The Korea Herald

Soldiers’ crimes against civilians grow

The number of crimes by soldiers against civilians has risen in recent years, according to data from the Ministry of National Defense and the nation’s armed services.The total number of criminal cases involving service members, which stood at 2,910 in 2011, rose to 2,975 in 2012 and 3,757 last year. As of June 30 this year, the number was tallied at 1,841, according to the data obtained by Saenuri Party Rep. Shon In-chun.Last year, traffic-related crimes accounted for 28.9 percent of the total c

Aug. 25, 2014

Korea, China in talks over air zones

South Korea is in discussions with China and other neighboring countries to prevent any accidental clashes over its expanded air defense identification zone, the defense ministry said Monday.In December last year, South Korea announced the new Korean air defense identification zone to counter China’s unilateral declaration of its own. The move aimed to bolster Seoul’s sovereignty over a reef and other islands off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula.“South Korea is in talks with China, Jap

Aug. 25, 2014

Budget cuts may undercut Korea’s defense: U.S. group

The Association of the U.S. Army has voiced concerns over the negative impact of the congressionally mandated budget cuts, or sequestration, on its mission to counter a “dynamic” North Korean threat and secure peace on the peninsula.In an article recently published by its Institute of Land Warfare, the private outfit pointed out that the impact of sequestration is felt most directly in forward areas such as South Korea.“It is imperative for the Army to recruit, retain and develop adaptive, resou

Aug. 24, 2014

Defense ministry finds hacking attempts against its reporters

Unidentified hackers, suspected to be based in China, have been caught trying to steal data from media reporters covering South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, ministry officials said Friday."We've confirmed that a handful of reporters covering the ministry have received an e-mail which carries the malicious code this week," a ministry official said, explaining that once the email is opened, it automatically imbeds the virus code into the computer."The code embedded into the computer is me

Aug. 22, 2014

Army to dissolve abuse-fraught units

Investigations are underway into more than a dozen newly reported cases of harassment and other physical and sexual abuses at barracks around the country, the Army said Wednesday, after a spate of such incidents marred the military’s image and sparked public ire.The cases were detected during surveys of service members and inspections into units in the wake of a series of gruesome cases, including the death of an Army private first class surnamed Yoon after he was hit by his senior comrades. Dub

Aug. 20, 2014

Ex-cybercommanders involved in online smear campaign

The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that its investigators had booked 21 former and current cyberagents including two former cyberwarfare commanders in connection with a high-profile online smear campaign scandal.Wrapping up its 10-month-long probe into the case, the ministry’s Central Investigation Command spared National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin, who served as the defense minister when the scandal erupted, of any charges, saying that he was unaware of the case.The CIC had l

Aug. 19, 2014

Ex-cybercommanders involved in online smear campaign

(Photo News) In the wrong place

Police tackle a man who was walking down a street in Ferguson, Missouri, Monday. The man appeared to be walking past a group that had been assembled nearby while police were telling everyone to keep walking. (AP-Yonhap)

Aug. 19, 2014

Court denies arrest warrant for Gyeonggi governor’s son

The military court on Tuesday rejected the Army prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant for the eldest son of Gyeonggi Province Gov. Nam Kyung-pil, who has been charged with beating and sexually harassing two of his junior colleagues at his unit of the Army’s 6th Division.The court said that given that Nam’s son, a 23-year-old corporal, admitted to the charges and the victims do not want him to be punished, there was little possibility that he would flee or destroy any evidence concerning th

Aug. 19, 2014

Court denies arrest warrant for Gyeonggi governor’s son

Korea, U.S. begin joint war drill to deter N.K.

South Korea and the United States on Monday began their annual two-week joint war exercise to test and improve their joint defense posture against North Korea amid the North‘s stronger-than-usual threats against the drill.The computer-aided Ulchi Freedom Guardian kicked off for a 12-day run, mobilizing some 50,000 South Korean forces and 30,000 U.S. servicemen, including some 3,000 from its homeland and other overseas bases.With the training expected to include diverse defense drills to curb Nor

Aug. 18, 2014

Korea, U.S. begin joint war drill to deter N.K.

North Korea criticizes Park’s proposals as trite, insincere

North Korea denounced Sunday a package of proposals that President Park Geun-hye made Friday to bolster bilateral cooperation in non-political areas including the environment, calling them “trite and insincere.” The communist state also repeated its criticism of the upcoming South Korea-U.S. Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military drills, warning of “merciless preemptive strikes.” The drills are to be held from Monday through next Friday.“In the South Korean leader’s speech marking the Aug. 15 Liberatio

Aug. 17, 2014

North Korea criticizes Park’s proposals as trite, insincere

Gyeonggi governor’s son probed for military abuse

Military authorities are investigating the first son of Gyeonggi Province Gov. Nam Kyung-pil on charges of beating and sexually harassing his junior colleagues at his unit of the Army’s 6th Division in Pocheon of the province, according to Army officials.Nam’s 23-year-old son, a corporal, allegedly beat a 21-year-old private first class for not properly carrying out his duty. The corporal is also purported to have hugged a 19-year-old private first class and hit an area near his pants’ zipper.Th

Aug. 17, 2014

N. Korea fires five short-range rockets

North Korea fired five short-range rockets into the East Sea on Thursday in an apparent move to upgrade its rocket capabilities and show off its military presence, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Three of the rockets were fired shortly before Pope Francis touched down in Seoul to deliver messages of peace and reconciliation. The North fired the three from its eastern coastal city of Wonsan at 9:30 a.m., 9:40 a.m. and 9:55 a.m. without setting a no-fly/no-sail zone, according to the JCS. The

Aug. 14, 2014

Calls mount for change in rigid military culture

Calls are mounting for a fundamental change in Korea’s closed, rigid military culture after a string of bullying and abuse cases at frontline barracks has resulted in suicide and even a shooting spree.The military has been striving to ameliorate the culture through a series of measures including strengthening human rights education and counseling programs. But skepticism runs high over the anti-abuse efforts with critics arguing that the military should take more effective, tougher steps rather

Aug. 13, 2014

Park demands end to military abuses

President Park Geun-hye called on the military to make all-out efforts to root out violence in the barracks, boost troop morale and shore up public trust during a meeting of top commanders at the Defense Ministry on Wednesday.The meeting came the day after two Army soldiers were found dead in a Seoul apartment in an apparent double suicide and another died after shooting himself during a live-fire exercise. Abuses at their barracks are being cited as primary causes of their suicides.“They are ou

Aug. 13, 2014

Military to offer rewards for reporting abuse at barracks

The defense ministry said Wednesday it plans to introduce a system of compensating conscripts for reporting violence at barracks as part of efforts to eradicate deep-rooted ills and reform an outdated military culture.The plan, unveiled at a meeting of major military commanders presided over by President Park Geun-hye, comes following a series of deadly incidents involving enlistees that has laid bare a decades-old ill practice of bullying and even assaults in barracks.An Army private first clas

Aug. 13, 2014

Three soldiers dead in apparent suicides

Two Army corporals were found dead on Monday night in a Seoul apartment in an apparent double suicide, military authorities said Tuesday. They belonged to the Army’s 28th Division, which has been under intense public scrutiny since a private first class from the unit died earlier this year due to appalling abuse in his barracks in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Later in the day, another suicide occurred at a unit of the Army’s Third Corps in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, adding to public concerns a

Aug. 12, 2014

Three soldiers dead in apparent suicides

[Graphic News] Nearly 4,000 maladapted soldiers prematurely discharged

Aug. 12, 2014

Korea strives to raise skilled cyberspecialists

This is the sixth and last installment in a series of articles delving into cybersecurity challenges facing South Korea and the world, and global efforts to tide them over. ― Ed.In cyberwarfare, neither the rumblings of tanks nor the crackle of gunfire can be heard. But there are elite forces grappling to ward off attacks in cyberspace and preserve the computer networks that are crucial for people’s everyday lives.For South Korea, nurturing cyberspecialists has become a critical national task as

Aug. 10, 2014

Korea strives to raise skilled cyberspecialists

Military to establish human rights committee

The Defense Ministry said Sunday that it would establish a consultative committee on human rights and appoint human rights educators at battalions and higher-level field units amid mounting criticism over a high-profile military abuse case.Officials said that the ministry is set to conduct a full-scale revision of the military directives concerning human rights to push for these plans. The moves appeared aimed at shoring up public trust that has been eroded following a recent series of violence

Aug. 10, 2014

U.S. expert calls for S. Korea, U.S. to ditch OPCON transfer agreement

South Korea and the United States should admit their agreement to transfer wartime operational control of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul was a mistake and should focus on strengthening combined defense capabilities, a U.S. expert said Thursday.David S. Maxwell, associate director of the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, made the point, stressing the planned transfer would involve dismantling the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, which he said would "

Aug. 8, 2014