Military reports 1,546 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Saturday reported 1,546 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its service members to 116,201. The new cases included 1,004 from the Army, 223 from the Air Force, 156 from the Navy, 94 from the Marine Corps and 57 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry. There were also five cases each from the ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with two cases from the South Korea-U.S.Combined Forces Command. Currently, 10,814 milit

April 16, 2022

Military reports 1,647 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Friday reported 1,647 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its service members to 114,656. The new cases included 1,088 from the Army, 197 from the Air Force, 139 from the Marine Corps, 137 from the Navy, and 76 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry. There were also four cases each from the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and two from the ministry. Currently, 11,055 military personnel are

April 15, 2022

S. Korea to develop laser devise for bomb disposal

South Korea will begin a 110 billion won ($89.8 million) project next year to develop a laser device to safely remove unexploded ordnance by 2027, the state arms procurement agency said Thursday. The policy and planning subcommittee of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) approved the project and plans to conduct a feasibility study and coordinate budgetary issues with related agencies, its officials said. The project aims to develop a mobile laser device to safely detonate and

April 14, 2022

N. Korea seeks counterspace, electronic warfare capabilities against enemies: DIA

North Korea will continue focusing on enhancing and operating nonkinetic counterspace and electronic warfare capabilities to attack and disrupt the US and other adversaries’ space systems, the US military said, defining the country as an emerging challenge to the US’ space posture. The US Defense Intelligence Agency on Tuesday released a special report called “2022 Challenges to Security in Space” to address the threats to the US’ space capabilities. The report

April 13, 2022

US aircraft carrier operates near Korean Peninsula as joint preliminary drills kick off

A US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is operating in waters off the Korean Peninsula as South Korea and the US kicked off preliminary military exercises Tuesday, military sources confirmed to The Korea Herald. The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) “has entered the international waters of the East Sea” as of Tuesday, an informed military official, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, said. The operation of the USS Abraham Lincoln off the Korean Peninsula

April 12, 2022

USS Abraham Lincoln in East Sea in apparent show of force

A US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has entered the international waters of the East Sea, informed sources said Tuesday, in an apparent show of America's military might amid concerns over possible North Korean provocations. The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group is currently in waters east of South Korea's southeastern city of Ulsan -- the first such maneuvers in the waters since late 2017, when tensions remained high due to Pyongyang's saber-rattling. The carrier group is expected to be in the

April 12, 2022

S. Korea, US begin preparatory drills ahead of major combined training

South Korea and the United States kicked off preliminary military drills on Tuesday ahead of their major springtime combined training later this month, Seoul officials said. The allies began the four-day South Korea-led crisis management staff training (CMST) in the run-up to their command post training (CCPT) set to run from next Monday through April 28, according to the officials. Led by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CMST is designed to practice a set of procedures to respond to pos

April 12, 2022

NATO seeks ‘sustained’ military exchanges, ‘substantive’ defense cooperation with S.Korea

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization seeks to enhance security cooperation with South Korea through “sustained” military exchanges, the chairman of its top military body said Monday, underscoring the significance of “substantive” defense cooperation. NATO Military Committee Chair Adm. Rob Bauer made a rare trip to South Korea and held respective talks with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and Defense Minister Suh Wook. The visit by

April 11, 2022

Defense minister Suh reiterates stance against arms support to Ukraine

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook has reiterated Seoul's stance against the provision of any lethal arms to Ukraine during last week's phone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, his office said Monday. Suh repeated the position in response to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov's request for anti-aircraft weapons in their phone call on Friday. "Suh had explained that there are limits in providing lethal weapon systems to Ukraine, given our security situation and its potential

April 11, 2022

Defense minister nominee, a former JCS vice chairman with expertise in S. Korea-US alliance

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol tapped retired three-star general Lee Jong-sup with expertise in the South Korea-US alliance and combined defense posture as the new defense minister. Lee served as a vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before he retired from the army. The defense minister nominee also led a Combined Defense Transformation Group under the JCS, whose task is to prepare for the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control or OPCON and set out a road map on the South Kor

April 10, 2022

S. Korea to launch first homegrown spy satellite atop SpaceX rocket in 2023

South Korea plans to launch its first homegrown spy satellite in 2023 atop a rocket from US commercial space firm SpaceX under a project to place five such satellites into orbit by 2025, Seoul officials said Sunday. The state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute and Agency for Defense Development have signed contracts with the firm to use its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the first 800-kilogram satellite launch in the US in 2023 and for the remainder by the target year, according to the officials

April 10, 2022

S. Korea unveils radar prototype of L-SAM interception system

Hanwha Systems, a South Korean defense firm, has unveiled a radar prototype for the long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) interception system under development, in a sign of progress in the country's missile defense technology. The company revealed to reporters the prototype of the multi-function radar (MFR) at its research center in Yongin, just south of Seoul, on Wednesday, amid Seoul's stepped-up push to counter North Korea's evolving missile threats. The radar is a core component of the

April 10, 2022

Defense ministry begins relocation for presidential office

South Korea's defense ministry set in motion phased relocation work Friday to empty its main building in the central Seoul district of Yongsan for use as the country's new presidential office starting in May. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has decided to move the presidential office to the compound from Cheong Wa Dae in the northern part of the capital. "The relocation work for the fifth story (of the building) and higher got underway in earnest this morning," a ministry official said.

April 8, 2022

Defense ministry begins relocation preparations following budget approval

South Korea's defense ministry started full-fledged preparations Wednesday for its relocation to a nearby building and other facilities inside its compound in Seoul, as the Cabinet has approved budget spending for moving the country's presidential office. The ministry plans to sign a contract with a private relocation company as early as Thursday in line with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office to the ministry building in Seoul's central district of Yongsan f

April 6, 2022

Navy chief pledges 'proactive' military innovation

South Korea's Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Jung-soo vowed Wednesday to "proactively" push for military innovation in the midst of what he called "intense strategic competition" among maritime powers in the Indo-Pacific region. Kim made the remarks during a security forum, stressing the need for the Navy to respond to not only North Korean threats, but also to "comprehensive" security challenges beyond the Korean Peninsula. "North Korea's nuclear and weapo

April 6, 2022

S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea has identified the remains of another soldier killed in the 1950-53 Korean War following his excavation from a former battle site more than a decade ago, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The ministry's excavation team recently identified the remains of Noh Jae-gyun, who held the rank equivalent to the current corporal, through a DNA analysis. His remains were discovered in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in 2009. Born in the southeastern county of Seonsan in 1928, No

April 6, 2022

S. Korea aims to master tech to launch military, civilian microsatellites by 2025

South Korea aims to master technology for solid-propellant rocket vehicles by 2025, enabling the country to launch a constellation of military and civilian microsatellites at lower costs, South Korean military officials said Monday. Seoul “successfully” test-launched an indigenous solid-fuel space rocket for the first time last Wednesday at the initiative of the state-run Agency for Defense Development. The initial test was conducted to verify core technologies for space launch v

April 4, 2022

S.Korea, US approve directive to rewrite war plan, begin process in earnest

Seoul and Washington have agreed on a planning directive to develop a new operational war plan to address North Korea’s mounting threats and a changing security environment, allowing their militaries to begin the process in earnest. Chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Won In-choul and his US counterpart Gen. Mark Milley made the decision during their in-person bilateral meeting held on Wednesday afternoon (local time) at the US Indo-Pacific Command Headquarters, Ca

March 31, 2022

No discussions on S. Korea-US-Japan military training: ministry

South Korea, the United States and Japan have not discussed the idea of holding a trilateral military training "at all," a Seoul official said Thursday, dismissing a new report that Seoul has recently rejected a proposal for such combined drills. The local daily, Hankyoreh, reported Washington and Tokyo had repeatedly suggested the training in waters off the Korean Peninsula during high-level three-way consultations but that the liberal Moon Jae-in administration did not agree. "T

March 31, 2022

USFK reveals special ops training following NK ICBM launch

The US Forces Korea (USFK) has revealed it conducted a special commando training earlier this month, in an apparent show of America's military might following North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch last week. In a Facebook post Wednesday, the Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) showed a set of photos depicting commandos engaging in what it termed "special forces readiness training." SOCKOR did not give the exact date, venue or purpose of the training. The

March 31, 2022