S. Korea, US start joint training amid N. Korea's protest

South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual joint military training Monday, undeterred by North Korea's strong protest and threats of a serious security crisis. The nine-day command post exercise staged on the peninsula is based largely on a computer simulation with no field training, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The drill is defensive in nature as usual, it stressed in a statement.The number of participating troops will be restricted in consideration o

Aug. 16, 2021

S. Korea, US to kick off scaled-back combined exercise this week

South Korea and the United States will kick off a major summertime combined exercise in a scaled-back manner on Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced, after North Korea vowed to punish the two countries when they started a preliminary training last week. The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will not include outdoor drills, and the size of troops involved will be minimized in consideration of the virus situation, the JCS said in a statement. The decision to

Aug. 15, 2021

Navy receives first 3,000-ton-class SLBM submarine

The Navy on Friday received the country's first 3,000-ton-class indigenous submarine capable of firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) to bolster underwater defense capabilities, officials said. The commissioning ceremony for the mid-class diesel air-independent propulsion submarine, named after prominent South Korean independence fighter Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, took place at the Okpo Shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. on the southern island of Geoje. It is th

Aug. 13, 2021

Defense minister apologizes over death of alleged sexual abuse victim in Navy

Defense Minister Suh Wook on Friday apologized over the apparent suicide of a female Navy noncommissioned officer amid a probe into allegations a senior colleague sexually harassed her. The chief petty officer, whose identity was withheld, was found dead at her residence on Thursday, after reporting days earlier that she had suffered sexual harassment in May. "I am sorry to the bereaved family and to the people that what should not have happened has happened," Suh was quoted as sayin

Aug. 13, 2021

British submarine arrives in Busan ahead of aircraft carrier's port call

BUSAN/SEOUL -- A British nuclear-powered submarine accompanying the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier has arrived in the southern port city of Busan, the South Korean Navy said Thursday. The HMS Artful submarine docked at the port of the Naval Operations Command in Busan early Wednesday ahead of the aircraft carrier's port call later this month, naval officials said. The submarine plans to examine its equipment and load munitions. Its crew members are taking COVID-19 tests, they said. &quo

Aug. 12, 2021

8 American service members in S. Korea test positive for COVID-19

Eight American service members stationed in South Korea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday. 　Seven of them were from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and one was from Camp Humphreys in the same city, the U.S. military said. 　The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 1,201. (Yonhap)

Aug. 11, 2021

Military reports 6 more COVID-19 cases

The defense ministry reported six additional coronavirus infections Wednesday, raising the total caseload among the military population to 1,542. The infected individuals include three Army soldiers and a Marine, as well as a Seoul-based officer at the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and a military civilian employee, according to the ministry. They were all confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms or coming into contact with an individual who had tested positive.

Aug. 11, 2021

Military to spend W37.5b for drone purchase next year

South Korea plans to spend 37.5 billion won ($32.6 million) next year to purchase domestic drones for the military as part of efforts to help the local industry have stable demand for growth, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The budget is more than sixfold the amount allocated for this year, which stood at 6.2 billion won, according to the ministry. The plan was unveiled at a committee meeting to discuss the development of the local defense industry in Seoul, jointly headed by Defense Mini

Aug. 11, 2021

S. Korea, US to hold preliminary training this week ahead of main exercise

South Korea and the United States will conduct a preliminary training this week in the run-up to next week's main summertime military exercise that North Korea has warned against staging, sources said Monday. The four-day crisis management staff training will begin Tuesday, followed by the computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training scheduled for Aug. 16-26, according to the sources. "The training is aimed at checking the response to unexpected crisis situations to return to peaceti

Aug. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Half of S. Koreans opposed to delaying allied military drills with US: Realmeter

Slightly more than half of all South Koreans do not support the idea of postponing the regular joint summertime military drills between Seoul and Washington, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 500 people aged 18 and older nationwide conducted by Realmeter last Friday, 50.4 percent of the respondents said they do not agree with calls for delaying the allied military drills. Meanwhile, 45.3 percent said they do. Talk of delaying or scaling down the annual joint military exercise set to take pl

Aug. 9, 2021

Military reports 4 new COVID-19 cases

The South Korean military reported four additional COVID-19 cases, the defense ministry said Sunday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 1,533. Two new conscripts at an Army boot camp in Paju, 30 kilometers north of Seoul, tested positive, in addition to two Army officers based in Busan and North Chungcheong Province's Okcheon County, respectively. The two conscripts showed symptoms of COVID-19 after coming in contact with a person with COVID-19 in the same Army unit. A total of

Aug. 8, 2021

S. Korea decides to conduct military exercise with US as planned despite NK warning

South Korea has tentatively decided to conduct the upcoming military exercise with the United States as planned, albeit in a scaled-back manner due to the pandemic, sources said Sunday, despite North Korea's warning the maneuvers will cast a pall over inter-Korean relations. Whether and how to conduct the summertime exercise has drawn keen attention, particularly after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned the drills will dampen the conciliatory mood created after P

Aug. 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] Air Force noncommissioned officer denies wrongdoing in sexual abuse hearing

An Air Force warrant officer on Friday denied allegations he pressured the victim of a sexual abuse case not to pursue punishment of the perpetrator in the infliction of "secondary harm" blamed for her suicide. During a preparatory hearing at a military court in Seoul, the warrant officer, surnamed Noh, claimed through his lawyer Kim Sang-ho that he did not blackmail the victim nor had an intention to obstruct the investigation into the case. The victim, a master sergeant surnamed Le

Aug. 6, 2021

7 service members test positive for COVID-19

Six Army soldiers and one Navy officer tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday, the latest in a series of COVID-19 infections among the military population across the country. Three enlistees at an Army boot camp in Paju, north of Seoul, were confirmed to have been infected while in quarantine following positive cases earlier, according to the ministry. A soldier affiliated with a separate unit in Paju and an Army officer in the northwestern border town of Yeo

Aug. 6, 2021

4 soldiers test positive for COVID-19

Four Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total number of infections reported among the military population to 1,513, the defense ministry said Thursday. Three soldiers in Paju, north of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after coming into contact with a colleague who tested positive earlier, while the other soldier, based in the southeastern city of Daegu, was found to have been infected after a vacation, according to the ministry. Among four

Aug. 5, 2021

S. Korea, US agree to expand cybersecurity cooperation

South Korea and the United States have agreed to strengthen cooperation in responding to growing global cybersecurity threats as they held a joint defense committee meeting on information and communications technology, the defense ministry said Thursday. During the inaugural session of the US-ROK ICT Cooperation Committee, held via a videoconference Wednesday, they also agreed to set up various information sharing systems to boost combined combat capabilities by securing a better interoperabili

Aug. 5, 2021

20 USFK-affiliated people test positive for COVID-19

Twelve American service members and eight others affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea from the United States, the US military said Thursday. One service member arrived at Osan Air Base on a US government chartered flight, and eleven service members, four civilians, three family members and one retiree arrived on international commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. They arrived here between Jul

Aug. 5, 2021

Military reports 3 COVID-19 cases

Two Army cadets and an Air Force civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The Air Force official based in Seongnam, south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a family member tested positive, according to the ministry. One cadet in Seoul was found to have been infected on vacation, while the other in the central county of Goesan tested positive during a summer training. The latest cases raised the total number of

Aug. 4, 2021

‘Moon should not cave to NK’s bullying’

South Korea should not suspend military exercises with the US to rebuild ties with North Korea because Pyongyang is not interested in peace efforts like Seoul, experts said Tuesday. On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned Seoul against holding the drills, which Pyongyang routinely denounces as rehearsals for war. The South and US annually stage drills mainly in spring and summer to bolster readiness against the North. A last-minute debate over whether to g

Aug. 3, 2021

Military civilian worker indicted over land speculation allegations

A civilian worker for the military was indicted on suspicion of using insider information for real estate speculation, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The indictment came after 22 military-related people were investigated for real estate speculation suspicions after a massive speculation scandal involving the state housing developer, Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), sparked public fury. The 21 others were cleared of charges, the ministry said. The indicted civilian worker was accused of

Aug. 3, 2021