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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 -
South Korea, UAE to hold regular Air Force meetings, boost defense ties
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish regular bilateral meetings between their air forces, the South Korean Air Force said Tuesday. The agreement was signed during a meeting between South Korean Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-soo and Maj. Gen. Rashed Mohammed A. Al Shamsi, commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense, at the South Korean Air Force Headquarters in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province. The UAE is the first Middle
April 15, 2025 -
S. Korea to join multinational air exercise in UAE
South Korea will join an annual multinational exercise in the United Arab Emirates this month designed to train troops on combined air operations in the desert, the Air Force said Tuesday. The three-week Desert Flag exercise will begin at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE on Monday, involving service members from 13 countries, including the United States, Britain and Saudi Arabia, according to the armed service. South Korea will send a team of some 30 Air Force personnel and a C-130H transport aircr
April 15, 2025 -
Will Trump 2.0 revive push for transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea?
South Korea's efforts to reclaim wartime operational control of its military forces from the US might gain momentum under the current US administration, which has hinted that its allies should shore up their responsibility for regional security challenges, experts said Monday. The transfer of military OPCON from Washington to Seoul has existed as a major issue between the allies for decades, but concerns surrounding it have been exacerbated with US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable approach
April 14, 2025 -
Two Air Force unit commanders additionally booked over accidental jet bombing
Two Air Force unit commanders have been booked in relation to an unprecedented mistaken bombing on a civilian town last month, officials said Monday, as the ministry released the interim probe results of the fighter jet accident. On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians, according to an estimate by city authorities. The two pilots, who are alleged to hav
April 14, 2025 -
US military leaders negative about USFK troop reduction
US military leaders in the Indo-Pacific presented negative views about the idea of a US troop reduction in South Korea on Thursday, amid lingering concerns that the Trump administration could seek a troop cut or realignment to focus more on threats from China. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo Jr. warned the withdrawal or reduction of American troops from South Korea would raise a "higher" likelihood of a North Korean invasion,
April 11, 2025 -
S. Korea, US update wartime plans against North Korea’s ‘increasingly sophisticated threats’
South Korea and the US have updated their joint wartime operation plans, in response to North Korea’s “increasingly sophisticated” nuclear weapons program, the commander of US Forces Korea said late Wednesday. Gen. Xavier Brunson, who also leads the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and UN Command, said that the decades-old allies signed a new joint wartime operations plan last year, in a written statement submitted to the US House Armed Services Committee. "Last year, we took a significant
April 10, 2025 -
Drone-helicopter collision caused by sudden gust of wind: military
A collision between a military drone and a helicopter last month was caused by a sudden gust of wind during the drone's landing, an Army official said Wednesday. An Army investigation committee reached the conclusion after analyzing video recordings, surveillance camera footage and flight data from the March 17 collision between a Heron reconnaissance drone and a Surion helicopter at an airfield in Yangju, just north of Seoul. "The committee did not identify any human error, equipment flaws, or
April 9, 2025