Another military official infected with coronavirus, cyber command on high quarantine alert

The South Korean military's cyber command said Sunday another senior officer has tested positive for the coronavirus after contacting a patient serving at the unit in a case presumed to be linked with a new cluster of infections in the bustling Seoul district of Itaewon. The military is conducting coronavirus tests, based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), on all the members of the Cyber Operations Command under the direct wing of the Ministry of Defense. The move reflected growing alarm ove

May 10, 2020

US continues to seek defense cost deal with S. Korea: official

The United States continues to seek a defense cost-sharing agreement with South Korea as neither side wants to see the alliance erode, a State Department official said Friday. R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said communication has never stopped between the relevant parties, including the two countries' presidents, top diplomats, and top negotiators. His comment contradicts President Donald Trump's claim on Thursday that South Korea "has agre

May 9, 2020

USFK service member from Japan tests positive for coronavirus; total infections at 27

An American soldier who was recently assigned to the US Forces Korea from Japan tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the military said Friday, bringing the total number of infections among its population to 27. He arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday on a US government-arranged charter flight and was under mandatory quarantine at Camp Humphreys while awaiting the results of his COVID-19 test. He is the third active-duty USFK service me

May 8, 2020

Trump repeats claim Korea agreed to pay more for US troops

US President Donald Trump told a press briefing Thursday that South Korea had agreed to pay “substantial money” to the US for the upkeep of the 28,500 American troops stationed here, repeating what he had told Reuters a week earlier. “It costs us a lot of money. And if we’re going to defend countries, they should also respect us by making a contribution,” Trump said. The Trump administration is reportedly pushing Korea to pay about $1.3 billion, up 49 percent fro

May 8, 2020

Military partially lifts travel ban as coronavirus fears abate

South Korea’s military said Friday that traveling for off-base on assignments will resume, easing the anti-virus restrictions put in place since Feb. 22, a day after it reported its first infection. Decisions on overnight stays outside the base and visits at the installation for active-duty troops, still banned, would be announced later, the military said, adding it would gradually lift the ban as risk diminishes. The relaxing of anti-virus rules was in line with the government’s

May 8, 2020

Military lifts restrictions on service members' vacationing as virus spread slows

The military on Friday resumed allowing enlisted service members to go on vacation, the defense ministry said, amid a slowdown in the spread of the new coronavirus. All enlisted service personnel had been banned from off-base trips since mid-February, after the Navy reported the first COVID-19 infection in barracks. Other restrictions, including banning soldiers from staying out and meeting outside visitors, will be eased in phases in consideration of the virus situation down the road, the mi

May 8, 2020

S. Korea-US defense cost-sharing deal must be reasonable to all sides: foreign ministry

Defense cost-sharing talks currently under way between South Korea and the United States need to be viewed as being reasonable by all sides, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. In a regular briefing session, foreign ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said that while both Seoul and Washington want a fair and equitable arrangement, there are differences in perspective, hinting that the United States may have forwarded a new proposal that has not been accepted by its ally.   The official d

May 7, 2020

S. Korea to send masks to foreign Korean War vets

A total 1 million masks will be delivered to Korean War veterans globally to recognize their sacrifices for this country, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Korean War Commemoration Committee said Thursday. Twenty-two nations that provided either ground or medical support will receive the masks. The US, which supplied over 90 percent of overseas troops deployed here, will receive half of the million, while the other 21 countries will share the other half based on the level of their contributi

May 7, 2020

USFK maintains current anti-virus warning level despite S. Korea's guideline relaxation

US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday it will maintain the current health protection level despite South Korea's loosening of social distancing guidelines and will closely monitor developments before making a decision on its possible relaxation. On Wednesday, South Korea ended its monthslong intensive social distancing campaign and switched to "everyday life quarantine" guidance to better support people's return to normal life as it has been able to stabilize the spread of the COVID

May 7, 2020

AI robots to help recover Korean War remains

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it would develop autonomous robots by 2024 at the earliest to recover the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. The artificial intelligence-powered robots will scan underground to detect human remains, lowering the manual workload for the project, which began in April 2000. About 135,000 soldiers are still missing. The ministry also said it would secure more DNA samples from the missing soldiers’ families by compe

May 6, 2020

Esper says he is confident of USFK troops readiness

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday that he is confident of the readiness of American troops in South Korea following the recent coronavirus outbreak. Speaking with the Brookings Institution, he credited US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams with preserving the readiness level. "So I can confidently say that we're preserving the 'fight tonight' status readiness that we need on the peninsula with our ROK allies," Esper said, referring to South Korea's off

May 5, 2020

Military to resume enlistees' vacationing this week amid slowing virus spread

The military will begin allowing enlisted service members to go on vacation this week after months of restrictions, amid signs of a slowdown in the spread of the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. All enlisted service personnel have been banned from off-base trips in principle since Feb. 22 when the country began to report a drastic surge in COVID-19 infections. But the restrictions on vacationing will be lifted on Friday in line with the government's decision to end the weeks

May 4, 2020

Navy to participate in US-led RIMPAC exercise in August

The Navy plans to participate in a US-led multinational maritime exercise slated to kick off near Hawaii in August, a military source said, despite concerns over the new coronavirus. The Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), designed to enhance combined operational capabilities for maritime security, is set to be held from Aug. 17 to 31, the US Pacific Fleet said Thursday. "The Navy plans to participate in the RIMPAC exercises this year ... the number of servicemen and vessels dispatched

April 30, 2020

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, Canada vow to cooperate against coronavirus

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Canada held phone talks Wednesday and vowed to cooperate against the new coronavirus and boost broader defense ties, the defense ministry said. During the conversation with his Canadian counterpart Harjit Sajjan, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo shared South Korea's response to COVID-19 and how the military has been playing a role in preventing the spread of the virus, the ministry said. Sajjan praised South Korea for setting a model for the world by suc

April 29, 2020

Military postpones reserve forces' training again due to coronavirus

The military has decided not to hold regular training sessions for reserve forces in the first half of this year due to the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The training for the country's 2.75 million-strong forces was slated to kick off in June across the nation, after being put off twice from the original schedule in March due to COVID-19. South Korean reservists are required to go through one training session of one to three days per year. The ministry said it will

April 29, 2020

Army master sergeant caught stealing face masks for soldiers, selling to civilian dealers

An Army noncommissioned officer is under investigation for allegedly pilfering thousands of face masks for soldiers and selling them to civilian dealers at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Wednesday. The master sergeant is suspected of taking around 2,100 face masks from a warehouse of his unit in Gyeonggi Province around the end of February, which the military authorities had stockpiled for enlisted soldiers, and then selling them to civilian traders, according to the of

April 29, 2020

USFK to monitor S. Korea's easing of social distancing before deciding whether to follow suit: Abrams

US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams said Tuesday that he will closely monitor the coronavirus situation in South Korea over the next couple of weeks before making a decision on a possible loosening of its virus-related guidelines. USFK has implemented the Health Protection Condition Level of Charlie for all USFK installations, which limits non-necessary off-post activities to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Last week, it also renewed the current Public Health Emergency f

April 28, 2020

Military joins disinfection efforts as S. Korea prepares for eased social distancing

The military is joining the government's all-out efforts to disinfect public facilities as South Korea prepares to further ease coronavirus social distancing, the defense ministry said Tuesday, amid a marked slowdown in the number of new cases reported in the country. Starting this week, the military will look for education and welfare facilities as well as religious installations that require disinfection work and provide necessary support, the ministry said. South Korea has been taking grad

April 28, 2020

Delivery of Cheongung anti-aircraft guided missile system to military completed

South Korea's first locally developed anti-aircraft guided missile system has all been delivered to the military, the arms procurement agency said Tuesday. Cheongung, the first indigenously developed mid-range surface-to-air guided missile, is capable of striking a hostile aircraft at an altitude of up to 40 kilometers. Dubbed the "Korean Patriot," the system has been deployed since 2015, after the Agency of the Defense Development completed its development in 2011, according to the

April 28, 2020

US looking for further compromise from S. Korea in defense cost talks: State Department

WASHINGTON -- The United States is looking for "further compromise" from South Korea in their defense cost-sharing negotiations, the State Department said Monday amid a prolonged impasse in talks. The comment comes after US President Donald Trump said last week that he rejected South Korea's offer because he felt the Asian ally should pay more for the stationing of 28,500 American troops in the country. "The United States remains committed to concluding a mutually acceptable ag

April 28, 2020