Residents of special disaster zones to be excluded from annual reserves forces training

South Korea said Friday that it had decided to exempt residents of the “special disaster zones” in the southeastern part of the county from reserve forces training this year. The exemption covers those who reside or work in Daegu, Gyeongsan, Cheongdo and Bonghwa, the Ministry of Defense said. “We decided to exempt reservists of the designated area from training sessions for the reserve forces this year for early recovery of economic damages and stabilization of local commu

March 20, 2020

Nearly half of Korean workers at US military camps face furloughs

Nearly half of South Koreans working at US military camps here may face furloughs next month as the two countries failed to narrow their differences during the latest round of cost-sharing negotiations, which ended Thursday in the US. “Prior to furloughs of nearly half the Korean national employees of US Forces Korea on April 1, a US negotiating team traveled to Los Angeles under extraordinary circumstances this week to meet over four days,” Yonhap News Agency quoted a State Depa

March 20, 2020

JCS chief orders commanders to strengthen guard duty following series of security breaches

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki on Thursday ordered all troops to strengthen their guard operations following a series of civilian intrusions into military bases, his office said. Presiding over an emergency meeting of major commanders, Park also ordered military units to mobilize more troops and devices for the guard operations and improve their current reporting system, the JCS said. 　 The meeting was aimed at devising and implementing more “pragmatic and fundamental me

March 19, 2020

USFK completes sorting out Korean employees to be excluded from potential furlough

US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday it has completed sorting out South Korean employees providing essential duties to be excluded from a potential furlough in case Seoul and Washington fail to work out a defense cost-sharing deal in time. USFK has warned that some of its 9,000 Korean workers could be forced to go on unpaid leave starting in April should Seoul and Washington fail to reach a deal on the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) that regulates their sharing of the upkeep of the 28,500-st

March 19, 2020

Top military officer to convene emergency meeting over series of security breaches

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki called an emergency meeting of major military commanders on Thursday in the wake of a series of civilian intrusions into military bases, the defense ministry said. The meeting slated for later in the day is to devise and implement more "pragmatic and fundamental measures" to prevent any recurrence based upon what was discussed during such a meeting presided over by Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Tuesday, according to spokes

March 19, 2020

Military reports no additional cases of new virus for 8th day

The military has reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for the eight day in a row, the defense ministry said Thursday. The total number of COVID-19 infections in barracks remained unchanged at 38, including 14 personnel -- 10 in the Army and four in the Air Force -- who have fully recovered from the new virus, according to the ministry. Of the total infections, 21 were reported in the Army, 13 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the

March 19, 2020

Number of coronavirus cases in military remains unchanged for week

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for the seventh straight day Wednesday, with the total number of infections remaining unchanged at 38, the defense ministry said. Of the total infections, 21 were reported in the Army, 13 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps, and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry, it said. The numbers include 12 personnel -- eight in the Navy and four in the Air Force -- who hav

March 18, 2020

S. Korea, US resume defense cost-sharing negotiations

South Korea and the United States have opened a new round of defense cost-sharing talks in Los Angeles, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, as Korean workers in the US Forces Korea (USFK) face unpaid leave absent a deal to bankroll their wages. Seoul's top negotiator Jeong Eun-bo and his US counterpart, James DeHart, began the two-day negotiation session on Tuesday, following a two-month hiatus that underscored the deadlock over how much Seoul should pay for stationing the 28,500-strong USFK.

March 18, 2020

USFK commander praises S. Korea's handling of coronavirus outbreak

US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams has praised South Korea's response to the coronavirus outbreak, commending local health authorities as "extraordinary partners" for their professionalism, transparency and coordination efforts. "Cannot underscore enough how great KCDC has been for us to work with. Open, transparent, collaborative and extremely helpful. They have been tireless, around the clock for over a month and going strong," Abrams tweeted Monday. KCD

March 17, 2020

US rejects side deal on labor costs for USFK workers

The US State Department on Monday reiterated its earlier stance opposing a South Korean proposal to separately discuss labor costs for United States Forces Korea. Korean workers at the US military here were notified that they would be put on unpaid leave amid stalled talks on sharing costs for 28,500 US troops. “A separate negotiation based solely on labor cost sharing would greatly detract from expeditiously concluding a mutually acceptable and comprehensive Special Measures Agreement,&r

March 17, 2020

Military reports no additional cases of new coronavirus for 6th day

The military has reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for six days in a row, the defense ministry said Tuesday, amid signs the outbreak is slowing down in South Korea. The total number of COVID-19 infections in barracks remained unchanged at 38, including 12 personnel -- eight in the Army and four in the Air Force -- who have fully recovered from the new virus, according to the ministry. Of the total infections, 21 were reported in the Army, 13 in the A

March 17, 2020

US maintains positions ahead of new defense talks with S. Korea

The US State Department on Monday reiterated its commitment to a "fair and equitable" agreement on defense cost-sharing with South Korea as the two sides are set to continue negotiations this week. Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's chief negotiator, will meet with his American counterpart, James DeHart, in Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday for a seventh round of talks on renewing the allies' Special Measures Agreement. The US has warned that some 9,000 Korean workers on its military bases wi

March 17, 2020

Military under fire for lax discipline over series of civilian intrusions into bases

A civilian intruded into an Army outpost in the capital area Monday, officials said, in the latest in a series of similar cases that have sparked criticism of the military's lax security.  The man in his 50s dug under the fence surrounding an air defense outpost in Siheung, south of Seoul, at around 12:40 p.m. and went inside, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).  After questioning him, the authorities dismissed the possibility of espionage and sent him to the police for fu

March 16, 2020

Military reports no additional case of new virus for 5th day

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for the fifth straight day Monday, with the total number of infections remaining unchanged at 38. Of the total COVID-19 cases, 21 were in the Army, 13 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps, and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry, the defense ministry said. The numbers include 12 personnel -- eight in the Army and four in the Air Force -- who have fully recovered f

March 16, 2020

S. Korea, US resume talks on defense cost-sharing

South Korea and the US will resume talks Tuesday in Los Angeles to discuss the upkeep of 28,500 American troops in Korea and 9,000 Koreans working alongside at the US military here, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. Jeong Eun-bo, Korea’s chief negotiator, is expected to push for a partial agreement to address the salaries of those workers in his two-day talks with James DeHart, the top US negotiator. The Korean workers were notified that they would be put on unpaid leave startin

March 15, 2020

S. Korea, US to hold defense cost-sharing talks in LA next week

South Korea and the United States will hold a new round of defense cost-sharing talks in Los Angeles next week, the foreign ministry said Friday, amid growing concerns over potential furloughs for Korean employees in the US Forces Korea. Seoul's top negotiator Jeong Eun-bo and his US counterpart, James DeHart, will lead the negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday as some 9,000 Korean workers are facing unpaid leave, which would begin on April 1 absent a new cost-sharing deal, called the Special

March 13, 2020

US lawmakers call for avoiding unpaid leave for USFK workers

Two members of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday called on Washington to find a way to avoid putting South Korean civilians, employed by the US military in Korea, on unpaid leave. On Feb. 28, the US military said it had started notifying nearly 9,000 Korean employees that they could be put on unpaid leave starting April 1, because of Seoul and Washington’s failure to reach consensus on a new Special Measures Agreement over the upkeep of 28,500 US troops here. In a letter sent

March 12, 2020

No fresh coronavirus patients reported in military, total at 38

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among its population Thursday, with the total number of infections standing at 38, according to the defense ministry. Thirty-three COVID-19 patients are active-duty service members, and the remaining five are civilians working for the military, the ministry said, adding that 21 were in the Army, 13 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry. Two of them

March 12, 2020

Military asked to delay joint drills amid virus fears

The US military asked the South Korean military to postpone their joint drills in the US because of the novel coronavirus that has killed 32 people and sickened nearly 1,000 there. Korea has reported 60 deaths with about 8,000 infections. Korea’s Army had planned to send 50 officers including intelligence analysts to the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California later this month to observe US military training. The Army, which plans to push ahead with similar drills in May and Oct

March 11, 2020

USFK commander calls for high vigilance against coronavirus

US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams called Wednesday for his troops to stay vigilant against the new coronavirus despite the downward trend in new infections in South Korea while ensuring at the same time that they are ready to "fight tonight." "We are not out of the woods yet," Abrams said on a radio program of American Forces Network (AFN) Korea. "We have been working on this 24/7 with what we call enhanced watch teams at every level." As of Wedn

March 11, 2020