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South Korea and the United States plan to stage maritime interdiction and aerial interception drills Tuesday on the third day of major naval exercises in the Yellow Sea aimed at warning North Korea against any future provocations, military officials here said. About 10 warships, including a nuclear-powered U.S. supercarrier, scores of aircraft and 7,300 military personnel, launched the four-day maneuvers Sunday in response to North Korea's bombardment on a South Korean island near the tense Yellow Sea border, killing two marines and as many civilians. "Today, we plan to hold maritime interdiction and defensive counter air drills as a key...

The George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) entered the waters west of the Korean peninsula to participate in a combined military exercise with the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Nov. 28. The exercise is part of the series announced at the 2 + 2 meetings in July and is scheduled to run until Dec. 1. "While this exercise, which is defensive in nature, has been planned for some time, it underscores the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance and our collective commitment to regional security and stability," said Rear Adm. Dan Cloyd, Commander, Task Force 70. The purpose of the four-day...

South Korea's Navy has launched an investigation into problems with three types of naval missiles built by foreign manufacturers, a ruling party lawmaker said Oct. 12. In 23 test launches over two years, Raytheon SM-2 Standard anti-air missiles, Boeing Harpoon anti-ship missiles and MBDA Sea Skua lightweight anti-ship missiles collectively displayed an accuracy rate of below 80 percent, said Rep. Yoo Seung-min of the Grand National Party, who cited a report submitted by the Navy for a parliamentary inspection. The tests took place from July 2008 through July 2010, Yoo said. Three of the nine test-fired SM-2s failed to hit...

S. Korea: Cheonan's Bow Salvaged

The attack on the 1,220-ton Cheonan, which sank on March 26 with the loss of 46 of its 104 crew, was carried out in retaliation for a skirmish between warships of the two nations' navies in November of last year, South Korea claims. The South Korean government has refused to comment officially on the reports but Defence Minister Kim Tae Young told a parliamentary session that the military believed that the sinking was a deliberate act by North Korea. Officials in military intelligence say they warned the government earlier this year that North Korea was preparing a suicide-squad submarine attack...

Immediately after an explosion that caused the 1,200-ton corvette Cheonan to sink in waters near the de-facto maritime border with North Korea on March 26, the Captain sent out a message to the Second Navy Fleet Command, saying, "We are being attacked by the enemy." A military source on Thursday said Captain Choi Won-il sent the message using his mobile phone, according to analysis of communications records. Choi sent the report after confirming that the stern had broken off following the explosion around 9:25 p.m. It is not clear how much information he had at the time.

Advanced Missiles to Equip Destroyers By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter Domestically-built long-range cruise missiles will equip the Navy’s Aegis destroyers beginning in 2008, a state-funded defense agency said Tuesday. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) said that it plans to outfit three 7,000 ton-class destroyers with the advanced ship-to-surface missiles by 2012, an official at the agency said on condition of anonymity. Each vessel will have 30 cruise missiles, which can fly to ranges of up to 500 kilometers, he said. The ADD has set aside $102 million to develop the missiles since 1996 to replace Harpoon missiles produced by...