Experts say core South Korea-US military intelligence exchanges remain largely unaffected despite renewed questions over possible intelligence-sharing restrictions, pointing instead to the Trump administration’s “America First” approach to its allies. Recent concerns have been fueled by contrasting assessments from senior South Korean officials, with some warning that US restrictions could be affecting bilateral intelligence cooperation. Others have played down the friction and stressed that the

Military Manpower Administration Commissioner Hong So-young said Monday that the government is not considering mandatory military service for women, despite the steep decline in South Korea's military numbers. "The official position of both the Military Manpower Administration and the Defense Ministry is that we are not considering it at this point," Hong said during a National Assembly National Defense Committee audit of the agency in Daejeon. Hong said public consensus should come first, parti

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Monday rejected claims of growing strains in the South Korea-US alliance, while urging news outlets to exercise caution when reporting on relations with Washington and North Korea. Speaking at a press conference at the Unification Ministry headquarters in Seoul, Chung pushed back against recent reports suggesting that a series of disputes between Seoul and Washington reflect a deterioration in the alliance. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Sout

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The JCS said it detected the launches from the Pyongyang area at around 9:20 a.m., with one of the missiles flying more than 900 kilometers. "Based on our analysis so far, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles of different types, and one type is assessed to have flown more than 900 kilometers," Navy Capt. Jang Do-young, spokesperson for the JCS, said during a press bri

Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Friday criticized South Korea's major defense companies for not spending enough on social contributions despite record earnings fueled by the country's defense export boom. According to data submitted to Kim, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the state arms procurement agency, the combined operating profit of five major defense companies — Hanwha Aerospac

South and North Korea clashed at the United Nations on Thursday over recent land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone, with Seoul accusing Pyongyang of violating the Armistice Agreement and demanding an apology while the North denies responsibility. South Korean Ambassador to the UN Cha Ji-hoon raised the Sept. 21 explosions during the general debate of the First Committee of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, saying three South Korean military personnel were injured. “A joint on-sit

Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has failed to obtain a US visa, putting his planned participation in a National Assembly audit of South Korean diplomatic missions in the Americas in doubt. According to local reports Thursday, Jung was the only lawmaker in the Assembly's Americas audit team who had not been issued a US visa as of Thursday. Officials at Jung's office could not immediately be reached for comment. Jung had been scheduled to leave for the United States on

South Korea conducted its first test launch of a homegrown hypersonic glide vehicle Thursday, a move Seoul described as a significant achievement toward securing a new capability to strike key targets on the Korean Peninsula. President Lee Jae Myung observed the test, according to Cheong Wa Dae, in a rare public appearance by a president at the development of a new strike weapon. The test's location was not disclosed. The launch was conducted by the Agency for Defense Development, the state-run

South Korea has decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday, in an unusually strong diplomatic move as tension continues to mount between Seoul and Kyiv. "The government has decided to recall the South Korean ambassador to Ukraine," the ministry said in a brief statement posted on its official website. "The government hopes that various pending issues between the two countries will be resolved smoothly and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to

Korea Herald correspondent TALLINN, Estonia — South Korea's defense industry rode into Europe on fast deliveries, competitive prices and a deep arsenal of conventional weapons, but it may now need to recalibrate that formula as European militaries shift their focus toward drones, air defense and other capabilities shaped by the war in Ukraine. K-defense gained momentum after Russia's invasion of Ukraine exposed gaps left by decades of post-Cold War downsizing in Europe. While many European count

South Korea's top military officer said Thursday that the United States has restricted some intelligence sharing on North Korea, but that the limits have not affected the South Korean military's overall readiness posture. "Some information is restricted, but there is no problem in maintaining our overall readiness posture," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung said during a National Assembly audit of the JCS held at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Seoul. Jin was res

South Korea and Egypt agreed Thursday to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and begin negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement as President Lee Jae Myung met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Seoul. The summit came during el-Sissi's state visit to South Korea, his first trip to the country in 10 years, following Lee's visit to Egypt in November last year. Lee described Egypt as a key partner in South Korea's SHINE Initiative, a broader Middle East p

South Korea on Wednesday rejected claims that petroleum shipments from South Korean ports helped Russia ease a fuel shortage caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written statement that Seoul has consistently implemented sanctions and export controls against Russia in close coordination with the international community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "There has been no change in this position of our government," Kang added. She al

South Korea's unification and defense ministers faced interrogations at National Assembly audits Wednesday over North Korean mines found south of the inter-Korean border. Lawmakers questioned the government's assessment of Pyongyang's intent and the military's response to explosions that seriously injured three South Korean personnel last month. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young faced criticism from opposition lawmakers over his reluctance to characterize the Sept. 21 explosions in the Demil

우리 군이 지난달 21일 비무장지대(DMZ)에서 지뢰 폭발 사고가 발생한 직후 전방 육군 군단의 화력대기태세를 격상하고, 북한의 우발적 군사행동에 대비해 즉각 대응 사격이 가능한 상태를 유지했던 것으로 확인됐다. 6일 복수의 군 소식통에 따르면 합동참모본부는 군사분계선(MDL) 인근에서 우리 군 장병 3명이 다친 지뢰 폭발 사고 직후 군단급 화력대기태세를 격상했다. 격상된 태세는 우리 군이 MDL 이남에서 발견된 북한 지뢰지대를 제거한 지난 5일까지 유지됐다. 국방부에 따르면 이번 지뢰 제거 작전은 우리 군이 MDL 이남에 설치된 북한 지뢰지대를 물리적으로 제거한 첫 사례다. 군 관계자는 당시 화력대기태세 격상 배경에 대해 MDL 인근에서 이뤄지는 폭발과 지뢰 제거 작업이 북한의 예상치 못한 반응을 불러올 가능성을 염두에 둔 조치였다고 설명했다. 이 관계자는 익명을 전제로 "우리 입장에서 보면 지뢰를 터뜨리는 게 별것 아닐 수도 있지만 북한 입장에서 보면 자기들이 경계선이라고 보는