Officials put more weight on possibility of Taliban role in shelling of Korean baseRelentless rocket attacks on a base for South Korean aid workers and troops in Afghanistan are expected to hamper operations to help rebuild the war-torn country amid growing public angst here over their safety.This month alone, there were three attacks apparently targeting the base in Charikar City in the northern

The South Korean military is seeking consultations with the U.S. over dispatching U.S. liaison staff to Bangnyeong Island, one of the five northwestern border islands, to deter North Korean provocations, officials said Tuesday.“South Korea and the U.S. are trying to come up with measures to enhance our defense of the five frontline islands, including sending U.S. military personnel as observers fo

Some retired generals doubt whether reform measures will be effectiveThe Ministry of National Defense is pushing ahead with a major military overhaul, aiming to make its bloated command apparatus “strong, speedy and slim” and ready itself to take back wartime operational control from the U.S. in 2015.The envisioned large-scale reform comes as the military is toiling to address a series of shortcom

A rocket fell early Saturday just outside an Afghanistan base where South Korean aid workers and troops are stationed, but there were no reports of injuries, Foreign Ministry officials said. The rocket landed about 200 meters away from the wall surrounding the base in Charikar City in the northern Afghan province of Parwan at around 12:45 a.m., according to them. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said tha

The explosions at two public transportation hubs in Seoul last Thursday were masterminded by a man seeking profits from causing the stock market to fall, police concluded Sunday.Last week, the 43-year-old man, identified only by his surname Kim, invested in “put options” that appreciate when stock prices drop. He expected the blasts to panic investors into selling stocks, officials said.Kim hatche

Police are investigating two explosions at Seoul Station and Gangnam Express Bus Terminal about 30 minutes apart on Thursday.There have been no reports of injuries yet from the two blasts, officials said.The explosions caused chaos with citizens hurriedly leaving the two public transportation hubs. Police have not ruled out the possibility of terrorism, officials said.Police check a locker at Seou

Some Grand National Party lawmakers are considering ways to enable depositors of suspended savings banks to partially recoup lost money, officials said Thursday.They are also mulling giving the state-run Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. the right to independently inspect savings banks to keep the Financial Supervisory Service in check. Critics said the FSS has wielded a “monopolistic” inspection auth

The state human rights watchdog chief on Thursday sent a letter to some 1,500 North Korean defectors, urging them to report cases of human rights abuse they had suffered or witnessed in the communist state, officials said Thursday.In the letter, Hyun Byung-chul of the National Human Rights Commission also expressed regret over the lack of “systematic” measures to express their agony and frustratio

Major Gen. Chun In-bumA Souh Korean Army commander will be decorated on Friday with a prestigious military medal from the U.S. government for his contribution to enhancing the bilateral military alliance, officials said Thursday.Major Gen. Chun In-bum, the head of the 27th Division, will receive the Legion of Merit from U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens at her residence in central S

Military manpower chief says measures will close loopholesThe military conscription agency has been implementing or seeking to introduce a series of measures to block those looking to exploit legal loopholes to dodge their compulsory service, the agency chief said Wednesday.They include toughening screening processes, securing an independent investigative authority, allowing elementary-school grad

North Korea on Tuesday said that South Korea’s recent announcement pinpointing it as the culprit for the April 12 cyber attack was a “fabrication,” denying its role in the nation’s worst-ever banking system crash.The North’s Defense Ministry spokesperson issued a statement, claiming that the announcement last Tuesday was the “same fabrication” as the sinking of the corvette Cheonan, according to i

Former and current South Korean ambassadors will give a series of lectures in Seoul on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from May 31 through July 5 to enhance understanding of its 10 member countries. The ASEAN-Korea Center has organized the lectures on relations between Korea and ASEAN members and ways to improve them.The center is an international body established in March 2009 under an

Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, one of the ruling camp’s presidential hopefuls, expressed his intention to join the Grand National Party’s leadership contest on Tuesday.The former third-term lawmaker said that should all the other presidential hopefuls join the race, he would throw his hat in the ring to “save the party,” now faltering after its recent by-election defeat. The leadership contest is

Police will recruit a former military officer to effectively carry out their operations in the event of North Korean provocations, officials at the National Police Agency said Tuesday.“The agency revised its regulations to expand its anti-terrorism center into a bigger crisis management center which will handle disaster situations. With the revision, we have also laid a ground on which to recruit

Retired officers say plans to revamp military do not go far enoughThe Ministry of National Defense will hold a three-day session next week to outline to retired general-grade officers its military reform efforts, which critics claim will not effectively address problems in the military.About 600 retired general-grade officers are expected to attend the session from Tuesday to Thursday next week, m

Twenty newly promoted general-grade officers from the U.S. are on a five-day tour to South Korea under an educational program aimed at enhancing understanding of its key Asian ally.Under the “Capstone” program organized by the U.S. National Defense University, the group, which arrived here Sunday, visited Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and was briefed on the security situation on the Korean Peninsu

Looking at Internet cafes with many messages disparaging migrant workers based on their appearances and nationalities, Soe Moe Thu feels Korea still has a long way to go to establish a “mature” online culture.To maintain the country’s reputation for state-of-the-art Internet infrastructure, the Seoul government needs to make more efforts to ameliorate “online manners,” the 36-year-old Myanmarese s

The South Korean military is strengthening its protective facilities on the country’s five northwestern border islands with corrugated steel plates a military official said Monday.It has been bolstering its defense capabilities on the islands near the tense western sea border since the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island in November last year, killing two soldiers and two civilians.Additional hi

The nuclear materials found in Libya in 2004 were highly likely to have been produced by North Korea, U.S.-funded broadcaster Voice of America said Saturday, citing an interview with a former senior official of the U.N. nuclear watchdog. In the interview, Olli Heinonen, the former deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said uranium hexafluoride, or UF6 ― used in uranium

Developments may bolster Park Geun-hye ahead of major electionsA major power shift has taken place within the ruling Grand National Party amid calls for reform and concerns over the impact last month’s electoral debacle could have on the general elections slated for April next year.The shift became clear Friday as Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, seen as a “neutral non-mainstreamer,” was elected party floor le