Experts voice concern over spread of false, malicious informationBy Song Sang-hoTo court voters and boost their turnout for this week’s by-elections, candidates and their election campaigners have heavily resorted to Twitter, one of the most popular online social networking services.As its influence has greatly increased with the number of smart phone users having soared to 10 million, Twitter has

A fire broke out at an SK Energy factory in Incheon Tuesday afternoon, but there were no casualties, the refining unit of the nation’s largest oil refiner SK Innovation said.The fire started at around 3:17 p.m. at the factory for desulfurization and was put out about an hour later, fire authorities said. Fire fighters put out a blaze at an SK Energy factory in Incheon on Tuesday afternoon.(Yonhap

The defense chiefs of South Korea and New Zealand held talks in Seoul and agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in defense procurement, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his New Zealand counterpart Wayne Mapp also exchanged their views on regional security issues and agreed to improve military cooperation in other areas, officials said.

Army, Navy, Air Force to have two vice chiefs each under reform planThe Ministry of National Defense has decided not to introduce a system to rotate the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff among four-star generals of the Army, Navy and Air Force, officials said Tuesday.The decision has triggered concerns among military experts who said that the military’s reform drive aimed at enhancing inte

Fearless Air Force special warfare troops hurled themselves out of a C-130 military plane at an altitude of about 500 meters as part of their five-day biannual exercise that began in Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Monday.Wearing safety and combat equipment weighing more than 40 kilograms, 23 soldiers of the Combat Control Team belonging to the 5th Tactical Airlift Wing safely landed one b

The South Korean military has deployed a set of multiple launch rocket systems on two of the northwestern border islands in efforts to prepare for North Korean provocations, a government source said Monday.The source said some 10 systems have been sent to Bangnyeong and Yeonpyeong Islands near the western maritime border, where North Korean military attacks have persisted. “The rocket systems have

The Seoul government has pledged to contribute $500,000 to an international anti-piracy trust fund, further expanding its financial role in the fight against pirates off the Somali coast, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.South Korea’s envoy, Moon Ha-yong, announced the decision while attending a session of the U.N. Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia ― held in Dubai in the United Arab

PYEONGTAEK ― Pyeongtaek University is emerging as a major educational institution to help U.S. soldiers smoothly adjust to their new lives in Korea through a unique orientation program.Since 2006, the university in the western port city has run the Head Start Program for U.S. troops stationed at nearby Camp Humphreys, the 7th Air Force in Osan and other installations. Under the program, they learn

The Armed Forces Nursing Academy will begin accepting male cadets for the first time next year, allowing more men to engage in the military nursing service, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.The ministry will put on public notice the revision to the enforcement ordinance regarding the operation of the hitherto women-only institution from Friday through May 12, officials said.Under the

The three young Siberian tigers are expected to arrive here from Russia in the first half of this year, a diplomatic source said Thursday.“The two governments in Seoul and Moscow have decided to seek the delivery of tigers in the first half of this year. This is meaningful in that it is a symbol of friendship between the two countries,” the source said, refusing to be identified.The three tigers,

The commander of the Eighth U.S. Army here said Wednesday that there have been no unusual North Korean movements detected recently, underscoring that the allied troops are closely monitoring them.“I am not tracking anything out of the ordinary right now,” Lieut. Gen. John D. Johnson said in a meeting with Korean journalists at the Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul. Lieut. Gen. John D. Johnson, the

Indonesia has signed an agreement to join South Korea’s project to develop a new fighter jet, officials at Seoul’s weapons acquisition agency said Wednesday.Under the agreement, Indonesia’s state-run defense research institute, “Balitbang,” will participate in the technology development process for the KF-X project, also known as the “Boramae” project. According to the deal, Balitbang will pay $10

A group of 17 North Korean taekwondo performers will visit the United States from late next month through early June to present the Korean traditional martial art to an American audience, according to the Voice of America, a U.S.-funded radio broadcaster.It will be their second performance in the U.S. following one in 2007.According to the Taekwondo Times, an online media outlet, the U.S. Departme

The Seoul government is considering deploying a 2,300-ton frigate ― currently being built ― to Ulleung Island in apparent efforts to bolster its capabilities to defend the easternmost islets of Dokdo, news reports said Tuesday.“After the construction to expand the port on Ulleung Island is completed, (the government) is considering deploying the frigate,” said an anonymous government source cited

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Mongolia will hold talks in Seoul on Thursday to discuss ways to enhance bilateral military ties, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Mongolian counterpart Luvsanvandan Bold are also scheduled to discuss regional security issues including North Korean provocations such as the sinking of the corvette

Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik said Tuesday that South Korea needs to make “meticulous and creative” preparations for a free trade pact with China by carefully studying the possible ramifications the deal may bring about on the local economy.“China is actively raising the need for a free trade agreement with South Korea,” Kim said during a Cabinet meeting. “There need to be meticulous and creative p

A South Korean citizen has been confirmed dead in the powerful earthquake and tsunami that ravaged Japan’s northeastern coastal region last Friday, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. It is the first confirmed South Korean fatality.The 40-year-old construction worker, only identified by his surname Lee, fell to the ground last Friday at a site in the Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki where a thermal po

U.S. Pacific commander says no signs of N.K. preparing for missile tests in the near futureNorth Korea established a sophisticated missile launch site on its west coast near its border with China late last year, in apparent preparation to test-fire a ballistic missile that could threaten U.S. territory, reports said Friday.The site in Dongchang-ri in North Pyeongan Province is five times larger th

GNP Rep. Chung Mong-joon reveals chat between his late father and N.K. leaderKim Jong-il has had nightmares at times in which his people threw stones at him, Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Grand National Party said Sunday, citing his father’s private conversations with the North Korean leader.His remarks indicated that Kim was aware of the growing discontent among his people, who have long suf

South Korea launched its third Aegis-equipped destroyer Thursday, which will become the centerpiece of its strategic mobile fleet aimed at enhancing capabilities to deter North Korean aggression and conduct broader-range operations. The 7,600-ton KDX-III destroyer, the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, was unveiled to the media during the launch ceremony at a shipyard of its builder, Hyundai Heavy Industries