Army officer wounded in unidentified blast

An officer of an Army unit in Gimpo, west of Seoul, was wounded Sunday after an unidentified explosive device detonated during defense operations, military officials said. The officer was immediately rushed to a nearby civilian hospital following the blast at around 7:35 a.m., the officials said. Despite an injury to his ankle, he was not in critical condition. The military authorities are looking into the exact cause of the explosion, including the possibility of a landmine blast. (Yonhap)

Nov. 21, 2021

S. Korea holds event to commemorate 1954 Dokdo battle

South Korea held an annual ceremony Friday to commemorate a successful 1954 operation by the country's volunteer fighters to defend the easternmost islets of Dokdo against intruding Japanese ships, the veterans affairs ministry said. A civilian foundation honoring the group of 33 fighters hosted the event at a national cemetery in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, amid a renewed spat between Seoul and Tokyo over the East Sea outcroppings. Territorial tensions flared anew as a senior Jap

Nov. 19, 2021

Military reports 10 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported 10 additional COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,175, the defense ministry said. Of the new cases, a marine stationed in Pohang, 374 kilometers southeast of Seoul, tested positive following a case at the base. An Army draftee at a boot camp in Nonsan, 213 km south of Seoul, tested positive through a regular COVID-19 examination. A civilian employee of an Army unit in Cheorwon, 88 km north of Seoul, was infected after an

Nov. 19, 2021

Military undaunted as parliament suspends weapon project

The military is more committed than ever to building the first homegrown light aircraft carrier even though the National Assembly decided to cut the budget for a second straight year, saying more studies are needed to determine if the 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) project is worth the cost. The Navy, which plans to roll out the seagoing air base by 2033 to supplement its air power against North Korea, asked for 10 billion won this year and 7 billion won next year, but was given 100 million and

Nov. 18, 2021

S. Korea sells missiles to UAE in record arms sale

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that it will buy mid-range missiles from South Korea in what would be Seoul’s largest arms sale worth nearly 4 trillion won ($3.5 billion). “We have reached very advanced stages in negotiations with the Korean side and are close to concluding a final agreement in this regard,” said Tariq Abdul Rahim Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council. The body is the chief weapons buyer for Abu Dhabi. The Middle East country would be the first to

Nov. 17, 2021

Military reports 12 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported 12 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,147, the defense ministry said. An officer based at the ministry compound in Seoul tested positive after developing symptoms. Some 60 military personnel who came in contact with the officer, however, tested negative. A civilian employee of an Army unit in Cheorwon, 88 kilometers north of Seoul, was infected after an acquaintance tested positive. An officer of a unit un

Nov. 17, 2021

Military personnel to get extra jabs starting next week

South Korea's military plans to administer extra COVID-19 shots to its fully vaccinated personnel starting next week, officials said Wednesday, amid a surge in the country's daily virus counts. Around 3,000 military medical personnel will first get an extra jab of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine starting Wednesday next week, a defense official said. The military also plans to administer booster shots on some 500,000 troops starting January as well. The move comes amid a continued rise in the numbe

Nov. 17, 2021

S. Korea eyes large-scale military parade to mark Armed Forces Day next year

South Korea seeks to stage a large-scale military parade next year to mark the Oct. 1 Armed Forces Day, a defense ministry official said Tuesday, in what could be a major show of force just months after the launch of the country's next administration. The ministry has set aside 7.98 billion won ($6.75 million) for the parade likely to showcase the nation's state-of-the-art military hardware, though a final decision would be made by the new government to be launched in May, the official said. &

Nov. 16, 2021

Military reports 9 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported nine additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,135, the defense ministry said. Five of the newly added patients tested positive after their family members were infected, the data showed. A Marine Corps draftee stationed on the southern resort island of Jeju tested positive after a virus case was reported at the base. An officer at the arms procurement agency in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, tested positive after develop

Nov. 16, 2021

S. Korea ranks No.18 in intl defense integrity report

South Korea ranked 18th out of 85 countries in terms of integrity in the defense sector last year, an international anti-corruption organization said Tuesday. According to the Government Defense Integrity Index (GDI) by Transparency International, South Korea scored 59 points on a 100-point scale, receiving grade C, which means that a country has a moderate risk of corruption in the defense sector, according to Transparency International Korea. GDI is an index analyzing the risk of corruption

Nov. 16, 2021

S. Korea cuts Indonesia’s payment in joint jet project

Indonesia will see its payment reduced by 100 billion won ($85 million) to 1.6 trillion won for the joint fighter jet project with South Korea, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Monday, a week after it reached a new deal with Indonesia amid rumors of the Southeast Asian country defaulting.　 The KF-21 program -- in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest -- aims to mass produce jets as early as 2027, but Indonesia had hardly p

Nov. 15, 2021

S. Korea cuts Indonesia's payment for joint fighter development: arms agency

South Korea has lowered Indonesia's planned payment for its share of the cost for a joint fighter development project, as the warplane has been designated as "defense goods" eligible for a tax exemption, the state arms procurement agency said Monday. Accordingly, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Indonesia is to pay 1.6 trillion won ($1.35 billion) in total, down 100 billion won, for the 8.1 trillion-won project, called KF-X. DAPA announced the change after i

Nov. 15, 2021

DAPA unveils CG video of KF-21 jet, stealth drones in joint sortie

South Korea's military has unveiled a computer-generated video of a homegrown fighter and radar-evading drones in a joint sortie, offering a glimpse into a future battle concept mixing the manned and unmanned assets currently under development. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) recently posted the short video on its YouTube channel, depicting the KF-21 fighter flanked by three stealth drones in joint air operations over South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. The KF-21 f

Nov. 15, 2021

Military reports 3 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported three additional COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,126, the defense ministry said. Among the new cases were an Army officer stationed in Hwacheon, 118 kilometers northeast of Seoul, and another Army officer based in Yeoncheon, also north of the capital city. The two tested positive following their vacations. An Army officer based in Cheorwon, 88 kilometers north of Seoul, contracted the virus after staying at the same sp

Nov. 15, 2021

[Photo News] ‘The fallen heroes will never be forgotten’

On Nov. 11, the “Turn to Busan” annual ceremony to commemorate the sacrifices of UN soldiers during the Korean War was held at the UN Memorial Cemetery in the southeastern port city of Busan. The UN Memorial Cemetery is the only UN cemetery in the world and more than 2000 troops from 11 countries are buried there.  According to the veterans’ affair ministry, approximately 300 people, including UN Command (UNC) chief Gen. Paul LaCamera, war veterans, their families and di

Nov. 13, 2021

'Asia nuke planning group,' US tactical nuke redeployment needed: think tank

A South Korea-US nuclear planning group and the conditional redeployment of US tactical nuclear arms can be policy options for the next Seoul government to address North Korea's evolving nuclear threats, a local think tank said Friday. In a 175-page research report, the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy (KRINS) made policy suggestions for the next government to be launched in May next year, as concerns persist over Pyongyang's steady focus on its nuclear and missile programs. The

Nov. 12, 2021

Military reports 5 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported five additional COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,110, the defense ministry said. Among the new cases was an officer of a Marine Corps unit in Pohang, 374 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The officer tested positive after a family member was infected. A draftee at a boot camp in Nonsan, 213 km south of Seoul, also contracted the virus while in quarantine. A civilian employee of an Army unit in Goyang, just northwest of Se

Nov. 12, 2021

S. Korea, Indonesia finalize fighter jet costs amid default rumors

South Korea and Indonesia reached an agreement Wednesday on the payment Indonesia would have to make for their joint fighter jet project after concerns for months that Jakarta could default on the deal to produce a cheaper, less-stealthy alternative to the US-made F-35. The KF-21 program -- in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest -- aims to mass produce jets as early as 2027, but the Southeast Asian nation had hardly paid its contributions

Nov. 11, 2021

S. Korea, Russia to set up military hotlines: defense ministry

South Korea and Russia agreed Thursday to establish direct bilateral military hotlines to strengthen their communication to prevent accidental clashes at sea and in the air, Seoul's defense ministry said. Kim Sang-jin, the ministry's director general for international policy, and Viktor Kalganov, deputy director of Russia's National Defense Control Center, signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to set up a hotline between the two countries' Navies and another between their Air Forces. Th

Nov. 11, 2021

US repeats decision on when to change command still pending

South Korea and the US have not made any decisions on when Seoul will take over wartime operational control from Washington, the US Defense Department said Wednesday, amid signs of a rift in the allies’ position on the wartime role the US first assumed in the 1950-53 Korean War. Last week, Gen. Paul LaCamera, the US military chief overseeing the 28,500 American troops here, said the two countries could make changes to Korea’s plan to retake command by May next year or set a deadline

Nov. 11, 2021