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US envoy ties China’s West Sea footprint to need for S. Korean nuclear sub

US Acting Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim suggested Thursday that China’s activities in the West Sea are among the reasons for pushing “alliance modernization,” including Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines. Kim said the allies’ mutual prosperity rests on a “stable security environment,” stressing the point in a keynote address at the inaugural Korea-US Diplomatic Forum in Seoul. “At the heart of that stability in the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region is our alliance, an

S. Korea's 1st submarine to retire after 34 years in service

The ROKS Jang Bogo, South Korea's first naval submarine, will retire at the end of the year after 34 years in service, the Navy said Wednesday. To mark the milestone, the 1,200-ton submarine will embark on a farewell cruise from a naval port in the southeastern city of Jinhae later Wednesday, carrying both the first and last captains of the vessel aboard, according to the armed service. The submarine was launched at a HDW shipyard in Germany in 1991 and was acquired by the South Korean Navy the

Military to launch adjustment program for multicultural recruits next year

The South Korean military plans to introduce an adjustment program next year for service members from a multicultural background who face difficulties communicating in Korean, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday, as concerns mount over linguistic barriers and uneven support across units. Under the new plan, recruits may voluntarily indicate their Korean-language communication ability when completing personal information forms for their physical examination. Those who feel their profici

Lee Jae Myung administration reaches out to North, proposes talks to minimize friction along DMZ

South Korea on Monday proposed military talks with North Korea, suggesting that the two sides discuss ways to avoid unnecessary friction along the Demilitarized Zone. While Seoul cited recent violations of the Military Demarcation Line by the North, the Ministry of National Defense appeared cautious in its wording, hinting at the possibility of the Lee Jae Myung administration laying the groundwork for seeking further engagement. This is the first time Seoul has proposed talks with Pyongyang sin

USFK chief reframes Korean Peninsula as 'decisive,' central military hub

The Korean Peninsula is a central operational hub “inside the defensive perimeter,” not a vulnerable outpost on the edge of Asia, US Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said in a statement to the defense press corps. In the statement, the USFK commander said the 28,500 US troops stationed here are not “projecting power from afar,” but are already operating from the region where deterrence matters most. The shift, he argued, requires planners in both Seoul and Washington to reassess long-s

South Korea’s nuclear-powered subs to help counter China: US naval chief

Joint Press Corps -- The chief of US naval operations said Washington views the deployment of a future South Korean nuclear-powered attack submarine as a “natural expectation” in joint efforts to deter China, underscoring that such a capability would inevitably deepen the allies’ strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle on Friday stressed that once South Korea fields a nuclear-powered attack submarine, the US would expect it to play a role

Allies accelerate OPCON transition with 2nd-phase test next year

South Korea and the United States will move ahead next year with the second-phase assessment of Seoul’s readiness to take over wartime operational control, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday. The allies set out their agreement in the joint communique from the 57th Security Consultative Meeting, held in Seoul on Nov. 4 during US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit to South Korea. Although the SCM communique is typically released immediately after the meeting, its publication was delayed

Seoul to raise defense spending as allies map out alliance modernization

South Korea will increase its defense spending and provide more financial support for US soldiers stationed here, while working toward regaining wartime operational control from the US, according to a fact sheet on President Lee Jae Myung’s summit with US President Donald Trump in Gyeongju last month. The document, unveiled Friday, comes after months of speculation that Seoul and Washington were preparing to outline elements of a broader plan to modernize the 72-year-old South Korea-US alliance.

Chinese envoy urges Seoul to be ‘prudent’ in its pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines

The Chinese envoy to South Korea urged Seoul to proceed “prudently” with its plan to develop nuclear-powered attack submarines in coordination with the United States. Ambassador Dai Bing further warned that the South Korea–US alliance’s push for “modernization” could prompt a shift in Beijing’s posture if it expands into new strategic objectives beyond the Korean Peninsula. Dai reiterated the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s concerns about cooperation between Seoul and Washington on the submarine-buil

S. Korea, US Navy chiefs set to discuss cooperation in shipbuilding, MRO

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kang Dong-gil will meet with his US counterpart in Seoul on Friday to discuss ways to strengthen military cooperation between their navies, including in the shipbuilding sector. Kang was to meet Adm. Daryl L. Caudle, the US chief of naval operations, who is arriving in South Korea on Thursday for a four-day trip, to discuss cooperation in the field of shipbuilding and maintenance, repair and operations. The US Navy chief will also meet with US Forces Korea Commande

Defense ministry carries out major reshuffle of 3-star generals

The defense ministry said Thursday it has promoted 20 military generals to three-star posts, a sweeping reshuffle aimed at restructuring the military leadership after last year's botched martial law bid. Under the move, 20 military generals -- 14 from the Army and three each from the Navy and the Air Force -- were promoted to lieutenant generals, according to the ministry. It marked the biggest promotion of three-star generals in the past decade. "The latest reshuffle focused on overcoming the D

[GBF] S. Korea’s defense industry pivots toward aerospace and unmanned technologies

South Korea’s defense industry is accelerating its transformation from a conventional arms producer into a technology-driven aerospace and unmanned systems powerhouse, signaling a new phase in the nation’s industrial and strategic evolution, an official at one of the country’s top arms exporters said Wednesday. At the Global Biz Forum hosted by Herald Media Group in Seoul on Wednesday, Kim Dong-hyun, head of the Land Systems Business Group at Hanwha Aerospace, outlined plans to channel the compa

S. Korea’s nuclear submarine project to reshape regional security dynamics: think tank

South Korea’s decision to pursue nuclear-powered submarines under a recent agreement with the United States is emerging as a watershed moment for the alliance, expanding its strategic cooperation into maritime and high-technology domains while potentially reshaping Northeast Asia’s security landscape, a think tank said Tuesday. In a report released Tuesday, the Sejong Institute said that Seoul’s nuclear submarine program “marks not merely a step in defense capability, but a historic turning poin

Navy holds 1st fleet-level maneuver drills marking 80th founding anniversary

The Navy has conducted its first fleet-level maneuver drills in the southern and eastern seas, involving three Aegis-equipped destroyers and four other warships, to mark its 80th founding anniversary, officials said Tuesday. The drills, which kicked off Sunday for a three-day run, mark the Navy's first exercise involving the commander of the naval Task Fleet Command, launched in February to better counter North Korea's military threats at sea. Marking its 80th founding anniversary, which falls o

JCS chief orders sweeping reshuffle of senior officers in unprecedented shake-up: sources

South Korea’s top military leadership is facing an unprecedented reshuffle, as Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Jin Yong-sung has ordered the large-scale replacement of JCS senior officers in the aftermath of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. According to military sources earlier this week, Gen. Jin recently issued internal instructions calling for a “comprehensive personnel overhaul” within the JCS. The directive targets most generals currently serving at the headquarters, as well as colonels and