Military reports 5 more coronavirus cases

Four airmen and a military civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. An Air Force officer in the southern city of Sacheon was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a series of infections were reported at the base, according to the ministry. Virus tests are under way for some 1,600 members at the unit, of which nine have tested positive so far. Another 1,089 have tested negative. Two airmen based in the eastern city of Wonju have al

April 26, 2021

Air Force unit in southern city reports more COVID-19 cases

Eight people, including Air Force officers and public servants, based at an Air Force unit in the southern city of Sacheon have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Sunday. Following three cases confirmed Saturday, five more at the same unit tested positive earlier in the day, according to the defense ministry and the Air Force. One of the soldiers who tested positive Saturday was found to have visited a local restaurant where infections broke out. The Air Force,

April 25, 2021

32 Navy sailors from same vessel test positive for COVID-19

At least 32 Navy sailors who serve on the same naval ship have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. One Navy officer who serves on a landing ship underwent a virus test and tested positive after learning that a teacher of his child's day care center contracted COVID-19, according to the ministry. The child tested negative, however, and how the officer got infected is currently under investigation. Health authorities have found 31 more cases of his colle

April 23, 2021

Military reports 7 new COVID-19 cases

Five Army members and two Air Force officers tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. Four of the soldiers and the two officers tested positive after either their recent vacation or coming into close contact with civilians who were confirmed to have been infected later, according to the ministry. The remaining member is a soldier in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan, who had been in isolation after one of his colleagues tested positive, it added. The new v

April 22, 2021

S. Korea to kick off unmanned surveillance vehicle development in earnest

South Korea will push for the development of a state-of-the-art unmanned surveillance vehicle in earnest after years of preliminary research into the project, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. According to the Defense Acquisition Administration (DAPA), it successfully wrapped up the exploratory development of the robotic vehicle for surveillance purposes, which began in 2018 in cooperation with the Agency for Defense Development and local defense firms. The novel platform will be equi

April 22, 2021

Navy reaffirms commitment to aircraft carrier project

An aircraft carrier will strengthen South Korea’s naval power at a relatively affordable price, the Navy said Wednesday, amid controversy surrounding its 2 trillion-won ($1.8 billion) project to build the first aircraft carrier by 2033. “The homegrown weapon will rein in North Korea’s aggression and will put us at advantage in the event of conflict. It will help advance our interests in peacetime,” a senior Navy official said at a briefing. The official said Seoul needs

April 21, 2021

Military reports 5 new COVID-19 cases

Four service members and a civilian worker for the military have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the latest in a series of infections across the nation, the defense ministry said Wednesday. One Marine in the city of Hwaseong, south of Seoul, and one soldier in the county of Hongcheon, east of Seoul, were confirmed to have been infected following their recent vacations, according to the ministry. One Army officer in the central city of Icheon contracted the virus after coming into cl

April 21, 2021

Govt. holds meeting with residents near USFK live-firing range

Defense ministry officials held a meeting with residents near a US Forces Korea (USFK) firing range in the northern city of Pocheon on Wednesday as part of efforts to address safety and other complaints over firing drills, the ministry said. Residents near the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, some 45 kilometers north of Seoul, have long complained about noise, unexploded ordnances and other damage incurred by the drills. During the meeting in Pocheon, some 40 government officials, inclu

April 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Too soon to draft women into military: Defense Ministry

Conscripting women into the armed forces now would be premature, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday, amid fresh debate about making military service compulsory for both women and men. At present, all able-bodied men in South Korea are required to serve in the military or complete an alternative public service program. Women can join the military as officers or noncommissioned officers. “Expanding conscription isn’t a yes-no, black-and-white question because we need to l

April 20, 2021

Defense ministry says change in military system requires social consensus

The defense ministry said Tuesday any change in the country's military system, such as the introduction of volunteer or female conscription systems, should be decided based on social consensus. Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan made the remark during a regular press briefing after an online petition demanding female conscription earned more than 100,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning. Under the current law, all able-bodied South Korean men must carry out compulsory military service for ab

April 20, 2021

Military reports 3 additional virus cases, total exceeds 700

Three Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections reported among the military population to 701, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The soldiers -- one based in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan, the second in the eastern city of Wonju and the third in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul -- were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after virus cases were reported at their units, according to the ministry. Of the total confirmed cases, 672 hav

April 20, 2021

Army soldier tests positive for coronavirus

An Army soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus while away from his base for vacation, the defense ministry said Monday. The soldier, based in Siheung, south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a family member was found to be infected with the virus, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 698. Of them, 670 have been fully cured and 28 are under treatment. Nationwide, South Kor

April 19, 2021

Military chiefs get AstraZeneca shots for overseas trips

Defense Minister Suh Wook and Gen. Won In-choul, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received their first doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine on Friday as they prepared to travel overseas. Suh is taking part in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 4-5, while Won will attend a change-of-command ceremony for the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii later this month. There Won will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts to discuss expanding military ties. South Korea’s

April 16, 2021

S. Korea, Indonesia to bring fighter jet project back on track

South Korea and Indonesia will soon resume work on their joint fighter jet project, as Indonesia works to catch up on its already late payments and return engineers to production lines here, Korea’s arms procurement agency said Thursday. The Indonesian defense minister, who took part in the rollout ceremony here on April 9, when Korea revealed a prototype jet, agreed to work out a plan for the resumption of the project, saying Indonesia remains committed to the joint work, a senior agency

April 16, 2021

S. Korea, Indonesia to soon resume fighter jet negotiations: official

South Korea and Indonesia will soon resume talks about their joint fighter jet development project, an official said, after Indonesia's defense minister attended the jet's prototype unveiling ceremony in a show of commitment to the project. Indonesia is a partner for the 8.8 trillion won ($7.9 billion) project, called IF-X in the country, but doubts have grown over Jakarta's commitment to the joint program after the Southeast Asian country stopped making payments for the 20 percent of the total

April 16, 2021

Military to set up AI security system near border following NK

An artificial intelligence (AI)-based security system will be set up at a military unit guarding the eastern coastal border, the defense ministry said Thursday, after a North Korean man crossed the border undetected earlier this year. The North Korean man swam ashore in the South in the eastern border town of Goseong on Feb. 16. He was caught on the military surveillance cameras 10 times but soldiers failed to notice eight of them even after alarm bells rang. Under the plan reported to Defens

April 15, 2021

2 Army soldiers, Marine test positive for COVID-19

Two Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. A soldier in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a virus case was reported at his unit. Of 64 troops tested following the initial case, 62 have tested negative while the other soldier is waiting for results, according to the ministry. Another soldier based in Paju, just north of the capital, was found to have been infected while away from h

April 15, 2021

20-year quest for independent fighter jet nears fruition

The fruit of South Korea’s 20-year quest to make a more independent military with locally built fighter jets took shape Friday, as it unveiled the prototype of its first homegrown jet, the KF-21 Boramae.  President Moon Jae-in hailed the event as marking a new era of self-reliance in the military, describing the jet as the new backbone of the Air Force. The vision of deploying homegrown warplanes by 2015, announced by late President Kim Dae-jung in 2001, was initially met with doubt

April 14, 2021

Navy officer, 3 Army soldiers test positive for COVID-19

A Navy officer and three Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The Navy officer in Incheon, west of Seoul, was found to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine after a family member was confirmed infected, according to the ministry. The Army soldiers -- one each in the central city of Nonsan; Goyang, just north of Seoul; and Namyangju, northeast of the capital -- were infected with the virus after vacation. The latest cases rais

April 14, 2021

USFK suspends administering J&J vaccine amid blood clot concerns

US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday it is suspending the administration of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine to its members following US health authorities' recommendation to pause its use amid concerns over blood clot cases. "Following some rare instances of blood clotting in USA based individuals who recently received the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine -- and out of an abundance of caution to protect the force based on a joint recommendation by the US FDA and CDC, and D

April 14, 2021