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Defense Ministry punishes generals tied to Dec. 3 martial law incident
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it has imposed disciplinary measures on four army lieutenant generals and one army colonel over their alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3 last year. According to the ministry, the disciplinary committee decided to dismiss Yeo In-hyeong, former commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and Lee Jin-woo, former commander of the Army Capital Defense Command, citing violations of the duty
Dec. 29, 2025 -
IAEA safeguards emerge as key hurdle for South Korea’s nuclear sub push
South Korea would face multiple legal and diplomatic challenges in pursuing nuclear-powered submarines, including the need for both a dedicated agreement with the US on the military use of nuclear energy and stringent safeguards commitments with the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to a think tank report released Monday. The report by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies assessed the required steps following forward-looking language included in the joint fact sheet issued after Sou
Dec. 29, 2025 -
S. Korea holds regular defense drills around Dokdo this week: source
South Korea conducted regular defense drills near its easternmost islets of Dokdo earlier this week, a military source said Wednesday, in what marked the second such exercise held under President Lee Jae Myung's government. "Our military has conducted East Sea defense drills on a regular basis each year. This exercise was also implemented to fulfill the mission of protecting our territory, people and property," the source said, confirming that the exercise took place Tuesday. The latest exercise
Dec. 24, 2025 -
Military updates land border rule in responding to N. Korean incursions
The military has internally updated guidelines in defining the inter-Korean land border when dealing with incursions by North Korean soldiers to prevent the risk of accidental clashes, officials said Monday. The move comes as North Korean troops have repeatedly violated the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas since last year in the process of carrying out construction activities near the heavily fortified border. The Joint Chiefs of Staff
Dec. 22, 2025 -
Long-delayed destroyer project shifts to competitive bidding
South Korea’s arms procurement agency on Monday decided to choose the lead ship contractor for its next-generation destroyer project through competitive bidding, reversing its earlier preference for a sole-source contract after years of delays. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the decision was made at a meeting of the defense acquisition program promotion committee, chaired by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, and will apply to the detailed design and construction of the lead shi
Dec. 22, 2025 -
JCS confirms 'farther south' MDL rule
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Monday that frontline units received a revised internal guideline on how to determine Military Demarcation Line violations, amid a recent rise in North Korean troop incursions inside the Demilitarized Zone. The guideline circulated in September allows the military to apply a line drawn farther south in cases where South Korean military maps and United Nations Command standards do not align. At a regular Defense Ministry briefing, JCS spokesperson Col
Dec. 22, 2025 -
Defense Ministry seeks disciplinary action against 'around 10' officials over martial law
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday it was seeking disciplinary action against around 10 officials, including military personnel, over their alleged involvement in the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration. The move followed the ministry’s launch of its own task force, part of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s broader sweep of investigations targeting 49 ministries and agencies over misconduct linked to the martial law decree by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol. “The task force plans to re
Dec. 22, 2025 -
Defense Ministry to restore N. Korea policy division, boost military AI
The Defense Ministry has proposed restoring its North Korea Policy Division tied to inter-Korean military talks and confidence-building, while reshuffling its organization to elevate military AI and other future-force programs. The Defense Ministry explained that the decision to change the name and function of the existing North Korea Strategy Division back to its previous identity to “strengthen the legitimacy of its North Korea policy implementation, including inter-Korean military talks and c
Dec. 21, 2025 -
Defense Ministry lays out roadmap for nuclear submarines, sets 2026 OPCON goal
The Defense Ministry said Thursday it plans to present a basic plan for a Korean-developed nuclear-powered submarine by next year and complete key institutional groundwork, while aiming to finish verification of the second phase of wartime operational control transfer by November 2026. The roadmap was reported by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back during a policy briefing for President Lee Jae Myung at the ministry’s headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, as part of preparations for the government’s 2026
Dec. 18, 2025 -
Lee orders advance talks with China on repatriation of independence fighters’ remains
President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday instructed the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to hold discussions with China on the excavation and repatriation of the remains of Korean independence fighters believed to be buried there, ahead of a possible bilateral summit. Lee issued the directive during a joint policy briefing by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Defense Ministry, held at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. The order came after Veterans Affai
Dec. 18, 2025 -
US Senate approves defense bill reinforcing 28,500-troop baseline in Korea
The US Senate has approved a sweeping annual defense policy bill that reinforces restrictions on any unilateral reduction of US Forces Korea and tightens conditions on the transfer of wartime operational control, underscoring Washington’s insistence that alliance-related changes be guided by security conditions rather than political timelines. The upper chamber on Wednesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026 by a 77–20 vote, one week after the bill cleared the Hou
Dec. 18, 2025 -
Seoul convenes interagency task force for nuclear-powered submarine plan
South Korea on Thursday held a meeting of an interagency task force tasked with advancing Seoul’s plans to build nuclear-powered submarines, the Defense Ministry said. According to the ministry, the meeting, held at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Seoul, brought together director-general-level officials from 10 relevant agencies, who exchanged broad views on key elements required for submarine construction. Specifically, the participants included officials from the Defense Ministry; the Min
Dec. 18, 2025 -
Wi meets US energy chief amid talks on nuclear-powered submarines
South Korean director of national security Wi Sung-lac met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday amid ongoing discussions between Seoul and Washington over plans for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines using fuel supplied by the United States. Sources familiar with the issue said that Wi’s meeting with Wright — whose role involves civilian nuclear energy policy — may have involved preliminary discussions on the next steps regarding civilian uranium enrichment and the reproces
Dec. 18, 2025 -
Unification Ministry asserts right to peaceful use of DMZ
South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Wednesday reaffirmed its view that interpretation of the Korean War armistice should be limited to its military nature, stressing that the agreement does not prohibit the peaceful use of the Demilitarized Zone. "The Armistice Agreement, as stipulated in its preamble, is purely military in nature and does not ban the peaceful use of the DMZ," the ministry said in a statement responding to an earlier statement from the United Nations Command. In its statement,
Dec. 17, 2025 -
S. Korea to forgo defense white paper for 2nd straight year
South Korea will not publish a defense white paper this year — marking a second consecutive year without the biennial document — amid prolonged uncertainty following last year’s martial law controversy and a subsequent change in administration. According to the Defense Ministry on Wednesday, the military has decided not to release a defense white paper this year — originally planned as the 2024 Defense White Paper — despite a long-standing practice of issuing the document every two years. “We ar
Dec. 17, 2025