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There's only one real way to compare military strength, and thankfully the world hasn't had many opportunities lately. Despite the potential powder keg in the South China Sea, standoffs in Ukraine, and proxy wars throughout the Middle East, inter-state warfare between the world's military powers has been all but banished from the global scene (for the time being, at least). For a simpler evaluation of military power, we turned to the Global Firepower Index, a ranking of 106 nations based on more than 50 factors including overall military budget, available manpower, and the amount of equipment each country has in...

A teacher from the Republic of Ireland has been turned down for a job in South Korea due to the “alcoholism nature” of Irish people. Katie Mulrennan, from County Kerry, had applied for a teaching job in Seoul. She was told by an agency that their client did not hire Irish people due to their perceived drinking habits. The 26-year-old told the BBC that she could not believe the email was real at first. […] Last week, she received a reply that said: “I am sorry to inform you that my client does not hire Irish people due to the...

Russia and South Korea are expected to shortly sign a contract under which Russia will build several air cushion amphibious assault landing craft Murena-E for South Korea, an informed source from the Russian delegation to INDO Defence 2014 exhibition told TASS on Thursday. “South Korea already ordered three boats in 2004 and is very satisfied with their operational capabilities, seeking to buy several more that would be upgraded a bit,” he said, adding that India and Turkey are also viewing the purchase of Murena craft. The source said all modifications have already been added in a new project. “We expect...

The U.S. government on Wednesday said it had canceled, at the request of South Korea, a preliminary contract with the U.S. unit of Britain's BAE Systems (BAES.L) to upgrade 134 F-16 fighter jets, ending a major arms deal initially valued at $1.7 billion. The unusual move, announced by the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, paves the way for South Korea to pursue a similar upgrade deal with Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the warplanes' original manufacturer. The decision raises questions about the ability of non-original equipment makers like BAE to compete in the market to upgrade thousands of F-16s in use...

What caused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to begin walking with a cane earlier this month? Ankle surgery, says South Korea's spy agency, as reported by Yonhap news agency on Tuesday. Kim’s six-week absence from public events set off a frenzy of wild speculation around the world, from serious health issues to a possible coup. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told South Korean legislators that a foreign doctor flew to the counrty and operated on Kim in September or October to remove a cyst from his ankle, said Park Byeong-seok, an aide for opposition lawmaker Shin Kyung-min.

New Iraqi defense minister Khaled al-Obeidi has delivered his first official speech, insisting that the Kurdistan Region must hand back terrorists that have been living in the KRI. Al-Obeidi is a Sunni, was approved as the new Iraqi defense minister along with Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, a Shia, who was appointed interior minister. “The Kurdistan Region should hand back criminals who have been charged with terrorist acts to the federal government, so they can face justice,” said Al-Obeidi. “The Kurdistan Region security forces and Iraqi police should arrest all those criminals, as they are threats to the security and stability of...

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Only about half of the Air Force's next-generation F-35A fighter jet, which cost a hefty W121 billion, will be fully armed due to lack of combat weapons (US$1=W1,062). Seoul decided to buy 40 F-35As at a total cost of W7.34 trillion last month and claimed that would allow the Air Force to "overwhelm" North Korea. But it has bought only half the weapons needed for the F-35As in a war, according to Air Force data submitted to Saenuri Party lawmaker Song Young-keun Wednesday. The Air Force has secured a mere 45 percent of air-to-air missiles that would be used against...

(Reuters) - North Korea fired artillery into South Korea on Friday, aimed at a region near the rivals' military border where an activist group had sent leaflets flying into the North, Yonhap news agency said.

SEOUL: There is nothing wrong with the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a senior North Korean official said during an extremely rare visit to the South, after rumours of a debilitating illness or even a coup in Pyongyang. South Korea's unification minister Ryoo Kihl-Jae, speaking on a television talk show Sunday, quoted Kim Yang-Gon as saying: "There is nothing wrong with the health of Secretary Kim". Kim Yang-Gon, who heads a ruling party department in charge of South Korea-related affairs, visited the South's western port of Incheon Saturday to attend the closing ceremony of the Asian Games, along...

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea formally announced on Wednesday that it would buy 40 F-35A fighter jets from the American defense contractor Lockheed Martin in a deal that includes transfers of technology for the development of the country’s own advanced fighter jet. South Korea picked Lockheed Martin’s F-35A as the sole choice for its air force’s new fighter jet in November and has since been negotiating the terms of the deal. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Han Min-koo called a meeting of top military procurement officials to approve the purchase, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said in a news release....

Samsung Group subsidiary has worked on a robot sentry that they call the SGR-A1, and this particular robot will carry a fair amount of weapons that ought to make you think twice about crossing the borders of South Korea illegally – as it has been tested out at the demilitarized zone along the border over with its neighbor, North Korea. The SGR-A1 will be able to detect intruders with the help of machine vision (read: cameras), alongside a combination of heat and motion sensors. The whole idea of the Samsung SGR-A1 is to let this military robot sentry do the...

General Electric Korea on Thursday expressed its willingness to join the South Korean government’s plan to develop a double-engine platform for its next generation of fighter jets. The U.S.-based conglomerate said it could do more good when collaborating with Korean companies in the KFX project, while promoting its rich history and competitiveness in the global aerospace industry. “GE has played a significant role in the development of Korea’s aerospace defense industry by providing jet engines, avionics and integrated systems,” said Khang Sung-wook, president and CEO of GE Korea, at a press conference in Seoul. “Through the KFX program, GE seeks...

SOUTH KOREA, a dynamo of growth, is also afire with faith. This week Pope Francis will spend five days there, for Asian Youth Day and to beatify 124 early martyrs. About 5.4m of South Korea’s 50m people are Roman Catholics. Perhaps 9m more are Protestants, of many stripes. Yoido Full Gospel Church’s 1m members form the largest Pentecostal congregation on Earth. Belief’s farther shores include the Unification Church, soon to mark the anniversary of its founder Sun-myung Moon’s "ascension". The late Yoo Byung-eun, the shifty and versatile tycoon behind the ferry Sewol which sank in April, killing 304 mostly teenage...

On Wednesday, about 200 South Koreans attached thousands of chocolate snacks to 50 giant balloons and released into North Korea after Pyongyang reportedly banned the coveted treats from the country earlier this month. The pies, which have become popular among hungry North Koreans, are considered as a symbol of capitalism and represent a cultural impact that might encourage an uprising. “We will continue to send Choco Pie by balloons because it is still one of the most favorite foodstuffs in North Korea,” said Choo Sun-Hee, one of the organisers of Wednesday’s balloon launch.In response to the activity, Pyongyang has pressed...

South Korea will donate a corvette warship to the poorly-equipped Philippine navy amid growing tensions -- particularly with China -- over maritime territorial disputes in the region, the government said Thursday. The "Pohang-class corvette" will be decommissioned by the end of the year and donated to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said in a statement issued this week. It was unclear if the donation would include the ship's weapons systems. South Korean Defence Minister Kim Kwang-jin informed his Filipino counterpart Voltaire Gazmin of the donation during his visit to Seoul on May 30, the statement added....

South Korea’s current fetish with ‘watching people eat’, or ‘dinner porn’ as the crazy is now known has uncovered a new star. The dinner porn craze involves no sex of course, but simply watching other people eat – online, on TV, wherever. According to a report on asiaone.com, quoting Elite Daily, Tae Ryun Huh is the new and emerging Korean sensation. No just because she eats, but because of how much she eats. And then this amazing fact – the school worker weighs 48kg. Tae Ryun Huh invited TV cameras to watch her eat and the South Korean show discovered...

IAI's refuel tanker By Jun Ji-hye Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is moving to join the competition to win a contract to supply the nation's Air Force with four in-flight refueling tankers. IAI's participation is creating a three-way battle, along with Boeing and Airbus, who are also bidding to win the 1.4 trillion won ($1.4 billion) acquisition project. The Israeli company held a media briefing session in Seoul Wednesday and stressed that its B767 MMTT (Multi Mission Tanker Transport) is the comprehensive solution to the air ability of the Air Force. "The IAI is proposing the pre-owned B767-300ER to be the...

A Chinese man is reportedly stuck in South Korea after his four-year-old son made some creative additions to his passport, leaving him unable to return home — though there is also suspicion that the clickbait story may be a hoax. Photos posted by the man on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, showed the passport page rendered nearly unrecognizable with what appears to be scribbles made using a black felt-tip pen. The man's eyes and mouth in the passport photo were given artificial enhancements along with extra facial hair all around the head. There were also what looked like additional...

Practical or patronizing? South Korea is spending mega-money on creating larger car parking spaces for women. Capital city Seoul is introducing "lady-friendly" spots reserved exclusively for female drivers, the Korea Times reports. Wider and longer than regular spots, they will be closer to elevators and marked out with pink mini-skirted logos. It's not yet known, however, if men will be fined if busted for using them. Korea Times reports the initiative is part of a nearly $700 million push to make the metropolis more female-friendly over four years. Other projects include installing 7,000 new women-only toilets, and the resurfacing of...