Special forces' planned training in US canceled due to coronavirus

Planned training by a group of special forces troops in the United States has been called off due to the new coronavirus, a military source said Wednesday. About 30 members of the Army's Special Warfare Command were originally scheduled to visit the US military's Fort Irwin National Training Center for combined training this month, but the plan has been canceled. It is the latest in a series of combined training exercises between South Korea and foreign troops that have been postponed amid th

May 20, 2020

Army chief shares coronavirus experience with foreign military leaders

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Suh Wook shared the military's experience responding to the new coronavirus with foreign commanders during a video conference Wednesday and pledged continued cooperation in fighting unconventional security threats, his office said. On the first day of the two-day Indo-Pacific Landpower Conference, which kicked off earlier in the day, the general discussed South Korea's experience conducting a massive training exercise in during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the

May 20, 2020

USFK to ease quarantine restrictions this week as virus cases slow in S. Korea

US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday it will ease quarantine restrictions this week for all areas but Seoul and nearby regions, allowing service members to dine at restaurants and conduct other off-base activities except visiting bars and clubs. The decision to lower the Health Protection Condition (HPCON) level by one notch to the second-lowest "Bravo" from the current "Charlie" level came as South Korea has seen a marked slowdown in the number of new coronavirus cases. The

May 18, 2020

Military to test all incoming conscripts for coronavirus

South Korea’s military said Sunday that it will screen all new conscripts for the novel coronavirus, starting Monday for eight weeks to test about 6,300 draftees a week. The decision comes in response to the recent surge in infections among young people linked to a cluster that emerged in Seoul’s nightclubs and bars in the Itaewon neighborhood. Before trainee soldiers join boot camps, they will be swabbed and their specimens will be pooled together and tested for COVID-19 infectio

May 17, 2020

14-day examination period for JSA tours likely to be shortened

The 14-day-long examination period required for South Koreans' tours to the demilitarized border village of Panmunjom may be cut to a three-day process, the United Nations Command (UNC) said Sunday. The UNC said it is currently discussing the simplification plan with the South Korean government. "The 14-day examination required for Koreans wishing to visit the Joint Security Area (JSA) is South Korea's own regulation which the UNC has been implementing for over than 10 years for South K

May 17, 2020

S. Korea, China postpone this year's repatriation of Chinese troop remains due to coronavirus

South Korea is discussing with China when to repatriate remains of Chinese troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War as a planned repatriation event set for this spring was canceled due to the coronavirus, officials said Saturday. In 2014, Seoul pledged to send remains of fallen Chinese soldiers to their homeland in a symbolic gesture of friendship, and it has since repatriated 599 sets of remains, including 10 last year. "This year's event was also supposed to take place in around Ma

May 16, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae admits discussion on 'media policy' with military officials over N. Korea's response to drills

Cheong Wa Dae confirmed Friday it convened a meeting with military officials in charge of public relations with regard to North Korea's strong criticism of South Korea's recent border island drills. Presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok stressed that the meeting was to discuss media-related policy, not to "reprimand" the military. Earlier in the day, the Seoul-based Chosun Ilbo newspaper carried a front-page report claiming that Moon's office had called in senior military officers an

May 15, 2020

Military vows thorough arms inspection after gun malfunctioning during DMZ shooting

All small firearms at South Korea's border guard posts have been newly inspected, but no problems have been found, an official said Friday, following revelations that the response to the North's recent gunfire was slow due to a machine gun malfunction. The Joint Chiefs of Staff official made the remark during a press briefing, promising to beef up regular inspections of weapons to prevent a similar incident from happening again and maintain a full readiness posture. The military has come unde

May 15, 2020

S. Korea discovers more apparent Korean War remains in DMZ

South Korea discovered 11 bone fragments, believed to be from soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea, the defense ministry said Thursday. The pieces were found during a demining and excavation operation on Arrowhead Ridge from last Friday through Wednesday, according to the ministry. The ridge located in Cheorwon, some 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, was one of the fiercest battlefields during the war. Since April 20 w

May 14, 2020

Suspicious package found at USFK's Yongsan Garrison turns out to be hair grooming kit

A suspicious package found at the post office of the Yongsan base of US Forces Korea on Thursday turned out to be a hair grooming kit, a USFK official said. Earlier in the day, the US military closed part of the garrison in Seoul, suspended traffic and urged its personnel to avoid the area "due to the investigation of a suspicious package." "At approximately 1 p.m., the package was cleared by the Directorate of Emergency Services. ... This package did not pose a threat since

May 14, 2020

Military reports no new coronavirus cases amid concerns over Itaewon infections

No new cases of the novel coronavirus were reported among military personnel Thursday, but authorities remain on alert as trainees who recently visited entertainment facilities in Seoul's Itaewon district are awaiting test results. The total number of COVID-19 cases at barracks came to 50 as of Thursday, and 11 of them are tied to clubs and bars in Itaewon that reported a cluster infection in recent days, according to the defense ministry. South Korea had recorded a marked drop in the numbe

May 14, 2020

Suspicious package found at USFK's Yongsan Garrison turns out to be hair grooming kit

A suspicious package found at the post office of the Yongsan base of US Forces Korea on Thursday turned out to be a hair grooming kit, a USFK official said. The US military closed part of the garrison in Seoul, suspended traffic and urged its personnel to avoid the area "due to the investigation of a suspicious package." "At approximately 1 p.m., the package was cleared by the Directorate of Emergency Services. ... This package did not pose a threat since it was determined to b

May 14, 2020

S. Korean, Chinese defense chiefs vow enhanced cooperation in defense ties, virus response

The defense chiefs of South Korea and China held phone talks Wednesday and vowed to boost their defense exchanges and enhance cooperation against the coronavirus, Seoul's defense ministry said. During the conversation, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, exchanged opinions on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, their responses to the COVID-19 virus and ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in defense fields, according to the ministry. Jeong introduced

May 13, 2020

Military reports 3 more COVID-19 cases linked to Itaewon

South Korea’s military on Wednesday reported three more COVID-19 infections linked to a cluster that recently emerged in the Itaewon neighborhood, Seoul, bringing the tally to 11. The three soldiers apparently contracted the coronavirus from a staff sergeant at the Cyber Command in central Seoul. Of all the cases uncovered so far, four soldiers and five officers worked at the Cyber Command, and the other two officers were stationed at an Army base in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

May 13, 2020

Military looking into engine malfunction detected in patrol boats

An investigation is under way to determine what caused the same engine problem with four of South Korea's recently upgraded high-speed patrol boats deployed to guard the sea border with North Korea and carry out other missions, military officials said Wednesday. The Navy found a breakage in the engine cylinder head of a 230-ton Gumdoksuri-B class Patrol Killer Medium Rocket (PKMR) boat during a regular inspection, and found the same failure in three other boats of the same model. The Defense

May 13, 2020

Reduced S. Korea-US military drills impact readiness: ex-USFK commander

WASHINGTON -- Scaling down combined military exercises between South Korea and the United States does have an impact on readiness, a former commander of US Forces Korea said Tuesday. Ret. Gen. Walter Sharp was referring to the major allied exercises that have been reduced in scope to facilitate denuclearization negotiations between the US and North Korea. "I think that scaling down, and doing exercises in other ways, does have an effect on readiness," he said during a virtual semina

May 13, 2020

USFK soldier tests positive for coronavirus; total infections at 28

A US soldier tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday, a day after arriving in South Korea, the US Forces Korea said, bringing the total number of infections among its population to 28. He arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday on a US government-arranged charter flight, according to USFK. USFK said the soldier has been in isolation at a hospital on the base after being confirmed with the COVID-19 virus. He is the fourth US soldier who has bee

May 12, 2020

South Korea to begin sending rotational troops to South Sudan this month

South Korea plans to send rotational peacekeeping troops to South Sudan starting this month, after months of delay due to the coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday.  A fresh batch of troops for its 300-strong Hanbit Unit was supposed to be in the war-torn nation in March on peacekeeping missions, but the replacement was delayed at the request of South Sudan due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the unit members returned home on March 27 on a chartered flight without repla

May 12, 2020

Trump names new deputy commander of USFK

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has named a new deputy commander for US Forces Korea, with the rank of lieutenant general, the Pentagon announced Monday. Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott L. Pleus was appointed to the rank of three-star general and assigned as deputy commander of USFK, the Pentagon said in a release. Pleus has also been assigned as commander of the Air Component Command, United Nations Command; commander of the Air Component Command, Combined Forces Command; and commander of

May 12, 2020

One more Army officer tests positive for coronavirus linked to Itaewon club case

An Army officer has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the military's eighth case linked to clubs in Seoul's Itaewon district, while most other military personnel suspected of links to Itaewon clubs or visitors tested negative, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The new case brought the total number of COVID-19 infections among the military population to 47. The latest patient, a first lieutenant based in Yongin, south of Seoul, is believed to have contracted the virus after coming

May 12, 2020