Seoul says high-level meeting possible when North takes responsible stepsThe North Korean military said Thursday that it no longer felt any need to engage in dialogue with its South Korean counterpart, blaming Seoul for Wednesday’s breakup of the inter-Korean working-level military talks.Its statement, in which it called the South the “group of traitors” ― a hostile expression it has refrained fro

The inter-Korean working-level military talks broke down after no progress Wednesday, as the two sides failed to narrow their differences over the agenda for the possible high-level meeting, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said.The two Koreas also failed to set a date for another round of the talks, they said.The talks were held for the second consecutive day at the inter-Korean bord

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin is on a five-day trip to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, which began Monday with an aim to encourage Korean troops stationed there and enhance defense cooperation with the two countries, officials said Wednesday.It is the first official overseas trip for Kim since he took office last December.On Tuesday, Kim visited the Korean contingent, called the “Ashena

Beginning next year, all aspiring commissioned and non-commissioned officers will be required to pass examinations, a measure to secure more competent military personnel, an official at the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.The official said that the aspiring officers should go through a comprehensive evaluation process to verify an array of factors including their combat skills, command

A joint commissioning ceremony for all Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps cadets will be held to avoid a “leadership vacuum” while top military officers attend what have previously been separate academy events.The Ministry of National Defense will hold the joint ceremony in the Gyeryongdae military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province in early March, officials said Wednesday.It will be t

The two Koreas failed to narrow their differences at their working-level military talks Tuesday and will hold more talks Wednesday at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.The talks, where Col. Moon Sang-gyun and his North Korean counterpart Col. Ri Son-kwon represented each side, were aimed at coordinating details about the venue, date, agenda and level of r

The South Korean military is seeking to add between 1,200 and 2,000 marine troops to its numbers as part of efforts to better defend five northwestern border islands, multiple government sources said Tuesday.The plan to increase the number of marine troops ― which currently stands at around 27,000 ― could lead to the numbers of Army, Navy and Air Force troops also being readjusted, according to th

The South Korean military plans to deploy ship-to-surface cruise missiles with a range of more than 500 kilometers this year on 4,500-ton KDX-II class destroyers operating in the West Sea, a military source said Tuesday.The indigenous Cheonryong missile is capable of attacking key strategic ground targets in North Korea, including its military command posts and surface-to-ship missile bases on the

Investigators have corroborated charges that a Somali pirate shot the captain of a seized Korean freighter using ballistics evidence, maritime police in Busan said Monday. The evidence includes a bullet removerd from the injured captain and bullet traces on the ship’s wheel house.In addition, the rescued Korean crewmembers of the Samho Jewelry told police that they saw Arai Mahomed shoot the capta

Police to announce probe results todayA Somali pirate, suspected of shooting the captain of a Korean freighter during a naval rescue operation last month, has admitted that he was carrying a firearm while holding him hostage, in a reversal of his earlier position, according to maritime police in Busan.Arai Mahomed, one of the five pirates captured during the naval commando raid in the Indian Ocean

Seoul remains firm that Pyongyang should first show ‘sincerity’Through its continuing overtures for talks with the South, North Korea apparently seeks to be seen taking the initiative to enhance inter-Korean relations that plunged to new lows over two attacks last year, experts here said Sunday.Other motives behind its recent “peace offensive” include creating a mood conducive to the resumption of

The two Koreas have agreed to hold working-level military talks at the South-controlled Peace House in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom on Feb. 8, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.The agreement to talk came after a string of proposals and counterproposals between the two sides. The North made a proposal last Saturday to hold the talks on Tuesday this week, which Seoul rejected, r

Shin Young-moo, a 65-year-old veteran lawyer whose election as chairperson of the Korean Bar Association was virtually predetermined, has vowed to tackle the unemployment issue facing new attorneys.“This year, the Judicial Research and Training Institute produced 1,000 new attorneys. Of the total, (nearly) 45 percent remain unemployed,” said Shin. “In the local legal market at crossroads, the live

Defense Ministry says it wants enough time to make preparationsSeoul’s Defense Ministry on Monday rejected North Korea’s proposal to hold working-level military talks at an earlier date, repeating that it wants to hold the meeting Feb. 11 as it originally suggested.In a faxed message sent to the ministry last Saturday, the North suggested holding the preliminary talks Tuesday without elaborating o

The Justice Ministry on Friday appointed Han Sang-dae, chief of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, to head the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in a reshuffle that affected six senior prosecutor posts.Park Yong-seok, chief of the Legal Research and Training Institute, was appointed as the vice chief of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in the reshuffle, which officials said is aimed at re

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was opposed to the second hereditary power succession, but had no other option in order to stabilize the impoverished communist state, a Japanese newspaper quoted Kim’s eldest son as saying Friday.The Tokyo Shimbun said it had an exclusive interview with Kim Jong-nam, thought to be in his late 30s, in a southern Chinese city earlier this month. “Even Chairman Mao Ze

Military academies have decided to loosen their admission requirements or lower the cutoff score in their preliminary admission process for children of overseas Korean nationals, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.The move comes as the military seeks to nurture soldiers with global mindsets and high proficiency in foreign languages, as the country has been expanding its ov

Korea may send military aircraft to bring in five captured pirates for trialThe captain of the Korean freighter rescued from Somali pirates last Friday was in a “serious condition,” according to a Korean doctor dispatched to Oman where he is being treated.On Wednesday, Seok Hae-gyun, the 58-year-old captain of the Samho Jewelry freighter, underwent the second surgical procedure for the abdominal g

South Korea on Wednesday proposed holding working-level military talks with North Korea next month, adding to the growing mood for inter-Korean dialogue, which has been rare due to the belligerent state’s two deadly attacks last year.Seoul’s Unification Ministry also renewed its call for bilateral talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, stressing that its earnest intent to denuclearize should be v

Zippers and Velcro are to replace buttons on military upper garments, and designs will be changed to maximize camouflage and make them more comfortable, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.The ministry plans to replace the military’s current four-color camouflage uniforms, first introduced in 1991, with garments featuring five-color patterns. The new uniforms will not require soldiers