NK propaganda outlet denounces S. Korea - US military drill as 'playing with fire'

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Thursday slammed South Korea and the United States over their summertime joint military drill, calling it "a dangerous playing with fire" that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Uriminzokkiri made the criticism as the allies were set to conclude their nine-day combined military exercise Thursday, which has been held in a scaled-back manner due to the coronavirus situation and peace efforts involving North Korea. "The joint military dr

Aug. 26, 2021

3 more Army recruits test positive for COVID-19

An Army boot camp reported three more cases of the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total caseload in the latest cluster infection there to 18, the defense ministry said Thursday. The three recruits at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan, 213 kilometers south of Seoul, have been in isolation after their camp reported another cluster infection weeks earlier. Last month, the training center suffered a massive outbreak, which resulted in 123 confirmed cases. Separately

Aug. 26, 2021

S. Korea, US set to wrap up summertime combined exercise

 South Korea and the United States on Thursday were set to conclude a major summertime combined exercise held in a scaled-back manner due to the coronavirus situation and peace efforts involving North Korea, officials said. The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training began on Aug. 16, mobilizing the minimum level of troops without any outdoor drills, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). This year's summertime exercise kicked off amid strong protests from North

Aug. 26, 2021

Navy to hold training with British aircraft carrier

The Navy will hold training sessions with the UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and its escort ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula as the carrier strike group called off a port call in South Korea amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. “Given the pandemic crisis, we will take part in naval exchanges involving humanitarian and disaster relief, from Monday to Wednesday next week,” the ministry said, noting there were i

Aug. 25, 2021

Military reports 4 COVID-19 cases

Four service members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total infections reported among the military population to 1,592, the defense ministry said Wednesday. A newly enlisted soldier at the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in isolation after a series of infections were reported there, according to the ministry. In the central city of Chungju, two airmen were found to have been infe

Aug. 25, 2021

USFK reports 11 COVID-19 cases among new arrivals

Eleven people affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK), including six service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here, the US military said Tuesday. The infected individuals arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on commercial flights between Aug. 7-21, according to USFK. "All individuals have since been transferred to an isolation facility designated for confirmed COVID-19 cases at United States Army Garrison Humphreys or Osan Air Bas

Aug. 24, 2021

Military reports 3 COVID-19 cases

Two Army soldiers and a cadet have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,588, the defense ministry said Tuesday. An officer in Paju, north of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a vacation, while a solider based in the northwestern border town of Yeoncheon was found to have gotten infected during a vacation before discharge, according to the ministry. In the southeastern city of Yeongcheon, a cadet wa

Aug. 24, 2021

USFK members allegedly hold 'no mask' dance party on base amid pandemic

A dance party was held at one of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)'s bases in South Korea last week where participants allegedly drank alcohol and danced without wearing masks while ignoring social distancing rules amid the pandemic, sources said Monday. The party took place at a club inside Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday, according to the sources. Images obtained by Yonhap News Agency show dozens of individuals dancing side by side without wearing face

Aug. 23, 2021

US military says not asked to take in Afghan evacuees

United States Forces Korea said Sunday it has not been asked to house evacuees fleeing Afghanistan, where the Taliban swiftly took over the government after the US began withdrawing troops. The Wall Street Journal reported the previous day that the US was looking at American bases in Japan, Korea, Kosovo, Bahrain and Italy as the US expands efforts to fly thousands of Afghan evacuees, who feel threatened by the Taliban insurgents because of their association with US forces. “To date, USF

Aug. 23, 2021

US considers American bases in S. Korea housing site for Afghan evacuees: report

The United States is considering using American military bases in South Korea as one of the housing sites for evacuees from Afghanistan, along with other overseas bases, including those in Japan, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The Pentagon is "looking at American bases in Japan, Korea, Germany, Kosovo, Bahrain and Italy" as existing housing sites in Qatar and elsewhere are filling up quickly, the paper reported Saturday (US time), citing unidentified officials. The report also

Aug. 22, 2021

[Weekender] Laid to rest, freedom fighter puts veterans in limelight

Hong Beom-do, a highly revered independence fighter against the Japanese occupation of Korea, was laid to rest at home Wednesday, 78 years after his death in Kazakhstan. The previous day, President Moon Jae-in posthumously awarded him the highest national order of merit. At a burial ceremony held at Daejeon National Cemetery, Moon called Hong a war hero and the commander-in-chief of the Korean Liberation Army, whose return he said “gives hope to South Koreans working together to find thei

Aug. 21, 2021

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, US to hold talks on N. Korea next week

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States will hold talks next week to discuss efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea, the foreign ministry said Friday. Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea, will arrive in Seoul on Saturday for a four-day visit and will hold talks with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, on Monday, the ministry said in a release. It will mark his second trip to South Korea since taking office as the US nuclear envoy under the

Aug. 20, 2021

Gov't to set up new entity to protect defense technologies, prevent hacking attacks

The arms procurement agency said Friday it will set up an anti-hacking agency next year to help protect defense firms in the wake of a recent series of hacking attempts targeting them. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the envisioned organization, tentatively named Defense Industry Technology Management Institute, will focus on how to better protect defense technologies and prevent cyber attacks. The government also plans to set up an interministerial task force involv

Aug. 20, 2021

Military reports 5 COVID-19 cases

Five service members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,580, the defense ministry said Friday. An Army officer in Incheon, west of Seoul, and two soldiers, respectively based in Seoul and Yangju, just north of the capital, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a vacation, while another officer in the eastern county of Hongcheon was found to have been infected after developing symptoms, according to the

Aug. 20, 2021

2 more Army recruits test positive for COVID-19

An Army boot camp reported two more cases of the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total caseload in the latest cluster infection there to 13, the defense ministry said Thursday. The two recruits at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan, 213 kilometers south of Seoul, were confirmed to have been infected, after the military conducted virus tests on all of the around 900 soldiers there following a cluster infection reported the previous day. Twelve of them are awaiting t

Aug. 19, 2021

S. Korea to invest W1.6tr to develop military satellite technologies

South Korea plans to invest 1.6 trillion ($1.37 billion) in the next 10 years to secure core technologies for satellite development in the defense sector, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. The plan is part of a series of measures aimed at upgrading the country's defense capabilities in the space sector, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The agency has launched a task force to focus on developing South Korea's space defense industry, saying that 16 trillion w

Aug. 19, 2021

US service member participating in combined exercise tests positive for virus

An American service member participating in an annual combined exercise with South Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said Thursday. The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) "confirms that one individual recently tested positive for COVID-19 while working in a combined headquarters location supporting CCPT," its spokesman Col. Lee Peters said in a statement. CCPT refers to the computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training, an annual exercise bet

Aug. 19, 2021

S. Korea to begin mass production of surface-to-air interceptor missile

South Korea will begin mass production of a newly upgraded interceptor missile, often dubbed the Korean equivalent of the US-made Patriot missile defense system, after successfully completing a number of quality tests, officials said Wednesday. Cheongung II, the upgraded version of the country's first locally-developed medium-range surface-to-air guided missile, accurately hit a missile and an aircraft target in firing tests conducted at the Anheung test site in the western city of Taean, in Ju

Aug. 18, 2021

Army boot camp reports 11 COVID-19 cases in yet another cluster infections

Eleven newly enlisted soldiers at an Army boot camp have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, in yet another cluster infections reported at the country's largest training camp for new recruits. The soldiers at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after one of them first developed symptoms starting Monday, according to the ministry. The soldier who first showed symptoms joined the camp

Aug. 18, 2021

S. Korea to implement 'Buy Korea Defense' plan this month

South Korea will try to spend up to 80 percent of its defense budget for local sourcing under a "Buy Korea Defense" project aimed at boosting local industries and securing key technologies, officials said Wednesday. Under the project, set to be introduced this month, the country plans to spend 80 trillion won ($68.3 billion) out of 100 trillion won earmarked for defense capabilities improvement projects by 2026 on local research and development, production and other domestic procureme

Aug. 18, 2021