The Marine Corps said Monday it staged regular live-fire drills on islands near the tensely guarded inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea. The exercise took place on the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border, according to the Marine Corps. During the drills, troops reportedly fired some 200 rounds into surrounding waters, involving its K9 self-propelled howitzers and Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems. "The drill was an annu

Three South Korean military personnel were wounded Monday, one of them seriously, in an explosion during a search operation inside the Demilitarized Zone. The explosion occurred in the western section of the DMZ, south of the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The JCS has yet to determine the cause of the blast. Possibilities they are considering include whether it was triggered by a land mine and, if so, whether the mine had been laid by

Korea Herald correspondent TALLINN, Estonia — South Korea and Estonia are seeking to broaden defense industry cooperation beyond arms sales, with companies and industry groups taking a larger role as the two countries navigate different strategic concerns surrounding Russia. For Estonia, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has heightened concerns over its own long-term security, prompting Tallinn to sharply increase defense spending and strengthen its military capabilities. South Korea, meanwhile, has

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday ruled out the possibility of South Korea's direct or indirect involvement in the war in the Middle East, saying any part the country plays will have no connection to combat. “There will not be a dispatching of troops for involvement or intervention in the war. This I can state clearly,” Lee said at Friday’s press conference, stressing that South Korea has maintained the principle of not becoming directly involved in combat and will continue to do so. Lee was res

Korea Herald correspondent TALLINN, Estonia — For Estonian defense companies seeking deeper ties with South Korea, one of their selling points is something money alone cannot easily buy: experience. “The lessons learned, lessons identified from Ukraine, it is something that is measured in gold right now,” said Marko Kaseleht, founder of Estonian battlefield intelligence company SensusQ. “Getting feedback, understanding how your adversaries are collaborating, all that is something that everybody

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Gyu-ha has met with top military officials of the Polish Army and discussed ways to expand high-level exchanges and defense industry cooperation, the South Korean Army said Wednesday. During a three-day trip to Poland from Sunday, Kim met separately with Gen. Wieslaw Kukula, chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, and Lt. Gen. Marek Sokolowski, the Polish Army's general commander. Kim and Kukula agreed to establish a regular bilateral consultative body

The Navy and Marine Corps are currently undertaking a joint regular amphibious landing exercise on the country's southeast coast, with a focus on incorporating manned and unmanned combat systems to enhance joint capabilities, the armed forces said Wednesday. The division-level landing drills kicked off last Thursday and will run through Saturday, with about 5,700 troops deployed to Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the Marine Corps and the Navy said in a statement. The drills invo

South Korea on Tuesday approved a plan to additionally purchase some 20 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters capable of detecting and attacking enemy submarines and vessels underwater, the state arms procurement agency said. A defense project promotion committee of the agency approved the 3.24 trillion-won ($2.4 billion) project to acquire more Seahawk helicopters through 2032, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The Seahawk, manufactured by US defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp.,

South Korea and the United States plan to hold their senior-level regular defense talks this week, the defense ministry said, amid Seoul weighing military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz. The biannual Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue will be held in the southeastern port city of Busan from Wednesday through Friday, according to the ministry. Kim Hong-cheol, deputy defense minister for policy, and George Lemeur, US deputy assistant secretary of war for East Asia, will lead the talks, along

South Korea and the United States are set for a series of high-level diplomatic and defense consultations this week, as the allies navigate sensitive security issues, including Seoul’s possible military contribution in the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are coordinating schedules for talks later this month, with a meeting potentially taking place this week ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York, which opens Sept. 22. Cho

The Korean War ended with a cease-fire in 1953, but the scale and ferocity of the fighting remain evident in the remains of fallen soldiers and wartime relics found across South Korea. The Army's 2nd Armored Brigade, together with the Ministry of National Defense's Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification, began excavating war remains at Hill 367 in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. The excavation will continue through Oct. 16. The area was the site of fierce battles during th

Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul said Friday that South Korea is seeking to retake wartime operational control from the United States under a firm principle that there will be "no additional conditions" attached. Kang made the remark in written responses submitted to a lawmaker ahead of his parliamentary confirmation hearing set for Wednesday. The retired four-star Army general, a former deputy commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, was nominated to lead the defense mini

South Korean defense firm Hanwha Aerospace Co. on Thursday signed a deal to export 18 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems to Croatia in an arms contract worth some 640 billion won ($477 million), the state arms procurement agency said. The 410 million-euro contract marks the first major arms deal between the two countries, opening up avenues for greater partnership beyond arms exports, such as industrial cooperation, military logistics support and others, the Defense Acquisition Program Admin

South Korea's top military officer and Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the United Nations Command, visited the eastern section of the inter-Korean border Wednesday, amid repeated crossings by North Korean troops. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and Brunson visited frontline Guard Posts and a General Outpost along the eastern front to inspect operations in the Demilitarized Zone and review military readiness, according to the JCS. Brunson concurrently serves as commander of th

Decision still open: Seoul says no decision has been made on contributing troops or military assets to Strait of Hormuz operations, despite sending an assessment team to the UAE. Team dispatched: The Defense Ministry sent personnel to evaluate regional and security conditions, stressing the mission is part of the review process rather than a signal that deployment is imminent. Pressure mounts: US President Donald Trump has urged Seoul to contribute more, while domestic opposition and Iran’s warn