S. Korea reports 1st military member infected with coronavirus

SEOUL/JEJU -- A Navy sailor on the southern island of Jeju was confirmed Friday to have contracted the new coronavirus in the first confirmed case among service personnel in South Korea, officials said. The sailor, 22, tested positive for COVID-19 in the initial examination the previous day and was finally confirmed earlier in the day, according to the officials. He visited his hometown, Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, from Feb. 13 to Tuesday. Upon returning to the base, he showed

Feb. 21, 2020

Military suspends drafting soldiers in Daegu

South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration said Thursday that it had decided to suspend physical examinations for conscript candidates in Daegu and adjacent North Gyeongsang Province until March 6. The decision was a response to the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 linked to church services there. Men who have already passed the physical and are waiting to join the military will be asked to delay enlistment, the agency said, adding it is postponing interviews for Navy and Air Force a

Feb. 20, 2020

USFK bans travel to Daegu amid virus spread

Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the US military in South Korea, banned service members from “non-essential travel” to and from Daegu on Wednesday, after a surge in cases of COVID-19 linked to church services there.  The total number of infected people in Korea was at 104 as of Thursday afternoon. The commander of United States Forces Korea said service members who attended church services in Daegu would undergo mandatory self-quarantine. He urged their family members to do th

Feb. 20, 2020

USFK limits soldiers' travel to Daegu, closes several facilities amid surge in coronavirus cases

US Forces Korea (USFK) has banned "non-essential" travel to and from South Korea's southeastern city of Daegu and shut down all of its children-related facilities there in the wake of a surge in new coronavirus cases in the region. Since Wednesday, South Korea has confirmed more than 50 additional cases of the COVID-19 virus, and a majority of the newly confirmed patients are from Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, according to Se

Feb. 20, 2020

US says to adjust S. Korean workers' services if no defense cost deal

WASHINGTON -- The United States will adjust the services provided by South Korean workers on its military bases on the peninsula if the two countries fail to reach a cost-sharing deal in the coming weeks, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Nearly 9,000 South Korean workers face a furlough in April if the allies fail to renew their agreement on sharing the cost for the stationing of 28,500 American troops on the peninsula. "Nine thousand workers, that's pretty significant," Rear Adm. Willi

Feb. 20, 2020

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, US to hold talks in Washington next week

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Washington next week to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other pending issues, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo will leave Seoul on a six-day trip to the US on Sunday for his first visit there since US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper took office in July last year. During the talks on Monday, the two sides will discuss issues ranging from the allies' joi

Feb. 18, 2020

Ministry denies report on military intel-gathering equipment

The defense ministry denied a new report Monday that the military failed to detect signs of a North Korean rocket launch last year as a maritime intelligence-gathering device was out of service at the time. The vernacular daily Joongang Ilbo reported that key parts of the wiretapping equipment broke down around February and took three months to fix as the broken parts had to be sent to Canada. That led to the South failing to detect signs in advance of a North Korean rocket launch in April, th

Feb. 17, 2020

No discussions on possible location shift of THAAD launchers in S. Korea: defense ministry

No discussions on possible location shift of THAAD launchers in S. Korea: defense ministry No discussions have taken place with the United States about the possibility of moving THAAD missile interceptor launchers away from their battery in central South Korea to other parts of the country, the defense ministry said Friday. Earlier, the US Missile Defense Agency hinted at the possibility of separating the Terminal High Altitude Area Defens (THAAD) unit's launchers in the central county of Seo

Feb. 14, 2020

Navy chief to visit unit dispatched to Strait of Hormuz

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Sim Seung-seob will embark on a trip to Oman and Thailand next week and visit an anti-piracy unit deployed to the Strait of Hormuz, the Navy said Friday. The six-day visit, which will kick off Sunday, is aimed at boosting maritime security cooperation with the two countries and supporting South Korea's broader pitch to expand exchanges with Southeast Asia, it said. During his stay in Oman, Sim will visit the 4,400-ton destroyer Wang Geon of the 300-strong Cheon

Feb. 14, 2020

US: S. Korea's possible funding for its THAAD base on Korean soil 'addressed'

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea's possible funding of the construction of a US base on Korean soil for the THAAD missile defense system has been "addressed," a US budget proposal has shown, which could run counter to the allies' agreement on the issue. According to the fiscal year 2021 budget proposal of the Department of the Army dated Feb. 3, 2020, the US earmarked $49 million for the development of the South's Seongju area, where its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) bat

Feb. 14, 2020

Supreme Court approves not-guilty verdict for 111 conscientious objectors

South Korea's top court on Thursday acquitted more than 110 believers of a non-mainstream Christian sect who were indicted for rejecting mandatory military service for religious reasons. The Supreme Court upheld lower courts' not-guilty verdicts for 111 Jehovah's Witnesses who were charged with refusing to serve in the military in violation of the Military Service Act, saying their conscientious objection was justifiable. It is the first time the Supreme Court has confirmed a not-guilty verdic

Feb. 13, 2020

US unit arrives in S. Korea for rotational deployment

Soldiers and equipment of a US armored brigade combat team have started to arrive in South Korea for a rotational deployment aimed at supporting the 2nd Infantry Division, the Eighth Army said Thursday.   Tracked vehicles and other equipment began arriving at the southwestern port of Gwangyang this week in line with the arrival of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, according to the Eighth Army.   The arriving brigade is

Feb. 13, 2020

USFK recommends troops watch ‘Mr. Sunshine’

Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the United States Forces Korea in South Korea, “strongly recommended” that American service members here watch “Mr. Sunshine,” a 2018 South Korean hit television series available on Netflix. The general was retweeting an earlier post by Major Gen. Patrick J. Donahoe, the second in command at the USFK 8th Army, who joked on Twitter that visitors to Korea were “legally required” to watch the series. “Fair warning. If you

Feb. 12, 2020

[News Focus] South Korea to face critical shortage of soldiers

SEJONG -- It has been 70 years since the Korean War broke out on the peninsula, which is still divided despite continuous inter-Korean dialogue efforts since the Kim Dae-jung administration (1998-2003). As a result, over the past few decades, the obligatory military service for South Korean men has been a highly sensitive issue, as they were deprived of opportunities in education and work for a certain period of time. Further, ordinary men are frustrated by many allegations of dodging conscri

Feb. 11, 2020

1,100 soldiers quarantined over new coronavirus: defense ministry

About 1,100 soldiers are quarantined as part of efforts to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading into barracks, the defense ministry said Monday. The quarantined soldiers, including 400 conscripts, have either visited China, Hong Kong or Macao in the past 14 days or had contact with people who traveled to those places, according to the ministry. "No confirmed or suspected cases have been reported among our service personnel. We've been thoroughly implementing related preemptive me

Feb. 10, 2020

S. Korea reconsidering planned participation in Cobra Gold exercise amid coronavirus

The South Korean military has been reconsidering whether to participate in an upcoming multinational military exercise in Thailand as the new coronavirus continues to spread, officials said Sunday. The 39th Cobra Gold exercise, co-sponsored by the Thai and US armed forces, is scheduled to be held from Feb. 26 through March 6. The annual exercise is expected to be joined by more than two dozen countries, including Japan, Singapore and Indonesia. Last year, China and India also participated in

Feb. 9, 2020

1,100 soldiers quarantined, outdoor drills modified over new coronavirus: defense ministry

About 1,100 soldiers are quarantined and outdoor military training has been adjusted as part of efforts to contain the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The quarantined soldiers, including 400 conscripts, have either visited China, Hong Kong or Macao in the past 14 days or had contact with people who traveled to those places, according to the ministry. The figure has risen over the past couple of days, as more service personnel were found to have visited places where patien

Feb. 7, 2020

960 soldiers quarantined over new coronavirus: defense ministry

Around 960 soldiers remained quarantined Wednesday as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus to barracks, the defense ministry said. The quarantined soldiers have either visited China, Hong Kong or Macao in the past 14 days, or had contact with people who traveled to those places. "Of them, about 140 soldiers themselves visited those countries, and the remainder contacted such visitors," the ministry said. Some 330 service personnel have been at their residenc

Feb. 5, 2020

S. Korean JCS chairman, US Pacific Fleet commander vow cooperation for peace efforts

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and US Pacific Fleet commander Adm. John Aquilino agreed Tuesday to continue cooperation to support joint efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula, Park's office said. Their meeting took place while Aquilino is in South Korea for a five-day trip that began on Sunday. "The two sides agreed continued cooperation to militarily support their governments' efforts for the complete denuclearization of and the establishment of a lasti

Feb. 4, 2020

800 soldiers quarantined, reserve forces' training postponed in anti-coronavirus measures

South Korea has quarantined about 800 soldiers and postponed regular training sessions for reserve forces as part of efforts to contain the new type of coronavirus, defense ministry officials said Monday. The quarantined soldiers have either visited China or surrounding regions recently, or had contact with such visitors, while the training sessions for reserve forces will be put off for about 50 days, officials said. The ministry also postponed medical checkups for potential draftees with a

Feb. 3, 2020