2 Army soldiers, 1 Marine test positive for virus

Two Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. A newly enlisted soldier in Yangju, north of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 in a virus test conducted prior to release from quarantine, according to the ministry. Another soldier in the southwestern town of Imsil and a Marine in the western border island of Yeonpyeong also tested positive before release from quarantine after a vacation, the ministry said. The la

April 1, 2021

Defense chief calls for strong readiness after NK missile launches

Defense Minister Suh Wook on Thursday called for a strong defense posture following North Korea's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea last week. Suh made the remark in a congratulatory message to mark the Reserve Forces Day on Friday, saying the military has a staunch readiness posture to "respond to any threats and provocations" based on strong defense capabilities and a firm South Korea-US alliance. "On March 25, North Korea test-fired missiles follo

April 1, 2021

Military begins annual mine removal operations

The military has launched an annual mission to remove land mines near the border with North Korea and elsewhere to promote local residents' safety and convenience, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday. The military plans to mobilize 1,700 troops from 34 engineering units for the eight-month project to search and clear the mines near the civilian control area south of the heavily fortified border and the southern regions where the government is pushing to develop trekking courses for lo

April 1, 2021

S. Korea to buy more attack choppers from abroad by 2028

South Korea decided Wednesday to buy dozens more advanced attack helicopters from abroad by 2028, the arms procurement agency said. The defense project promotion committee, presided over by Defense Minister Suh Wook, approved a plan to import around 36 large combat choppers with a budget of 3.17 trillion won ($2.81 billion), according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). South Korea secured and deployed 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters under the first round of the pro

March 31, 2021

UNC conducts training with S. Korea against illegal Chinese fishing boats

The US-led United Nations Command (UNC) said Tuesday it held a training exercise with South Korean law enforcement authorities last week to cope with Chinese fishing boats operating "in record numbers" near the neutral waters of a Han River estuary. "With Chinese fishing boats operating in record numbers near the #NorthwestIslands, the risk of encroachment into the #HanRiverEstuary remains ever-present," the command said in a Facebook post, adding that it is "ready to r

March 30, 2021

US starts joint anti-missile drill in Indo-Pacific

The US military held its first joint missile defense drill in the Indo-Pacific region involving four US bases in South Korea, Japan, Guam and Hawaii, the US Army said. The Korean military confirmed Tuesday that the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade in Osan, Gyeonggi Province -- a subunit of the Eighth US Army that commands 28,500 US troops here -- joined the 38th ADA Brigade in Japan, the E-3 ADA THAAD unit in Guam and the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Hawaii. The tw

March 30, 2021

S. Korea capable of intercepting NK short-range missiles: defense ministry

South Korea has the ability to intercept North Korea's short-range ballistic missiles, the defense ministry said Tuesday, after the North conducted a series of missile tests in recent weeks. On Thursday, the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the first in about a year, just days after the country fired two cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea. "South Korea has the ability and the posture to fully intercept North Korea's short-range missiles, including ballist

March 30, 2021

Military reports 3 new COVID-19 cases

Two soldiers and an Army officer tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. One soldier stationed in the city of Yangju, north of Seoul, and the other one in the border city of Paju were confirmed to have been infected after showing symptoms during a vacation, according to the ministry. The officer also stationed in Paju has been in isolation following the infection of one of his family members, and also tested positive, it added. The latest cases raised the

March 30, 2021

S. Korea calls for Russia's support to bring peace to Korean Peninsula

South Korea on Monday called for Russia's active support and cooperation for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the defense ministry said Monday, days after the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min made the call during strategic dialogue with his Russian counterpart Alexander Fomin in Seoul, expressing concerns over the North's missile launches Thursday. "Deputy Defense Minister Fomin

March 29, 2021

Military closely monitoring NK amid report of activities at submarine shipyard

South Korea's military is keeping a close watch on North Korea, the defense ministry said Monday, amid a report that the North may be ready to roll out a new submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles. 38 North, a US website monitoring North Korea, reported Friday that a dry dock at the North's Sinpo shipyard on its east coast has recently been repositioned along the submarine launch quay, saying the move could indicate that the North's new ballistic missile submarine "may be nearin

March 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] JCS chairmen from 12 countries issue joint statement condemning violence in Myanmar

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul has joined his counterparts from 11 countries, including the United States, in adopting a statement condemning Myanmar's military using "lethal force against unarmed people." The 12 military chiefs also include those from Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, according to the statement that was made available on the website of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on Satur

March 28, 2021

Army soldier tests positive for COVID-19

An Army soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus while on vacation in the central city of Daejeon, the defense ministry said Friday. The soldier, based in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after coming into contact with a civilian who tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 647. Of them, 616 have been fully cured and 31 are undergoing tre

March 26, 2021

8 USFK soldiers test positive for virus, total exceeds 800

An American service member stationed in South Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, while seven other US troops have been confirmed to be infected with the virus following their arrival here, the US military said Thursday. The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 806, most of who tested positive upon their arrival here from the United States. A service member at Camp Hovey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, was con

March 25, 2021

Army soldier tests positive for COVID-19

A full-time Army reserve soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The soldier in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine after a virus case was reported at his base, according to the military. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 646. Nationwide, South Korea's total virus caseload topped 100,000 on Thursday, about a year and two months a

March 25, 2021

Army civilian employee tests positive for COVID-19

An Army civilian employee in Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The official was confirmed to have contracted the virus while in quarantine after a family member was found to be infected, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 645. Of them, 613 have been fully cured and 32 are under treatment. Nationwide, South Korea reported 428 new cases Wednesday, bringin

March 24, 2021

Defense ministry opens new war remains identification center

South Korea was to open a new war remains identification center Wednesday to more efficiently carry out its project to discover and identify the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, the defense ministry said. The ministry was to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the three-story identification center built at the national cemetery in Seoul. The center houses laboratories for gene testing and data analysis, ministry officials said. Previously, DNA testing equipment was at the C

March 24, 2021

S. Korean defense chief meets with UAE counterpart to discuss bilateral ties

South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook held in-person talks with his United Arab Emirates counterpart on Tuesday to discuss ways to boost the nations' defense and arms industry ties, the defense ministry here said. Suh met with Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi, the UAE's minister of State for Defense, and other senior UAE military officials during his visit to the Middle Eastern nation, as part of efforts to improve bilateral cooperation in a wide range of defense-related areas, the ministry said. Du

March 23, 2021

Defense minister visits UAE, India to expand ties

South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook is visiting the UAE and India this week to expand exchanges, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. From Monday to Wednesday, Suh is staying in the UAE and will meet with his UAE counterpart, Mohammed al-Bowardi, and other key military officials to discuss strengthening cooperation. Suh will also visit South Korea’s special warfare unit deployed there. The UAE asked the South to field a special operation team from the unit in 2010, when its

March 22, 2021

S. Korea denies report on government-level talks with Britain on aircraft carrier tech

The arms procurement agency on Monday denied a media report that the South Korean and British governments have begun informal talks on technology cooperation for aircraft carriers. On Monday, the Daily Telegraph reported that the country's "advanced systems and designs" could be exported to South Korea, as its trade officials "have begun informal discussions with Korean counterparts about areas of technology the country could be interested in," citing industry sources. The

March 22, 2021

Defense ministry vows to expand security cooperation with Japan

South Korea will seek to expand security cooperation with Japan, the defense ministry said Monday, following a recent visit by the US state and defense secretaries to its two Asian allies stressing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the three countries. Three-way cooperation was a key agenda item of last week's Asia trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during which they "pledged to continue promoting mutually beneficial, forward-looki

March 22, 2021