The government, military and agricultural associations are joining hands to tackle the worst dry spell in nearly four decades, propping up water supply, labor force, financial and other related support.Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday instructed the military to provide additional personnel and equipment to hardest-hit regions such as Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces in consultation with municipalities. The ministry has been helping farmers since late May. Precipitation in the two province

South Korea’s relatively mild climate, unique culture and customs linked with hospital visits appear to have come together to egg on the largest outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome outside its origin, experts and reports suggested.Though health authorities have confirmed that the virus has not mutated to allow more contagious airborne transmission, officials and analysts floated a few factors that may contribute to the ongoing spike in the number of patients. Song Dae-sub, a profess

Asia is gearing up for increased infrastructure financing to support the drive for stronger economic growth. That’s good news for narrowing the perennial gaps in energy and transport blocking growth in many economies in the region. But, unless accompanied by protective safeguards, these projects risk damaging the environment, climate and communities ― and hindering growth. This must be a top concern for both the established lenders, such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, and the two

South Korea is seeking to facilitate the use of drones and other military tools to better monitor and guard its air defense identification zone amid a rise of unreported entries of foreign airplanes. The Defense Ministry said Monday it has proposed an amendment to the military aircraft operation act to shore up “defects” in its ADIZ management and lay the legal foundation for the use of drones. In 2013, the country announced its new ADIZ that stretches further south to include its submerged rock

South Korea said Thursday it would provide equipment to help detect Middle East respiratory syndrome at a joint factory park in North Korea in a rare reconciliatory gesture.The decision was taken two days after Pyongyang made the request. Seoul will send three heat-sensing cameras shortly to the Gaeseong industrial complex, a Unification Ministry official said. Last November, Seoul had lent the devices, each worth 15 million won ($13,600), to help brace for a possible spread of the Ebola virus a

South Korea conducted its first-ever test launch of a ballistic missile Wednesday as part of its efforts to better counter North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. President Park Geun-hye attended the event hosted by the state-run Agency for Defense Development in Taean, South Chungcheong Province. The newly developed missile has a range of more than 500 kilometers and thus is capable of striking nearly all parts of the communist neighbor. “The site is where the military is developing

Seoul and Tokyo are expected to undertake discussions as early as next month over the details of Japan’s possible exercise of its right to self-defense on the Korean Peninsula following their first defense ministerial talks in more than four years. Foreign Minister Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani met on the margins of the Asia Security Summit in Singapore on Saturday and agreed on the principle that the Self-Defense Forces can enter the peninsula only upon Seoul’s request o

South Korea will chronicle the sufferings of the women forced into sex slavery during Japanese colonial rule, while also seeking to hold sports events with North Korea and reopen the headquarters of its provisional governments in China, to mark the 70th anniversary of liberation this year. The government will also build a hall of fame in downtown Seoul to honor some 20,000 independent fighters, while compiling a biographic dictionary to list their activities and boost related education. A public

The U.S. urged North Korea to cease escalating tension on Wednesday after the communist country was found to have been setting up military bunkers on a border island in the scuffle-prone West Sea. The facilities on Galdo Island, some 2.5 kilometers north of the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto naval frontier, are thought to be home to 122-millimeter multiple rocket launchers or guard posts to track the movement of South Korean marines and patrol boats. Seoul’s Defense Ministry criticized the mo

North Korea is building “several” military bunkers on a border island in the skirmish-prone West Sea that pose a “grave threat” to South Korea, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The facilities on Galdo Island, some 2.5 kilometers north of the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto maritime frontier, are expected to house 122-millimeter multiple rocket launchers or guard posts to monitor the movement of South Korean marines and patrol vessels. With a range of 20 kilometers, the weapons were mobil

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan plan to hold their first bilateral talks in more than four years next month as the countries seek to mend their relationship in the face of historical and territorial feuds, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday. Defense Minister Han Min-koo will meet his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit in Singapore on May 29-31. They are expected to discuss ways to stave off North Korea’s growing threats in the wake of i

U.S. Congress saw a bill this week calling for relisting North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and levying further sanctions as tension rises over its growing nuclear and missile threats and unabated human rights abuses. The resolution presented on Tuesday by Sen. Cory Gardner, chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy, said Pyongyang poses a “serious threat” to the U.S. and its regional allies, citing the Kim Jong-un regime’s underwater

Despite the strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo and other challenges, the South Korea-U.S. alliance is “more resilient, deeper and broader than ever,” former U.S. ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens said. Concerns persist over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s drive for a “normal state” and ongoing attempts to undercut the country’s imperial past and previous apologies for wartime atrocities such as its sexual enslavement of Korean women on frontline brothels.This has created tension as S

Controversy over Washington’s alleged push to station an advanced U.S. missile defense unit on the peninsula was reignited when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry raised the issue for the first time during his trip to Seoul. At a meeting with U.S. troops and Foreign Service officers late Monday, the top diplomat cited North Korea’s ongoing creation of a nuclear arsenal and other “extraordinarily provocative activities” to stress the significance of the deployment of ships, forces and other asset

South Korea on Tuesday unveiled plans to introduce a special express train this summer linking Asia and Europe as part of its efforts to boost economic and sociocultural cooperation between the two continents. Under the slogan, “One Dream, One Eurasia,” some 250 people from the political, economic, academic and cultural circles and ordinary citizens will gather in Seoul on July 14 before flying to Vladivostok and Beijing for a 20-day journey. In Vladivostok, about 200 of them will take the main

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Seoul on Monday lashed out at North Korea for its recent test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, public executions and other ongoing provocations, stressing the need for greater international pressure to change its behavior. While “persistent and principled” diplomacy remains key to dealing with the communist country, no one should be “under any illusion” about talks for the sake of talks, he said, urging leader Kim Jong-un to display his resolve for

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday warned North Korea against the development of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, calling the communist country’s latest test “destabilizing” and “unacceptable.” At a joint news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Kerry highlighted the role of Beijing in pressing Pyongyang to change course and take steps toward denuclearization. The top U.S. diplomat’s visit to China came less than a week after the Kim Jong-un regime claimed to hav

South Korea appointed Park Ro-byug, a veteran diplomat with expertise in European affairs, as its new ambassador to Russia. The 58-year-old former envoy to Ukraine will replace Wi Sung-lac, who is set to retire after serving more than three years in Moscow. Park most recently led years-long negotiations with Washington to revise their civilian atomic energy pact as the Foreign Ministry’s ambassador for nuclear energy cooperation. The two countries clinched a deal last month to pave the way for a

The reserve soldier who carried out Wednesday’s shooting spree at a Seoul military training camp had deliberately planned the attack and sent mobile messages bearing signs of suicide to a friend, the Army said Thursday. The 23-year-old reservist, surnamed Choi, had asked to be placed in the first firing line to make it easy for him to aim at colleagues, the Army said. After receiving a magazine with 10 rounds for a K-2 rifle, he fired one at the target then suddenly turn around to fire seven mor

North Korea executed its defense chief for treason late last month using an anti-aircraft machine gun, lawmakers said Wednesday, citing a National Intelligence Service briefing. The killing of Hyon Yong-chol, minister of the People’s Armed Forces, took place around April 30 at the Kangkon Military Academy in Pyongyang with hundreds including his family in attendance, the agency told lawmakers at a closed-door parliamentary briefing. He was charged with treason for dozing off while Kim was giving