SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A proposal that would grant the South Korean government authority over civilian access to the Demilitarized Zone — long controlled by the United Nations Command — is facing resistance from key ministries in Seoul and from the U.S.-led command itself. Lawmakers from the governing Democratic Party introduced the bill [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s privacy watchdog has launched a digital forensics center to professionally collect, analyze and manage electronic evidence from personal data breaches, amid a rapid increase in hacking-related incidents across the country. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) held an opening ceremony for the Digital Forensic Center at the [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — On a public bulletin board outside the Namdaemun police substation in central Seoul, posters show faces of missing children — not only as they once appeared decades ago, but as they likely look today. A 13-year-old boy missing since the late 1980s is pictured as a man in his 50s; [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea unveiled new measures on Sunday to strengthen security oversight of internet-connected cameras after police uncovered a sweeping hacking scheme in which more than 120,000 IP cameras installed in homes, hospitals, spas and massage clinics were compromised and used to produce sexually exploitative material. The scheme, uncovered by the [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Both the United States and China have quietly omitted references to the “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” from major national security documents released in recent weeks, raising speculation over whether the two most influential actors in nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang are recalibrating their approach. The omission in Washington was notable. [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — A sweeping shift in American national security priorities — from reasserting influence in the Western Hemisphere to elevating Taiwan’s defense and omitting North Korea’s denuclearization — is prompting fresh debate in Seoul over what the changes signal for South Korea’s security role in Asia. The White House on Thursday [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s unification minister publicly criticized the United Nations Command (UNC) on Wednesday, revealing that it had recently barred a senior presidential security aide from entering the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), reviving long-standing tensions over the scope of the UNC’s authority. Speaking at a National Assembly hearing on legislation to expand [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea approved a defense budget of 65.9 trillion won, or about $44.8 billion, for next year, a 7.5 percent rise as the government moves to reinforce its three-axis deterrence strategy and accelerate the modernization of its armed forces. The National Assembly passed the 727.9 trillion-won national budget late [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The state arms procurement agency on Tuesday launched a 435.9 billion-won project (US$296 million) to develop short-range air-to-air guided missiles to be equipped on South Korea’s homegrown KF-21 fighter jets. Under the plan, the country aims to develop guided missiles for homegrown fighter jets by 2032, in its bid [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday forcefully dismissed renewed proposals for South Korea to pursue its own nuclear weapons program, calling the idea “impossible” and warning that it would trigger immediate international backlash. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office, Lee addressed growing calls from some opposition lawmakers to [...]