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  • Acting Defense Minister dismisses possibility of another martial law attempt
    Acting Defense Minister dismisses possibility of another martial law attempt SEOUL, December 6 (AJP) - Acting Defense Minister Kim Sun-ho on Friday dismissed the possibility of another martial law attempt, saying that such a thing would "never" happen. "Rumors about another similar attempt are completely groundless, and we will refuse any such actions," said Kim, who temporarily assumed the post after former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who reportedly proposed the idea of declaring martial law to President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this week and resig December 6, 2024
  • US defense secretary skips Seoul visit after Yoons martial law debacle
    US defense secretary skips Seoul visit after Yoon's martial law debacle SEOUL, December 6 (AJP) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has reportedly canceled his planned visit to Seoul in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's aborted martial law earlier this week. The outgoing secretary had planned his final Asian visit including stops in Seoul and Tokyo next week, but reportedly decided to skip his visit to South Korea as Yoon faces backlash over his abrupt declaration of martial law, which ended in a chaotic overnight fiasco on Wednesday, with an impe December 6, 2024
  • Ambassador to Saudi Arabia named new defense chief
    Ambassador to Saudi Arabia named new defense chief SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - South Korean Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Choi Byung-hyuk was named as the successor to Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Thursday. "President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted Kim's resignation and nominated Choi as the new defense minister," said Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul. Kim tendered his resignation after Yoon's abrupt declaration of martial law ended in a chaotic overnight fiasco earlier this week December 5, 2024
  • Military pact between North Korea and Russia comes into effect
    Military pact between North Korea and Russia comes into effect SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - A treaty pledging mutual military assistance between North Korea and Russia took effect this week after the two countries exchanged ratification documents, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday. Initially signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June, the military pact commits both countries to come to each other's aid in the event of an armed attack. Effective Wednesday, the treaty wi December 5, 2024
  • Russian defense minister arrives in Pyongyang amid deepening military ties
    Russian defense minister arrives in Pyongyang amid deepening military ties SEOUL, November 29 (AJP) - Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Pyongyang, Russian news media reported on Friday. Belousov "has arrived in North Korea for an official visit," Moscow's state-run news agency Sputnik said, quoting the country's defense ministry. It added that he is expected to hold "a number of bilateral meetings with representatives of the military" and other political heavyweights in Pyongyang. The visit comes after North Korean Forei November 29, 2024
  • South Korea unveils new homegrown interceptor missile system
    South Korea unveils new homegrown interceptor missile system SEOUL, November 29 (AJP) - South Korea's latest homegrown long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) system was unveiled at an event in Daejeon on Friday. Hosted by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the event celebrated the completion of the interceptor missile system, which is capable of shooting down incoming enemy ballistic missiles at higher altitudes. Starting development in 2015 with a cost of 1.2 trillion won (US$910 million), the L-SAM is a key component of South Korea's November 29, 2024
  • North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts become daily torment for border-town residents
    North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts become daily torment for border-town residents Loudspeakers in North Korea are visible from Paju, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea on Sept. 5, 2024. Yonhap SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Residents living near the border with North Korea have been enduring deafening noise from loudspeaker broadcast blaring across the demilitarized zone for several months. In July, South Korea resumed propaganda broadcasts in response to a series of North Korean provocations including its bizarre campaign of sending trash-filled balloons toward the South. Thes November 21, 2024
  • US greenlights potential sale of fight jet upgrades to South Korea
    US greenlights potential sale of fight jet upgrades to South Korea SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - South Korea will acquire equipment, program support and other related logistics to upgrade its F-15K fighter jets from the U.S. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on Tuesday that the U.S. State Department has approved the purchase which is estimated to cost US$6.2 billion. The procurement is being made under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, which is part of the U.S. strategy to supply weapons to foreign governments and requires congressional November 20, 2024
  • Korea, Peru sign deals to strengthen defense ties
    Korea, Peru sign deals to strengthen defense ties SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - The governments of Korea and Peru signed a series of memorandums of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation in the land, sea, and air sectors during the summit of their leaders at the Peruvian presidential palace. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte signed a joint declaration during their summit on Saturday, held alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima. Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Min November 18, 2024
  • North Korea vows to expand nuclear forces without limitation
    North Korea vows to expand nuclear forces 'without limitation' SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stressed the importance of enhancing the country's military capabilities and strengthening war preparations, Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Monday. "We will strengthen our self-defense power, centered on nuclear forces, without limitation," KCNA reported quoting Kim as saying. In a two-day gathering of battalion commanders and other military leaders in Pyongyang last week, the first s November 18, 2024