Free Republic

Rolls-Royce Offers to Power Korean Trainer, Fighter UK-led Global Engine Giant Seeks Broader Ties With Korea By Jung Sung-ki Korea Times Correspondent BRISTOL & DERBY, United Kingdom ― When it comes to fighter aircraft or warships, ordinary people, in general, first think of their design, speed and armament. At least for experts and operators, however, the engine is the most important part, as it accounts for about 30 to 40 percent of the performance. Due to super-sophisticated engine technologies, just a couple of companies in the world are able to build and provide engines, and Rolls-Royce, the U.K.-led global power...

It looks that way from the AP photo, but we'll need video to be sure. It looks like he made a little bow at the podium while thanking the South Koreans.U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledges South Korean military officials as he rallies U.S. troops at Osan Air Base in Osan, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Yes, that's what the commander-in-chief said to his troops today in South Korea. Well, give the bas**** credit for being honest for once.Buried at the end of a Washington Post report on his decision to not decide on Afghanistan until after Thanksgiving is this George Washington moment for Barack Obama: Obama arrived on the base 3:19 p.m. local time (1 a.m. Eastern Standard Time), and received a rousing welcome from 1,500 troops in camouflage uniforms, many holding cameras or pointing cell phones to snap pictures. "You guys make a pretty good photo op," the president said. Standing on a riser...

A North Korean cargo ship arrived in a South Korean port Monday, showing that trade between the rival countries is continuing despite their bloody naval skirmish last week. The ship was scheduled to unload 1,750 tons of silica at Incheon Port, west of Seoul, following its departure from a North Korean port last Thursday, two days after the neighboring countries clashed along their disputed western sea border. North Korea had warned it would take unspecified military action to defend itself following the clash — their first at sea in seven years. A senior South Korean military officer said the fighting...

In the last few years, many secrets have been revealed in the north, and this has been a disaster for the ruling class. Many North Koreans now know of the separate economy that has been established for the few hundred thousand people at the top of North Korean society. They have separate, gated, compounds to live in. They have separate stores, which carry Western and Chinese goods. They have many servants (who gossip much more than in the past), and special organizations that attend to their security and comfort. An extreme example of this is the organization that operates North...

SEOUL, South Korea – A badly damaged North Korean patrol ship retreated in flames Tuesday after a skirmish with a South Korean naval vessel along their disputed western coast, South Korean officials said. The first naval clash between the two sides in seven years broke out just a week before President Barack Obama is due to visit Seoul, raising suspicions the North's communist regime is trying to ratchet up tensions to gain a negotiating advantage. There were no South Korean casualties, the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. South Korea's YTN television reported that one North Korean...

Firefight Between North and South Korean Navy This Morning: Causualty Unknown Happened on the morning of Nov. 10 at NLL. N. Korean patrol boats went over NLL to the south. Warning shots fired, but ignored. S. Korean navy fired at N. Korean ship. N. Koreans returned fire.

ng with allied forces on foreign terrain introduces new obstacles and allows for the development of new war-fighting tactics, or the honing of existing doctrine specific to a region. Joint training also enables the sharing of tactics between U.S. service members and ally counterparts. Strength through unity is at the heart of this concept. Military forces of allied nations training side-by-side enhances military interoperability and strengthens the allied fighting forces as a whole. Through planning and close coordination between commanders and senior military officials from both the Republic of Korea (R.O.K.) Marine Corps and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU),...

SEOUL, South Korea – A woman in South Korea who tried to pass the written exam for a driver's license with near-daily attempts since April 2005 has finally succeeded on her 950th time. The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won ($4,200) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out of a possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test. Cha Sa-soon, 68, finally passed the written exam with a score of 60 on Wednesday, said Choi Young-chul, a police official at the drivers' license agency in Jeonju,...

South Korea recently uncovered a North Korean plot to obtain South Korean electronic warfare equipment. North Korean agents, operating in China, sought to connect with South Korean business and government officials travelling in China, in order to see who could be bribed to help obtain the desired equipment. As a result of this, South Korea again warned their citizens, especially those working for the government or defense firms, to be careful who they deal with in China. To emphasize the danger, the government also announced the arrest of a former army officer, only identified as Mr. Lee, who had been...

November 4, 2009: South Korea has confirmed suspicions that Internet based attacks earlier this year came from "the norks" (North Korea). The South Korean NIS (National Intelligence Service) has completed its investigation of the route the July attacks took, and has traced the origin back to the North Korean Ministry of Post and Telecommunications facilities. While there was no apparent damage from the July attacks (which hit government sites in South Korea and the United States), similar attacks have made away with secret data. For example, the South Korean military recently reported that someone hacked into a classified network, and...

Today we will have a presentation on how North Korean institutions have changed since the death of Kim Il Sung. One particular item, the presenting group this week has looked at is the new North Korean constitution, adopted in late September of this year stands out to highlight how much North Korea has fallen. Below is a rough draft of a translation of the North Korean constitution. There is a section missing on the draft copy of the translation, but I hope to have that updated shortly. But, what is fascinating about looking at the constitution is how far North...

The United States and its ally South Korea have drawn up a contingency plan to cope with emergencies in North Korea, including a possible regime change there, a report said Sunday. "Operational Plan (OPLAN) 5029" was completed by Seoul and Washington recently, Yonhap news agency said, quoting an unnamed Seoul source. It dictates how to respond case-by-case to such emergencies in North Korea as a civil war, an outflow of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), a mass influx of refugees or a natural disaster, Yonhap said. Under the plan, the United States assumes the role of eliminating North Korea's WMDs,...

As South Korea’s military transitions to full operational control, it’s important to remember the past 60 years of U.S. commitment to the country and to not waver in that support, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen talked yesterday with servicemembers and defense civilians at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, Korea. He spoke about his earlier meetings with his South Korean counterpart, citing “tremendous change” on the horizon. The Korean military is expected to assume a larger defense responsibility there in April 2012. The alliance will only get stronger, the chairman said, with...

South Korea may buy four spy satellites over the next decade to monitor North Korea, the defence ministry said Wednesday. "Our ministry has been considering it but no decision has been made yet on who will be involved and details have yet to be fixed," a spokesman told AFP. He was commenting on a media report that said the ministry would forge technological cooperation with countries including Germany to secure the satellites. South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo, quoting what it said was an internal ministry document, reported that the military plans to spend 600-700 billion won (514-600 million dollars) by...

With the U.S. defense chief in Seoul for security talks, a group of scholars and retired military officials have called for a redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea to counter North Korea's nuclear drive. They also urged the United States to delay the planned transfer of wartime control of South Korean troops to Seoul beyond 2012, citing lingering threats from the North. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Seoul Wednesday for the annual Security Consultative Meeting, which is focused on steps to deter military threats from North Korea. Gates and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young were...

The North Korean military on Thursday accused South Korean warships of trespassing near the North’s west coast, a reminder to its neighbors that it can raise tensions even as its government reaches out for talks with the United States and South Korea. The Defense Ministry in Seoul called the North Korean claim “preposterous.” But the North Korean military made clear its stance. “The reckless military provocations by warships of the South Korean Navy have created such a serious situation that a naval clash may break out between the two sides in these waters,” the North’s state-run news agency said. Its...

SNIPPET: "After the 4 July DDoS attacks, wrongly attributed to North Korea, it’s wise to treat reports of DPRK security hacks with some caution. Nevertheless, The Korea Times reports the following: Classified Info on Dangerous Chemicals Hacked Hackers stole classified information on dangerous chemicals in their raid on the South Korean army computer network in what was believed to be an attack by North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday, quoting government officials." SNIPPET: "The Sydney Morning Herald adds more information: A North Korea cyber warfare unit hacked into a South Korean military command earlier this year and stole some...

Free Trade: Europe just walked off with the second-biggest trade deal in history with South Korea, bringing a fresh $26 billion to both economies and extending their clout globally. It's a prize that could have been ours. Welcome to the new America, the land of the left behind. As the Obama administration dithers for the eighth straight month about three pending free-trade treaties, those dust clouds you see are Europe taking off and running with the big one — South Korea. Late Thursday, Europe completed a free-trade pact with Korea in which 99% of all tariffs will be scrapped within...

South Korea has deployed new longer-range cruise missiles that could reach not only North Korea but also parts of China and Japan, a news report said Thursday. Munhwa Ilbo newspaper said Seoul began mass-producing the "Hyunmu-3" missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) early this year. The paper, quoting US and South Korean government sources, said the missile was developed in 2006 and tested for two years before being deployed. "Its development and deployment had been kept confidential because Japan, China and other neighbouring nations could react sensitively," the source said. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) would...

US Firm Under Probe for Radar Supply Fraud By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter Military prosecutors are investigating a suspicion that a major U.S. defense company sold old radar systems disguised as new ones to the South Korean Navy between 2003 and 2005, officials of the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday. The radars were installed on three 4,500-ton KDX-III destroyers, they said. "We're still checking to see if there is reasonable ground for the suspicions," a ministry spokesman said. He said the investigation began based on tip-offs that the Navy might have been defrauded in a commercial deal valued at...

Navy to Build 6 Mini-Aegis Destroyers By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The Navy plans to launch six 5,600-ton ``mini-Aegis'' destroyers between 2019 and 2026 in an effort to help facilitate coastal and blue-water operations, the service said Tuesday. The plan was unveiled in a report submitted to a National Assembly inspection of the Navy at the Gyeryongdae military compound in South Chungcheong Province. The medium-sized KDX-IIA destroyers equipped with SPY radar and close-in weapon systems will be a core part of the Navy's strategic mobile fleet led by 7,600-ton KDX-III destroyers, it said. The mobile fleet is to consist of...

South Korea's fighter requirements come to the fore By Siva Govindasamy There is a resurgence in interest in South Korea's fighter aircraft requirements, with the east Asian country deciding on a variety of aircraft as part of an ongoing modernisation of its air force's capabilities. The choices represent a mix of imported and indigenous solutions, with the country trying to find a way to match its operational requirements with a desire to promote the local industry, mainly state-owned Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). South Korea has maintained three levels of fighters - low, medium and high - as part of its...

F-15Ks Primed with 'Unpatriotic' Maps The Air Force's F-15K fighter jets carried some digital map information that is at odds with their mission to defend the country, it has emerged. The jets carried digital maps that referred to Korea's Dokdo Islets either by their Japanese name "Takeshima" or as "Liancourt Rocks," the East Sea as "Sea of Japan," and Mt. Baekdu in Chinese as "Changbaishan" -- all names that are red rags to many patriotic Koreans. This was revealed by Grand National Party lawmaker Kim Jang-soo, a former defense minister, in a questionnaire distributed Sunday prior to a parliamentary audit...

North Korea Resumes Reunions After 2-Year Hiatus; Family Members Allowed to Visit After Decades of SeparationLee Dong-un cried and held the hands of his 60-year-old North Korean daughter Saturday during their first meeting in more than half a century. They were one of hundreds of families reuniting as part of a program revived by Pyongyang in an effort to ease tensions with South Korea. The meeting was bittersweet for Lee, who left behind his pregnant wife and daughter, then 2 years old, in North Korea when he fled to the South during the Korean War. The 84-year-old burst into tears...

South Korea could mount swift and precise attacks on North Korea's nuclear bases should war break out on the peninsula, Seoul's incoming top military officer said Thursday. General Lee Sang-Eui, named as next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Seoul had a list of major targets its forces would strike first should a conflict erupt. Nuclear weaponry would pose the greatest threat, he told a parliamentary confirmation hearing, pledging to "mobilise all means available to precisely and swiftly strike" such bases. New Defence Minister Kim Tae-Young told his own confirmation hearing last week that Seoul knew where the...

South Korea has given the production go-ahead for the first 70 Hongsangeo anti-submarine torpedoes for deployment between 2010 and 2012, the government has said. Up to 70 of the long-range ship-to-submarine light torpedoes, called Red Shark in English, will be operational aboard some of South Korea's newest country's destroyers, the KDX-I/II, according to the procurement agency Defense Acquisition Program Administration. After nine years of development, the final tests were completed earlier this year, the DAPA's sister organization the state-funded Agency for Defense Development announced in June. Deployment is in response to a growing threat from North Korean submarines, the ADD...

South Korea will buy an advanced radar system from Israel to detect and track North Korean ballistic missiles, officials said Thursday. The Defence Acquisition Programme Administration said it would place an order soon with Israel's Elta group for its Green Pine Block-B radar system. Elta scored higher than France's Thales in a performance test in August, spokesman Kim Young-San told reporters. "If deployed here, the system will significantly improve our anti-missile defence capabilities," he said, adding it could track any ballistic missiles fired by North Korea at an early stage. The radars would be capable of monitoring ballistic missiles in...

South Korea's new defence chief said Thursday there was no evidence that the sudden discharge of water from a North Korean dam which killed six southerners was a deliberate attack. The North on September 6 released millions of tonnes of water into a cross-border river, which killed six South Koreans camping downstream. "We have no solid information to say the discharge was for a water attack," Kim Tae-Young, appointed defence minister on September 3, said in a report to parliament. He said the dam's floodgates were opened after it was full of water. The report tallies with accounts by the...

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States moved on Tuesday to freeze the assets of two North Korean entities believed to be involved in atomic and missile programmes, raising pressure on Pyongyang to resume disarmament talks. Pyongyang has been sending out conflicting messages. In August, it made a series of conciliatory gestures, followed this month by more nuclear threats and then straining ties with Seoul by releasing water from a dam on a river flowing across the border, triggering a flash flood that killed six South Koreans. WHAT ARE NORTH KOREA'S LEADERS UP TO? Destitute North Korea wants cash and an...

Japan's leader-in-waiting has a delusional vision for his country and its relationship with the rest of Asia. Yukio Hatoyama dreams of an Asian union, a utopia free of rapacious American capitalism, a region bound together by fraternity and a common currency. Were Hatoyama a soapbox orator his fantasizing could be dismissed as twaddle, but he isn't. He's about to become the next prime minister of the world's No. 2 economy, following his party's victory Sunday in a general election. In an op-ed piece, "A New Path for Japan," that ran in The New York Times recently, the leader-in-waiting revealed his...

Korea confirms daily high 258 cases of influenza A South Korea's health authorities said Friday that they have confirmed an additional 258 cases of influenza A, sparking concerns the contagious disease is spreading rapidly across the nation, according to Yonhap News. All those who tested positive for the H1N1 virus remain in isolation for treatment in their homes or in hospitals, according to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. The latest cases represent the largest number of confirmed infections in a single day since the H1N1 virus was reported here in early May. They bring the total tally...

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- S. Korea's first space rocket was moved to its launch pad for its blastoff arranged for Aug. 26, the state-run aerospace institute said Sunday. According to Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), responsible for the launch, the rocket made it to the launch pad, located at the Naro Space Center in the southern part of the nation. The rocket will be set up by 3:50 p.m. (0650 GMT) and later be connected with all mechanical and electrical cables by 09:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) for thorough check-ups, the KARI said.

[Exclusive] S. Korea Deploying 1,000-Kilometer Cruise Missiles By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter South Korea began deploying 1,000-kilometer-range surface-to-surface cruise missiles in the field earlier this year, according to missile developers and military sources Monday. The missile, a modified variant of the Hyunmoo missile, is capable of reaching as far as Beijing and Tokyo, as well as hitting key targets in the entire North Korean territory, they said. It is the first time that the development and deployment of the long-range cruise missile, dubbed Hyunmoo-III, have been confirmed. Previously, the government neither confirmed nor denied the cruise missile development in an...

(Kim Death) (LEAD) Former President Kim dies at 85 SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- Former President Kim Dae-jung died at Seoul's Severance Hospital at 1:42 p.m. Tuesday after a long battle with pneumonia and related complications, hospital officials said. He was 85. Kim, who served as president from 1998-2003, was admitted to Severance Hospital in western Seoul on July 13 with pneumonia and put on a respirator three days later. He underwent surgery on his bronchial tubes in late July as part of procedures to facilitate his breathing. Beginning late Monday night, Kim's health condition suddenly deteriorated, with his heart...

Here is video of South Korean Golfer YE Yang winning the 2009 PGA Championship, becoming the first Asian to ever win a Major Golf Championship. Yang did it in dramatic style. He overcame Tiger Woods, becoming the first player to ever defeat Tiger Woods in a Major Championship when Woods led after 54 holes. Woods had been a perfect 11-0 in Majors when he had the lead going into the final round. Yang hit two incredible shots down the stretch to vault over Woods and take the crown. He chipped in for eagle at the par-5 14th hole, which put...

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak will announce Saturday a plan to offer massive aid to North Korea if it abandons its nuclear ambitions, his office said Friday in a press release. The plan will be contained in a speech to commemorate the 64th anniversary of liberation from the Japanese colonial rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. "As for policies toward North Korea, a broad range of proposals will be made for the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, covering areas of the political, economic, military and security," the press release said. Lee will also reiterate...

A domestic meat importer yesterday filed a lawsuit against the broadcast network MBC and five producers of an investigative news program for reporting false facts about U.S. beef. Park Chang-kyu, president of A Meat and meat and restaurant chain Orae Dream, filed the lawsuit with the Seoul Southern District Court. He is seeking about 300 million won (240,000 U.S. dollars) in damages against MBC, five producers of “PD Notebook,” and actress Kim Min-sun. “Our companies suffered about 500 million won (410,000 dollars) in operating losses due to distortion of facts on American beef by the MBC program ‘PD Notebook.’” A...

Israel mulls buying South Korean fighter jets for training Jerusalem, Aug 2 (Xinhua) The Israeli Air Force is planning to purchase South Korea’s T-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets in a bid to replace its ageing Skyhawk fleet, the Ha’aretz daily reported Sunday. A three-member delegation of the Israeli Air Force is expected to visit Seoul next week to discuss the matter with their South Korean counterparts. This is the first time in 40 years that Israel is considering to purchase fighter jets outside the US. The report added that Israel is planning to purchase at least 30 jets to be...

The nation's first space rocket named Naro will be launched on Aug. 11, said the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The ministry also said Saturday it will set a window of Aug. 11-18 to brace for unexpected weather conditions and situations that may occur in the final preparation stage. Naro, or Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, was set to be fired on July 30 at the Naro Space Center, which is the country's first spaceport in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. However, the launch was suspended as Russia asked for more time to enhance the necessary test control and evaluation programs.

SEOUL, South Korea – Talks to end a months-long strike at ailing South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor Co. broke off Sunday, with management threatening to take steps toward bankruptcy unless the union accepts a compromise offer on layoffs. The fifth-largest South Korean carmaker has been in court-approved bankruptcy protection since February amid falling sales and mounting red ink. Troubles have deepened in the past two months with hundreds of dismissed workers occupying its a paint shop packed with flammable materials at its main plant to protest the massive layoffs. The latest talks to resolve the dispute began Thursday, but no...

<p>EOUL, South Korea — This is a developing story. Please refresh for the latest update.</p> <p>North Korea seized a South Korean fishing boat early Thursday after it accidentally crossed the countries' sea border, a news report said.</p> <p>Yonhap news agency quoted a Defense Ministry official as saying that the incident took place at about 6:30 a.m. in the East Sea and that four people were on board the South Korean boat.</p>

SKorea, US team up to build and export Aegis warships by Staff Writers Seoul (AFP) July 22, 2009 US defence group Lockheed Martin and South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries will team up to build and export mid-size warships equipped with advanced Aegis weapons systems, an official said Wednesday. They signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2006 to jointly produce Aegis-equipped guided missile ships, Hyundai Heavy spokesman Cho Woo-Tae told AFP. Cho said it is thought to be very rare for Lockheed to partner with a foreign company to produce Aegis-equipped vessels for possible sale to a third country....

S. Korea Reconsidering Stealth Fighter Plans By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The South Korean military is having second thoughts about introducing so-called fifth-generation stealth fighters due to technical and budgetary problems. Last week, the Weapon Systems Concept Development and Application Research Center at Konkuk University in Seoul submitted its interim report on the feasibility of the KF-X indigenous fighter development project to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The agency commissioned a six-month final feasibility study on the KF-X program in April. The report suggests major changes in required operational capabilities (ROCs) for the KF-X aircraft. In particular, the report...

Here is video of lawmakers in South Korea getting into a melee on the floor of their parliament. The video shows a mass of lawmakers grabbing each other around the neck, and even trying to turn the pulpit type stand on the podium over. Maybe it would be good for our members of Congress to do this once in awhile! It might not make them feel better, but it sure would give us something to watch! . . . . (Watch Video)

Tributes are left for those killed in the hotel attacks Indonesian officials say there are "strong indications" a key wanted fugitive was behind Friday's deadly attacks on two hotels in Jakarta. Noordin Mohamed Top is wanted for plotting the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005 and other Indonesian attacks. Nine people, including two suicide bombers, died in the attacks on the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott. At least four of Friday's victims are said to be foreigners but have not all been formally identified. See map of area Police in the Indonesian capital are studying DNA and other evidence to...

SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities said Saturday that they have confirmed 92 more cases of influenza A and will discontinue counting the total number of flu infections here amid the rapid spread of the virus. The new patients, including 28 people from a high school, an elementary school student and a staff member with an international choir competition, tested positive for the H1N1 virus after showing flu-like symptoms, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said in an emailed statement. A teacher and 27 third-graders in a high school in Gyeonggi Province, south of the...

Former South Korean President and Nobel laureate Kim Dae-jung has been placed on a life support system at a Seoul hospital, Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday. Officials at Seoul's Severance Hospital said the life support system was installed around 3 a.m. as he had difficulty in breathing. ``But the former president's condition got better and his illness is not life-threatening,'' a hospital official was quoted as saying. Kim has been hospitalized after exhibiting symptoms for pneumonia since Monday.

A senior US military officer said Tuesday that any North Korean attack on South Korea would be sudden and "extremely destructive", but would ultimately fail. Major General Johnny A. Weida, outgoing deputy chief of staff for the US Forces Korea, also said such an attack is highly unlikely because it would spell the end of Kim Jong-Il's regime. More than two-thirds of the North's forces are within 90 km (56 miles) of the border with South Korea, Weida said. "They could attack, if they were so inclined, with very little notice," he told a group of civilians touring the Demilitarised...

I don't need a calendar to know it's summer. I know it's summer time when newspapers and blogs worldwide start discussing, analyzing and criticizing Korea's history and ongoing medicinal consumption of boshintang (dog meat soup). A blogger for the LA Times newspaper posted a blog about the ongoing debate in South Korea over the consumption of dog meat. Members of a South Korean animal rights group called Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth along with an American animal rights group called In Defense of Animals (IDA), sponsored a protest asking the South Korean government to make the killing of dogs...