class naval submarine Wednesday, the Navy and the arms procurement agency said, in a bid to bolster its underwater deterrence against North Korean threats. The ceremony to launch the first of the three Changbogo-III Batch-II class submarines under construction will take place at shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean's dockyard in Geoje, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Wednesday afternoon, according to the Navy and the Defense Acquisit

Oct. 22, 2025

N. Korea fires missiles into East Sea ahead of APEC summit next week

North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday, in a show of force about a week before global leaders — including US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping — are expected to visit South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The launch, the fifth of its kind this year, was the first in 167 days, since May 8, and marked the first missile provocation by the regime since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office on June 4. According to S

Oct. 22, 2025

Korea eyes $30b in defense exports via ADEX as global buyers flock

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province -- At Kintex Exhibition Center II in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday, long lines of visitors streamed into the exhibition halls where large logos of South Korea’s leading defense firms came into view. Nearly half of the attendees were foreign buyers and participants, underscoring the growing global interest in Korea’s defense industry. At the exhibitions of Hanwha Group, LIG Nex1, Hyundai Rotem and Korea Aerospace Industries, massive screens played dramatic videos

Oct. 21, 2025

Vietnamese deputy defense minister accused of sexual misconduct during Seoul visit

A Vietnamese senior military official was accused of sexually harassing a South Korean military official in September during a dinner event in Seoul, South Korean military officials revealed Monday. According to local media reports citing military sources, Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Hoang Xuan Chien made inappropriate physical contact with a female South Korean official during a dinner held on Sept. 11 on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue. The Seoul Defense Dialogue is a multil

Oct. 21, 2025

S. Korea inks MOU with Brazil's aerospace firm to expand arms cooperation

The state arms procurement agency said Monday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Brazil's aerospace company Embraer to expand industrial cooperation. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration inked the agreement on the sidelines of the ongoing Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2025 at KINTEX in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. Under the MOU, the two sides will work together to expand the participation of South Korean parts suppliers in Embraer's global supply chai

Oct. 20, 2025

S. Korea's defense chief holds talks with officials from NATO, Saudi Arabia

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Monday held back-to-back bilateral talks with senior officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Romania and Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to expand defense and arms industry cooperation, his office said. In his meeting with Radmila Shekerinska, deputy secretary general of NATO, Ahn underscored the importance of their cooperation and requested support for efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to the defense ministry. The defense

Oct. 20, 2025

Airpower on display at ADEX 2025

Roaring fighter jets filled the skies over Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday as the Republic of Korea Air Force’s Black Eagles performed a dynamic air show at the 2025 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX). The three-day event, running Friday to Sunday, showcased South Korea’s latest defense technologies, including KAI’s KF-21 fighter, LAH and FA-50 aircraft, and the KUH-1 Surion helicopter. Families, veterans and defense officials watched as aircraft

Oct. 19, 2025

S. Korea's major defense exhibition kicks off with record number of participating firms

South Korea's international defense exhibition kicked off Friday with a record number of companies expected to showcase advanced military technologies. The Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2025, which will run through next Friday, opened at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul. The second segment of the event will take place at KINTEX in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, starting Monday. ADEX is South Korea's largest aerospace and defense trade exhibition, designed to boos

Oct. 17, 2025

Military chiefs of S. Korea, US discuss alliance, cooperation in phone talks

The top military officers of South Korea and the United States held phone talks on Friday and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation for their alliance, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and his US counterpart, Gen. Dan Caine, noted the security situation on the Korean Peninsula remains stable on the back of their ironclad alliance and concurred on the importance of deterring North Korean threats through the South Korea-US combined defense posture, the JCS

Oct. 17, 2025

USFK sends protest letter to Seoul over special counsel raid on Osan base

The top US Air Force officer in South Korea has lodged a protest with Seoul’s Foreign Ministry over a raid by a special counsel team at Osan Air Base, which Washington says violated procedures under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement. Lt. Gen. David Iverson, deputy commander of US Forces Korea and head of the US 7th Air Force, sent the letter on Oct. 3, expressing concern over the search linked to an investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 202

Oct. 16, 2025