[Newsmaker] Seoul area soldiers could miss vacation, off-base visits

Soldiers based in the Greater Seoul area could see their vacation and off-base leave suspended under the military’s tightened antivirus measures that went into effect Tuesday. The military began enforcing tougher rules in the capital for two weeks through Dec. 3, in line with government-imposed Level 2 social distancing guidelines in the area. The country, in the onset of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported 349 cases in 24 hours ending at midnight on Monday. All servic

Nov. 24, 2020

S. Korea to develop indigenous robot for explosives detection, removal

South Korea's arms procurement agency signed a contract commissioning a local defense firm to develop a robot capable of detecting and removing land mines and other explosives with indigenous technology, officials said Tuesday. Under the 18 billion-won ($16 million) project, Hanwha Defense plans to develop a robot capable of patrolling the mine-strewn Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea and other dangerous areas, detecting and eliminating explosives, according to the Defense

Nov. 24, 2020

Troops in greater Seoul area under tighter anti-coronavirus scheme

The defense ministry on Tuesday began enforcing tougher social distancing rules for service members in the Seoul metropolitan area in line with the government's elevation of the antivirus scheme. Under the social distancing scheme of Level 2, vacations and one-day off-installation trips are primarily restricted. Visits to nightlife facilities continue to be banned, and service members are not allowed to visit religious facilities outside their bases, according to the ministry. The Level 2 gui

Nov. 24, 2020

US security advisor says Korea-US ties will remain strong 'whoever the president is'

US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said Monday that the decadeslong relationship between Seoul and Washington will remain strong "whoever" is inaugurated as president in January. In a telephone conference with reporters during his visit to Manila, O'Brien also voiced hope that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will eventually live up to his denuclearization commitment, amid worries Pyongyang could undertake provocations to test the incoming Joe Biden administration. "What

Nov. 23, 2020

Defense Ministry to reveal latest technologies at expo

The Ministry of National Defense said Monday it will showcase its latest defense technologies at an intergovernmental innovation expo held online from Tuesday to Dec. 3. Other ministries as well as state-run firms and municipalities are joining the event to share their achievements that have helped better people’s lives. The Army will reveal next-generation military equipment, including advanced combat uniforms. The uniforms are expected to be delivered to soldiers by 2024. The Navy is

Nov. 23, 2020

S. Korea, US agree to boost space defense cooperation

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong and US chief of space operations Gen. John Raymond have held their first bilateral talks and agreed to boost cooperation to better respond to emerging space threats, the military said Sunday. During the meeting held in Hawaii on Thursday, Lee proposed setting up a regular consultation channel between the Air Force and the US Space Force for personnel exchanges, technology cooperation and information sharing, according to the Air Force. "Lee as

Nov. 22, 2020

USFK skips publication of annual security report this year

The US Forces Korea (USFK) decided not to issue its annual Korean Peninsula security report this year as it has to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and other challenging matters, officials said Sunday. The USFK, along with the United Nations Command and the Combined Forces Command, has issued the annual publication, titled "Strategic Digest," which provides major developments on the Korean Peninsula with regards to military and the bilateral alliance issues, such as North Korea's mi

Nov. 22, 2020

US military in S. Korea to tighten coronavirus restrictions

The US Forces Korea was set to enforce new coronavirus restrictions for its members amid a resurgence of COVID-19 in South Korea. The US military said on its homepage Friday it will implement a two-week travel ban for the greater Seoul area, effective Saturday at 6 p.m. "USFK has declared that all travel to or within Area II -- except for those who reside within Area II or for individuals conducting official and necessary duties -- is off-limits for the next 14 days," the military s

Nov. 21, 2020

US commander says ‘premature’ to set date for wartime role handover

United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams said Friday that it was premature to speculate on a date for South Korea taking wartime operational command from the US. Washington first exercised the role in the 1950-53 Korean War that still leaves the two Koreas technically at war. In a press conference, the US commander said he had seen press speculation about a potential timeline for the transfer, but that he had never been informed of this. “I haven’t had a declarative

Nov. 20, 2020

Defense committee passes bill allowing distinguished pop stars to defer enlistment

The National Assembly's defense committee on Friday approved a bill that would allow distinguished male pop culture artists to postpone their mandatory military duties. The committee gave its nod to the bill to revise the Military Service Act to grant an exceptional right to defer military duties of acclaimed pop artists, such as BTS, who are recognized to have contributed to the elevation of the country's global reputation. The bill must pass parliament's plenary session for final approval.

Nov. 20, 2020

Taurus seeks joint development of advanced bunker buster missile with S. Korea

German-Swedish defense company Taurus Sytems GmbH hopes to develop a smaller, longer-range air-based cruise missile with South Korea for the country's envisioned KF-X fighters and other aircraft, the firm's Korean branch chief said. "We are developing Taurus K-2, which is smaller but has the same or even more performance of the current missile," Christoffer Drevstad, president of Taurus Systems Korea Co., said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday. The current version o

Nov. 20, 2020

Defense ministry seeks support for Korea peace process at ASEAN security meeting

The defense ministry on Thursday drummed up support for Seoul's efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula during a videoconference held among defense officials from Southeast Asian and other major powers, the ministry said. Kim Sang-jin, director general of the ministry's international policy bureau, explained Seoul's various peace initiatives for the Korean Peninsula at the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials' Meeting Plus, which brought together officials from 18 countries, including the 10 m

Nov. 19, 2020

Military embarrassed by anti-tank missile test gone wrong

An anti-tank missile veered off its intended trajectory and landed in a rice field near an army shooting range during a test Thursday, South Korea’s military said. No one was hurt. The test was embarrassing for the military, as a foreign military commander was observing the drill on the scene in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. He made a stop there as part of his trip here to attend a local defense expo. The military said the test was scheduled in advance and it was not a last-minut

Nov. 19, 2020

USFK veterans' association holds alliance conference for junior American soldiers

An association of American veterans who served in South Korea held a conference Thursday to help junior US service members better understand the bilateral and security situations surrounding the Korean Peninsula, officials said. The conference, which took place at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, brought together around 60 junior members of the US Forces Korea (USFK) and officers from the Seventh Air Force, according to the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA

Nov. 19, 2020

South Korea, US, Japan military chiefs vow peace in Indo-Pacific

At a teleconference Thursday, the top military commanders of South Korea, the US and Japan said they would work for peace in the Indo-Pacific region as they continue addressing security concerns there and expanding their cooperation, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense said. Gen. Won In-choul, chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, highlighted coordination among the three countries on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and establishing permanent peace here. Gen. Mark Mi

Nov. 19, 2020

S. Korea to wrap up this year's war remains excavation work inside DMZ

South Korea will wrap up this year's war remains excavation work at a former battlefield on the border with North Korea, the defense ministry said Thursday, with Pyongyang remaining unresponsive to calls to work together as agreed. Under a military tension reduction accord signed Sept. 19, 2018, South and North Korea agreed to launch a joint project to retrieve remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War from Arrowhead Ridge, one of the fiercest battlefields inside the Demilitarize

Nov. 19, 2020

S. Korean, US defense chiefs reaffirm ‘exemplary alliance’

Defense Minister Suh Wook and US acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to an “exemplary alliance” during their first phone call, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. Miller ascended to the role after President Donald Trump fired Secretary Mark Esper a week earlier. The two defense chiefs confirmed their ironclad mutual defense commitments against North Korea and vowed close cooperation on a range of issues pendi

Nov. 18, 2020

S. Korea to spend over W80tr to boost defense industry in 5 yrs: minister

Over 80 percent of South Korea's 100 trillion won ($90 billion) budget set aside for boosting defense capabilities over the next five years will be spent on buying locally made weapons and hardware, rather than imports, to help boost the local defense industry, Defense Minister Suh Wook said Wednesday. Suh made the remark in a congratulatory message at a defense expo, DX Korea 2020, held in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, calling the industry a driving force for economic growth and a basis fo

Nov. 18, 2020

S. Korean, US armies stage combined training exercises in California

Dozens of South Korean troops visited a US military training center in California and staged combined training exercises with American service members, officials said Wednesday. Around 50 Army members, including those from a reconnaissance unit, carried out various joint maneuvers with the US troops at the US Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC) for about a month from mid-October, according to the officials. They returned home Tuesday and have been quarantined for the new coronavirus, the

Nov. 18, 2020

S. Korean defense chief, US army chief reaffirm alliance

Defense Minister Suh Wook and US Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville reaffirmed commitment to alliance, while discussing ways to strengthen it and expand cooperation, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday. During a meeting at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, Suh asked Gen. McConville to continue coordinating with Seoul on its peace drive on the Korean Peninsula on the back of strong defense readiness. McConville responded saying he would help advance the bilateral t

Nov. 17, 2020