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US think tank proposes slashing USFK troop level to about 10,000 from 28,500
A US think tank recommended a reduction of the US Forces Korea troop level to about 10,000 from the current 28,500 in a report released Wednesday, amid speculation that the Pentagon might weigh the idea of a troop drawdown on the Korean Peninsula to prioritize deterring Chinese threats. Defense Priorities, a Washington-based institution, released the report, titled "Aligning global military posture with US interests," saying that the US troop presence should be reduced even further if Seoul limi
July 10, 2025 -
Existing S. Korea-US defense cost-sharing deal should be upheld: Seoul official
An official at Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the latest South Korea-US defense cost-sharing deal for the 2026-2030 period -- the Special Measures Agreement signed last year under then-US President Joe Biden -- should be upheld. The remark came as US President Donald Trump raised the pressure on South Korea, suggesting that Seoul should shoulder more of the costs of stationing US troops here, on Tuesday, local time. The day before, Trump said he would start imposing 25 percent tari
July 9, 2025 -
Lee orders review of plans for defense industry control tower
President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for Cabinet members to come up with and review plans to launch a new control tower to bolster the country’s defense industry. “The defense industry is our economy’s new growth momentum as well as a strong foundation of our defense capability,” Lee said, as he presided over a Cabinet meeting held in the morning. “(I ask relevant Cabinet members) to review the launch of a new control tower for the growth of our defense industry … and put pan-governmental e
July 8, 2025 -
North Korean crossed MDL into South Korea Thursday: JCS
A North Korean male, who identified himself as a civilian, crossed the Military Demarcation Line inside the Demilitarized Zone into South Korea, the South's military officials said Friday. The individual was taken into custody after crossing the midwestern part of the land border on Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters. It has yet to detect any unusual activities among the North Korean military. “Our military identified the individual in question in t
July 4, 2025 -
S. Korean, US, Japanese military chiefs to meet in Seoul
Top military commanders from South Korea, the United States and Japan are expected to meet in Seoul next week to discuss issues related to North Korea, including its nuclear weapons program and recent missile provocations. According to South Korea’s military on Thursday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo will host his US counterpart, Gen. Dan Caine, and Japan’s Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, for a trilateral meeting in Seoul on July 10 and 11. The meeting marks th
July 3, 2025 -
S. Korea inks 2nd K2 tank export deal with Poland
South Korea signed its second “large-scale” deal to export a second batch of K2 tanks to Poland, the state arms procurement agency said Wednesday, amid growing calls for the country to tap its military manufacturing firms to navigate new global security challenges. “Polish Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz officially announced on July 2 that the negotiations for the second deal involving K2 tanks with Hyundai Rotem were finalized and set to be signed,” Seoul's Defense Acquis
July 2, 2025 -
Lee orders Defense Ministry to devise redevelopment plans for ex-US military bases
President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered the Defense Ministry to come up with redevelopment plans for multiple former military bases and land located near the inter-Korean border that has been returned by the US Forces Korea. Lee ordered the ministry to “proactively review” the issue of how to use the land during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during an afternoon briefing In 2004, Seoul and Washington agreed to relocate all US forces to garrisons located
July 1, 2025 -
S. Korea should tap arms makers to deal with new security challenges: think tank
South Korea should utilize its military manufacturing firms to navigate new security challenges and shifting demands posed by the latest NATO defense spending agreement, a think tank said Monday. “With NATO members now committed to raising defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, demand for advanced weapons systems and defense technology is set to rise sharply,” the Asan Institute for Policy Studies said in its report, “Managing Decline? NATO’s Uneasy Future After the 2025 Summit." “South Korea’s d
July 1, 2025 -
Will NATO's new spending target be boon to S. Korea's defense exports?
Expectations are rising that South Korean defense firms will emerge as key beneficiaries of Europe’s expanding defense spending, with much of the optimism attributed to the country’s proven capacity to meet NATO’s surging procurement demands. Speaking Thursday after returning from the NATO summit in The Hague, national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said, “With NATO moving to raise its defense spending from around or even below 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP (gross domestic product), demand is boun
June 27, 2025 -
S. Korea, NATO to launch new defense cooperation framework
South Korea and NATO have agreed to establish a working-level consultative body to enhance cooperation in the defense industry, the presidential office said Thursday, as part of broader efforts to expand Seoul’s role in NATO’s next-generation capability initiatives. The agreement came after Wi Sung-lac, security adviser to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday in The Hague. Wi attended the NATO summit in place of President Lee. During the m
June 26, 2025 -
Child soldiers of Korean War still waiting for recognition
Park Tae-seung, 92, vividly remembers the day he was conscripted into the South Korean military to fight against North Koreans. It was 75 years ago, near the end of August 1950, only three months after the 1950-53 Korean War began. He was 17. “Age didn’t really matter — if we were physically big enough, then the country deemed us sufficient to enter the war,” Park, who now lives in the quiet city of Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, told The Korea Herald on Wednesday. “I saw so many of us — bo
June 25, 2025 -
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 strike would further dim the already unfavorable 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
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