S. Korea, US to stage scaled-down summertime combined exercise next month: sources

South Korea and the United States have agreed to stage a major combined exercise next month in a scaled-back manner, rather than cancelling it, amid the continued spread of the new coronavirus, sources said Sunday. Whether and how to conduct annual summertime exercises between the two countries have been a focus of attention as their springtime drills were postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two sets of exercises, which usually take place in March and August, are also

July 26, 2020

US Senate passes bill restricting troop drawdown in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The US Senate has passed its version of a defense policy bill that contains restrictions against the drawdown of troops in South Korea. The Senate voted 86-14 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021 on Thursday, days after the House of Representatives passed its version. In the Senate version, the bill prohibits the use of the authorized funds to reduce the total number of American troops stationed in South Korea from their current level of

July 24, 2020

Four soldiers in Pocheon test positive for coronavirus

Four more soldiers at front-line units tested positive for the new coronavirus following a cluster infection reported on a nearby base, the defense ministry said Friday, raising concerns over further spread of the virus in barracks. The soldiers from three different bases in Pocheon, some 45 kilometers north of Seoul, were confirmed to have COVID-19, after visiting an on-base church Sunday that confirmed patients from a nearby unit visited on the same day, according to the ministry. The milit

July 24, 2020

Biegun says he would support 'substantial' troop presence if S. Korea, US can agree on cost-sharing

WASHINGTON -- US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said Wednesday that he would support a "substantial" US troop presence in South Korea if the two countries can agree on the issues of cost-sharing and the future of the alliance. Biegun made the remark at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing after being asked by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) to address a recent news report that the Trump administration is weighing options to reduce troop levels in South Korea. "There i

July 23, 2020

[Feature] Criminalized for decades, conscientious objectors to begin alternative service

Starting in October, conscientious objectors in Korea who pass a thorough screening process will work in jails for three years instead of serving in the military for about two years. The alternative service system is a major departure from the country’s 67-year history of criminalizing people who refused conscription, regardless of whether they did so on religious grounds.  Technically still at war with North Korea, South Korea requires all able-bodied men to serve in the military

July 22, 2020

Esper says no troop removal in Korea, leaves room for change

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday he had issued “no orders to withdraw forces in the Korean Peninsula,” but left the door open, saying the Pentagon seeks to optimize US forces through troop adjustments at every command worldwide. “I continue to want to pursue more rotational force deployments into theaters, because it gives us greater strategic flexibility in terms of responding to challenges around the globe,” Esper said at a virtual event hosted by the Inter

July 22, 2020

At least 13 Army soldiers infected with coronavirus at front-line unit

At least 13 Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus at a front-line unit, officials said Wednesday, forcing all other members of the 220-strong unit to go into quarantine amid concerns over the possibility of more infections. Two soldiers at the unit in Pocheon, some 45 kilometers north of Seoul, tested positive for the virus Tuesday after showing fever symptoms the previous day. All other members of the unit then went through testing and 11 were found to have the virus afte

July 22, 2020

Esper says he has issued no orders to withdraw forces from S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday he has issued no orders to withdraw troops from South Korea but will continue to look at adjustments to deployments worldwide. Esper's remark follows a news report that the Pentagon presented the White House with options to reduce troop levels in South Korea in March. Speculation of a possible drawdown has increased as the US has demanded South Korea pay significantly more to keep the 28,500 troops stationed there. "I've issued

July 21, 2020

S. Korea, Japan take part in anti-piracy multilateral drill in waters off Somalia

South Korea and Japan took part in a multilateral anti-piracy drill in waters off Somalia last week, officials said Tuesday, a rare joint military event amid soured bilateral relations. The regular exercise, named Operation Atalanta, took place from July 16-17 in the Gulf of Aden, involving South Korea, Japan and Spain, according to Seoul's military officials. It is led by the European Union Naval Force Somalia. South Korea sent the anti-piracy unit of Cheonghae on the 4,400-ton Dae Jo Young

July 21, 2020

S. Korea launches first independent military satellite

South Korea successfully launched its first military communication satellite into space Monday, US time, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Tuesday.　 On the Falcon 9 rocket developed by US space firm Space X, the Anasis-II satellite lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:30 p.m., local time. After separating from the rocket, it tested for ground communication at 7:19 p.m., the arms procurement agency said. The latest launch has made Korea the 10th country in

July 21, 2020

S. Korea, US defense chiefs have yet to decide on joint drills

Defense chiefs of South Korea and the US held a teleconference Monday to discuss a number of pending issues and reaffirmed that both sides will “unwaveringly” work together for the handover of wartime operational control from the US back to South Korea. But no conclusion has been reached yet on whether or not to hold August’s annual joint drills as planned, the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul said Monday. “Nothing has been decided. The two sides are still in clos

July 21, 2020

No discussions on USFK troop reduction during S. Korea-US defense chiefs' talks

No discussions took place on US troop levels in South Korea when Defense Minister Jeong Kyung-doo spoke by phone with US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday, the defense ministry said. The 50-minute conversation came just days after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon has presented the White House with options to reduce troop levels in South Korea amid a deadlock in negotiations to share the cost of the American troop presence. "No discussions took place related to (the

July 21, 2020

S. Korea's first military satellite launches atop SpaceX rocket

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea's first military communications satellite was successfully launched into space Monday, Seoul's arms procurement agency said, making the country the world's 10th to own a communications satellite for military purposes only. The Anasis-II satellite lifted off atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket manufactured by US commercial space firm SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:30 p.m. (US time), according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAP

July 21, 2020

No talks on US troop cuts in S. Korea: Defense Ministry

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense reaffirmed Monday that there has been no discussion between Seoul and Washington about cutting back the 28,500-strong US military presence here. “We’ve touched on that issue several times before. Nothing has been discussed on that matter,” deputy spokesperson Moon Hong-sik told a regular briefing. Moon added that a potential troop pullout will not be one of the talking points when the defense chiefs of South Korea and the US h

July 20, 2020

Abrams says USFK takes recent spike in imported virus cases 'very very seriously'

US Forces Korea (USFK) is handling the recent surge in the number of imported coronavirus cases among its population "very very seriously," USFK Commander Gen. Robert Abrams said Monday.  Abrams made the remark amid growing concerns over the spike in the number of positive COVID-19 cases among USFK-related people arriving in South Korea, as Seoul has been struggling to curb the number of imported cases. On Monday, South Korea reported 26 new cases of the virus, with the total

July 20, 2020

No discussions with US on reducing USFK troop levels: defense ministry

No discussions have taken place with the United States about the possibility of reducing the number of troops stationed in South Korea, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday.  Speculation has mounted again about a possible US troop drawdown following a media report that the Pentagon has offered the White House options to reduce troop levels in South Korea.  "As for the adjustment of the size of the US Forces Korea, the South Korean and the US authorities have not held any disc

July 20, 2020

Talk of US troop cut reemerges, puts Seoul on edge

Reports over the weekend of the US weighing a possible troop reduction in South Korea put officials here on edge again. A Seoul official, however, tried to play down the media speculation, saying adjusting the US’ military presence here has not been discussed. 　 　 “There has been no discussion between the two countries regarding the reduction of the US forces here, nor a notification from the US,” a Defense Ministry official told The Korea Herald, declining to comment fu

July 19, 2020

Pentagon official says US 'routinely' reviews global force posture amid report on troop cut

WASHINGTON -- The United States "routinely" reviews its global force posture, a Pentagon official said Saturday, following a report that the Defense Department has offered the White House options to reduce American troop levels in South Korea. Citing unnamed US officials, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that the options were presented in March after a broader review of options for withdrawing troops from around the world, including in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and As

July 19, 2020

Pentagon has offered White House options to reduce troops in S. Korea: report

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The Pentagon has offered the White House options to reduce American troop levels in South Korea, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Citing unnamed US officials, the paper said the options were presented in March following a broader review of options for withdrawing troops from around the world, including in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. The White House requested the review last fall, and by December, the Pentagon had come up with broad ideas, it said. No

July 18, 2020

Navy set to depart for US-led RIMPAC exercise

Two South Korean destroyers and hundreds of troops will depart for Hawaii this week to participate in a US-led multinational maritime exercise slated to kick off next month, the Navy said Friday. The 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer Seoae Ryu Sung-ryong and the 4,400-ton Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin will leave a port in the southern island of Jeju on Saturday to take part in the biannual Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC) scheduled for Aug. 17-31. Along with the two destroyers, South Korea is sending t

July 17, 2020