The military will conduct a large-scale aerial defense exercise Wednesday across the country to bolster its capabilities to handle enemy infiltrations, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.The biannual exercise will take place between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. South Korean troops will practice intercepting enemy aircraft infiltrating South Korean airspace, officials

Vietnam War veteran stresses calm amid defoliant contamination allegationsTheir missions during the Vietnam War ended four decades ago, but they are still fighting a war ― an unexpected one against illnesses resulting from their exposure to Agent Orange, a senior member of a veterans’ group here said Monday.Pointing to the gray-haired members of the Korean Disabled Veterans’ Association for Agent

Probe team focuses on one area at U.S. baseThe allegations that a large amount of Agent Orange was buried at Camp Carroll, a U.S. base in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1978 are expected to be confirmed after June 21, experts said Sunday.A Korea-U.S. joint probe team has been investigating the camp, a key logistical support center for the U.S. troops here, since late last month following t

The military is striving to tighten discipline in cyberspace as an increasing number of tech-savvy enlisted soldiers are caught breaking rules on Internet use.While South Korea prides itself on being one of the world’s most wired countries, widespread video recording devices and access to the Internet have created a headache for the military.The military has been running 82 “cyber patrol teams” in

Controversy over when U.S. sprayed defoliants in Korea continuesA Korea-U.S. probe team on Tuesday began taking soil samples just outside Camp Carroll, a U.S. base in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province where a considerable amount of Agent Orange was allegedly buried in 1978.A separate investigation team also kicked off its first basic onsite inspection at the now-defunct Camp Mercer in Bucheon, Gy

Another rocket fell late Monday outside an Afghanistan base where South Korean aid workers and troops are stationed, but there were no injuries, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.There have now been four attacks in May alone, with the latest apparently targeting the base in Charikar City in the northern Afghan province of Parwan. A total of nine attacks have occurred so far this year near or

After 1999 mission, N.K. abducted Lt. Col. Jeong, then released him in dealA South Korean Army intelligence officer infiltrated areas near North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex and brought samples of soil and water there to the South in 1999 for the government to assess its nuclear activities, news reports said Monday.Later, the lieutenant colonel, identified only by his surname Jeong, was abduct

Military forms joint team to investigate Camp Mercer siteA former South Korean soldier testified for the first time Monday that from its aircraft, the U.S. military sprayed a defoliant over the Demilitarized Zone in 1955 ― more than a decade earlier than news media recently reported.News reports have said that the U.S. military had sprayed Agent Orange south of the buffer zone dividing the two Kor

JEJU ― China's taking a similar attitude to that of the United States to North Korea would only see the reclusive state slip deeper into isolation, a senior Chinese official said Saturday.Such a move would mean that China could not adequately influence the communist state, said Zhao Qi Zheng, director of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.Zhao Q

Prime minister calls for closer cooperation for peaceful and prosperous East AsiaJEJU ― Top government officials, corporate leaders, scholars and activists from across the globe engaged in heated discussions on a wide range of issues facing the world at a forum here over the weekend.The 6th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity brought together some 1,200 people including 250 from some 20 countries

A three-day international forum to seek solutions to a wide range of global issues will begin on Jeju on Friday, organizers said Thursday.Themed “New Asia for Peace and Prosperity,” the 6th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity will run through Sunday at Haevichi Hotel & Resort.About 1,200 people will attend the now annual forum, which had so far been held biennially since its inception in 2001. Amo

Device to examine soil at U.S. base; officials discussing joint investigationThe U.S. military will mobilize ground-penetrating radar devices as early as next week to inspect the soil at one of its bases here where a large amount of Agent Orange was allegedly buried some three decades ago, the Eighth Army commander said Thursday.Public anxiety here has been deepening over a series of allegations b

North Korean defectors here are strongly opposing a government plan to require them to gain approval before making remittances to relatives in the cash-strapped state.They say that the approval process could put them and their loved ones in the North in dangerous situations and make brokers demand more money for delivering funds.They also say that since their remittances are made through “complica

Ex-soldier claims indiscriminate dumping at U.S. baseAnother former U.S. soldier claimed seven years ago that his unit in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, dumped “every imaginable chemical” there in the 1960s, a U.S.-based Korean journalist said Monday.The comment further escalated public anxiety over toxic chemical contamination by U.S. troops here, who are alleged to have buried a considerable amount

Lawmakers and civic groups are calling for the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement with the U.S. to toughen regulations after possible environmental contamination here.They argue that with the “abstract, vaguely-worded terms” in the pact, the Seoul government cannot demand that the U.S. engage in environmental surveys or offer compensation for its troops’ environmental damage here.The two a

South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to a joint investigation into the alleged burial three decades ago of Agent Orange at a U.S. military base in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province, a senior government official said Sunday.“Recognizing the urgency and importance of the matter, the U.S. has actively engaged in consultations with us. For a prompt, transparent resolution of the issue, the two sides

Meeting comes as factional strife looms large, party licks post-election woundsThe meeting between President Lee Myung-bak and former Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye, scheduled for this week, is drawing keen attention as the rare talks are to come amid the party’s efforts for reform.The ruling party has been seeking measures to revamp itself and shore up public trust since its by-ele

The Navy decided to suspend the operation of the three newest 1,800-ton submarines early last year due to problems with their component parts, according to a lawmaker.Rep. Song Young-sun of the minority Future Hope Alliance party told media that weak bolts used to fixate their upper bridges and decks were broken or loosened during their maritime operations on a number of occasions.For the first 1,

The North Korean military has around 30,000 electronic warfare specialists with capabilities rivaling those of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Fox News reported Tuesday, citing defectors and other sources.The U.S. broadcaster’s report titled “North Korea’s cyber army gets increasingly sophisticated,” came after a series of cyber attacks on key government and corporate websites in South Korea

Amb. Zhang Xinsen says Beijing mediating between North and South KoreaChinese Ambassador to South Korea Zhang Xinsen on Monday called for an early resumption of the inter-Korean dialogue to address bilateral issues and bring about peace and stability on the peninsula.Speaking at a forum in Seoul, Zhang also stressed that the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea can provide an effect