Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman-nominee Lee Sun-jin was playing golf on Aug. 9 when North Korea was reported to have carried out a landmine provocation that wounded two South Korean troops, an opposition lawmaker revealed Sunday.JCS Chairman-nominee Lee Sun-jin (Yonhap)Kim Kwang-jin of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, criticized his golfing on the day as an “inappropriate” act, raising the question of whether he could perform well in the military’s top position.“While he w

The South Korean government has begun the process of verifying news reports that a South Korean teenager thought to have joined an Islamic militant group early this year was killed in a U.S.-led air strike in northern Syria, officials said Thursday.“We are now trying to verify the facts with regard to the reports on his fate,” said a Seoul official on condition of anonymity.A local media outlet reported Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition forces carried out a massive air strike campaign last w

South Korea plans to complete its development and deployment of a ballistic missile with a range of 800 kilometers by 2017, as it seeks to counter the evolving nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.Military sources said that the state-run Agency for Defense Development had put forward the plan in its five-year policy outline, which was adopted right after the Park Geun-hye administration assumed office in February 2013.“Currently, we have developed ballistic missiles with a range of u

Seoul on Wednesday blasted Pyongyang for its apparent threats to thwart their agreement to hold the reunions of families separated by the border, reiterating that the humanitarian issue should be insulated from political and military factors.The communist regime renewed the threat on Tuesday as it criticized President Park Geun-hye’s speech at the U.N. General Assembly that increased pressure on it to abandon its nuclear ambitions and take a path toward economic development and regional peace.“I

The exchange Sunday of seemingly amicable greetings between the leaders of South Korea and Japan has further boosted the prospect of a bilateral summit that has yet to be held amid territorial and historical conflicts. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a U.N. General Assembly session on Monday. (Yonhap)During a brief encounter with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of a luncheon at the U.N. headquarters in New York, President Park Geun-hye expressed her hope that they can meet

Inter-Korean tensions are building amid the South’s moves to enact a North Korea human rights act and its civic groups’ campaign to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets, triggering concerns over the prospect of the reunions of families divided by the border.Pyongyang’s preparations for what it calls a satellite launch have also added to concerns that a series of setbacks could negatively affect the bilateral efforts to hold the reunions from Oct. 20-26 at Mount Geumgangsan.The communist regime has indic

China appears to be facing a tough strategic decision over how to handle North Korea, amid growing U.S. pressure to tame its wayward ally that has hinted at the possibilities of a long-range rocket launch and another nuclear test.In response to the continuing calls from Washington to play the role of a “responsible stakeholder” in regional security, Beijing has been agonizing over ways to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions and provocative acts.But solutions to the issues remain elusive, as the N

The relations between the U.S. and North Korea show no signs of improving with Washington increasing pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program, while the latter continues to shift the blame to the former for bilateral antipathy.U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice delivers a speech at George Washington University on Monday. (Yonhap)Their diplomatic tensions are expected to further escalate later this week as the U.S. is expected to call on China to exert more influence to stop th

Japan’s passage last week of the controversial legislation to expand its security role is stirring public concerns here, with Seoul officials scurrying to allay them by repeating that Tokyo cannot use its forces at will in a Korean emergency.   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a parliamentary session. (Yonhap)Amid the growing angst over Japan loosening its postwar stricture on the use of force, the issue of whether the country is really a potential security threat to Korea, as it was i

Investigators of the Defense Security Command raided a defense-related office of Hanwha Corp. in central Seoul on Friday as part of a probe into an employee suspected of leaking military secrets.Hanwha Corp. in Seoul (Yonhap)Defense authorities said the raid and search were related to a violation of the Military Secret Protection Act, and that investigators confiscated computer files and other documents to glean evidence for the case. They refused to elaborate further on the investigation.Observ

South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties alike called on North Korea to stop any provocative moves to escalate military tensions and damage the emerging mood for dialogue on Friday, a day before the 10th anniversary of a landmark denuclearization deal.Rep. Moon Jae-in, leader of the main opposition New politics Alliance for Democracy, speaks during the party`s Supreme Council meeting on Friday. (Yonhap)Moon Jae-in, leader of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, stressed th

The international community is ratcheting up pressure on North Korea to stop any additional provocations after it threatened to launch a long-range rocket next month, and said that it restarted all nuclear facilities in its Yongbyon complex. Seoul`s chief nuclear envoy Hwang Joon-kuk (Yonhap)Seoul stepped up its diplomacy this week to secure international support to forestall Pyongyang’s rocket test, while Washington warned of “severe consequences” for any provocative decision by the communist r

North Korea’s evolving nuclear weapons capabilities have returned to the spotlight as it claimed Tuesday that its researchers have been pushing to improve the “quantity and quality” of its nuclear weapons to ensure deterrence against the U.S. Satellite imagery shows part of the Yongbyon nuclear complex north of Pyongyang, North Korea. (Yonhap)Analysts presume that the North has come a long way in developing nuclear warheads and their delivery means such as long-range rockets, through three nucle

Hundreds of desperate migrants were Tuesday trapped behind a razor-wire fence erected by Hungary, as Germany's Angela Merkel called for an EU summit on the refugee crisis.While European leaders squabbled over how to manage the continent's biggest migrant influx since World War II, the exodus from war-torn Middle Eastern countries claimed more lives.Another shipwreck off Turkey killed 22 refugees -- among them four children and 11 women -- who had tried to reach Europe, where more than half a mil

North Korea has restarted all nuclear facilities including its uranium enrichment factory at its Yongbyon nuclear complex north of Pyongyang, its atomic research agency said Tuesday, the day after it hinted that it would launch a long-range rocket next month. The file photo shows North Korea`s launch of a long-range rocket in 2012. (Yonhap)The unidentified director of the Atomic Energy Institute said that its staff have continued to make “innovations” to secure the credibility of the North’s nuc

North Korea has been hardening its rhetoric against President Park Geun-hye’s policy drive for reunification as Seoul intensifies diplomatic efforts to drum up international support amid Pyongyang’s deepening isolation. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits a construction site for a power plant, the Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday. (Yonhap)Observers say that the North’s increasingly harsh criticism of Park’s efforts for reunification could hurt the emerging mood for cross-border dialogue and f

The Defense Ministry plans to establish a database on the traits of conscripts who are prone to accidents, crimes or suicide to analyze and prevent those unfit for military life from joining the armed services.The plan was conceived after a series of soldiers, categorized as those “requiring special attention,” have committed various crimes including desertions with weapons and a shooting rampage, which have undermined troop morale and the overall readiness posture.But critics voiced concerns th

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will embark on a six-day trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji on Thursday, aiming to strengthen strategic diplomatic relations with the Pacific nations, the ministry said Wednesday.On Friday in Sydney, Yun and Seoul’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo will attend the “two-plus-two” meeting with their Australian counterparts -- Julie Bishop and Kevin Andrews, respectively -- to discuss a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including North Kore

 President Park Geun-hye’s attendance at China’s much-trumpeted military parade last week underscored both increasingly tricky diplomatic challenges facing South Korea, and the potential of its middle-power diplomacy to seek a delicate balance between the U.S. and China. Hwang Jae-hoPark’s trip to Beijing from Sept. 2-4 came amid escalating concerns that it could further reinforce the growing impression that Seoul is tilting too much toward Beijing at the expense of its traditional security alli

Seoul has earmarked 38.95 trillion won ($32.7 billion) in its proposal for next year’s defense budget, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year, as it seeks to beef up defense capabilities to better counter North Korea’s evolving military threats.“To realize a robust security, we have reflected the security situations, including North Korea’s recent provocations, and our strong resolve to address them in our budget planning for next year,” Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo said during