Court orders posthumous reinstatement of transgender soldier

A South Korean court on Thursday ordered a cancellation of the forceful discharge of transgender soldier Byun Hee-soo, who took her own life earlier this year. The Daejeon District Court ruled in favor of Staff Sgt. Byun, who was dismissed from the Army in January of last year, elucidating that the military’s decision was unfair. Although the former tank gunner wanted to continue serving as a woman, her service was cut short two months after having gender reassignment surgery while on l

Oct. 7, 2021

USFK reports 13 COVID-19 cases from new arrivals

Thirteen people affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK), including six service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here, the US military said Thursday. Three service members, three family members and a civilian employee arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon international airport, west of Seoul, while three other troops arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, on US government chartered flights, according to USFK. T

Oct. 7, 2021

Court orders cancellation of forceful discharge of deceased transgender soldier

DAEJEON-- A court ruled Thursday in favor of a deceased transgender solider in a suit filed to get the Army's decision to discharge her repealed, a landmark ruling that could have deep repercussions in the way South Korean society treats sexual minorities. The Daejeon District Court said that the military should have considered late Ssg. Byun Hee-soo as a woman when reviewing whether she was fit for military duty after a sex-change operation. "Since she applied for a sex change at a court

Oct. 7, 2021

S. Korea to launch advanced submarine rescue ship

South Korea was to launch a new 5,600-ton-class submarine rescue vessel Thursday capable of conducting rescue operations in the deep sea regardless of weather conditions, the Navy said. A launch ceremony for the vessel, named Ganghwado, is scheduled to take place later in the day at the Okpo shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., on the southern island of Geoje, it added. Built under the ARS-II (auxiliary submarine rescue ship) project launched in 2015, it is the country

Oct. 7, 2021

Military reports 14 new COVID-19 cases

Twelve service members and two civilian workers for the military have tested positive for COVID-19, the defense ministry said Thursday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks across South Korea. Ten Army members, two Navy officers, and the civilian employees were confirmed to have been infected either following their recent vacation or after coming into contact with individuals who had tested positive, according to the ministry. Of them, nine were "breakthrough infections,"

Oct. 7, 2021

Military reports 9 new COVID-19 cases

Eight service members and a civilian worker for the military have tested positive for COVID-19, the defense ministry said Wednesday. Six Army members and two airmen, and the civilian employee for a unit affiliated with the ministry were confirmed to have been infected either after their recent vacation or developing symptoms consistent with the coronavirus. All of them were confirmed to be "breakthrough infections," as they were fully vaccinated, the ministry added. The latest cases ra

Oct. 6, 2021

Military reports 6 new COVID-19 cases

A Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) officer and five Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The JCS officer, based in Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, according to the ministry. No additional cases were reported from subsequent tests conducted on other members based on contact tracing, officials said. Separately, three Army officers and two enlistees were found to have contracted the virus during a

Oct. 5, 2021

[Photo News] 73rd Armed Forces Day Ceremony

Amid the rising tension between the two Koreas due to NK’s hypersonic missile test earlier this week, the Defense Ministry held the 73rd Armed Forces Day Ceremony on Friday in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Pohang was the location where the United Nations forces made their first landing operation during the Korean War.  The photo above shows President Moon Jae-in on board the Marado, a high-tech landing platform helicopter ship. In his speech, President Moon emphasized the signif

Oct. 3, 2021

46 soldiers at border unit infected with coronavirus: ministry

Forty-six soldiers at an Army unit located just south of the inter-Korean border have tested positive for COVID-19, the defense ministry said Saturday. Of the cases, 41, or 89 percent, were vaccine breakthrough infections. The report of the cluster infections in the border county of Yeoncheon came a day after one noncommissioned officer there tested positive upon returning from a vacation, according to the ministry. Subsequent tests on 184 other members of the unit confirmed 45 additional cas

Oct. 3, 2021

Air Force sets up crime unit after sex abuse case

The Air Force on Friday set up a unit of investigators at its headquarters following accusations that cover-ups led to the suicide of a master sergeant who claimed to have been sexually assaulted. The unit will take away military police power to investigate crimes, as they have been accused of looking the other way when the master sergeant filed a complaint. The sergeant’s death sparked a public outcry that led the military to form an independent investigation arm. Military police will n

Oct. 1, 2021

US assessing N. Korean missile but US safe from claimed hypersonic missile: US commander

The United States is still assessing the type of the missile launched by North Korea this week but the US homeland would remain safe even if it turns out to be a hypersonic missile as claimed by the North, the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command said Thursday. North Korea on Wednesday (Seoul time) said it fired a new hypersonic missile the previous day. "I understand the intelligence community's still making an assessment of the North Korean claim to have tested a hyperson

Oct. 1, 2021

Air Force opens space center to expand reach

The Air Force opened a space center Thursday to bolster its defense capabilities and exchanges with foreign counterparts as the country seeks a greater presence in space. In May, South Korea and the US terminated missile guidelines that since 1979 had allowed Seoul to build missiles with a range of no more than 800 kilometers. The restrictions prevented Seoul from flying missiles far beyond the Korean Peninsula. “Space will be a key war-fighting domain and we will have our weapons ready

Sept. 30, 2021

10 soldiers, 1 airman test positive for COVID-19

Ten Army soldiers and an Air Force officer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,766, the defense ministry said Thursday. Six soldiers in the northeastern county of Yanggu were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine after a vacation, while four officers -- based in the northern city of Yangju; Inje and Chuncheon, both east of Seoul; and the southwestern county of Damyang, respectively -- were found

Sept. 30, 2021

Air Force launches space center to boost space defense capabilities

The Air Force was to launch a space center under the direct control of its chief of staff Thursday as part of efforts to expand its presence in space and strengthen defense capabilities against emerging threats, the military said. A signboard hanging ceremony was to be held at the Air Force headquarters in the central city of Gyeryong, presided over by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho, according to the military. The new organization will be in charge of exchanges with other space unit

Sept. 30, 2021

Military unveils plans for AI-powered, agile Army

The South Korean Army will start testing a new combat system in 2024 to guide its entire operations as early as 2040. “The Army Tiger 4.0 is the future of warfare delivered by cutting-edge advances in technology,” the Army said. Tiger 4.0 is short for “Transformative Innovation of Ground forces Enhanced by the 4th industrial Revolution technology.” The Army said it will employ artificial intelligence-powered drones to facilitate decision-making on the battlefield, and

Sept. 28, 2021

Military reports 4 new COVID-19 cases

Three service members and a civilian worker for the Army tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks. One officer affiliated with the South Korea-United States Combined Forces Command in Seoul tested positive while in isolation after one of his family members was confirmed to have been infected, according to the ministry. Two Army officers, stationed in Seoul and the city of Goyang, respectively, also tested posi

Sept. 28, 2021

S. Korea to launch new 3,000-ton-class SLBM submarine

South Korea was set Tuesday to launch a new 3,000-ton-class homegrown submarine capable of firing ballistic missiles, the third of its kind designed to boost underwater defense capabilities, the Navy said. A launch ceremony for the new submarine, named after a prominent Korean independence activist, Shin Chae-ho, will take place at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in the southeastern city of Ulsan later in the day, according to the military. It is the third and the final of three

Sept. 28, 2021

S. Korea, US hold regular defense talks amid conciliatory signals from N. Korea

South Korea and the United States were to begin two days of biannual defense talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss regional security situations and pending alliance issues, the defense ministry said. During the 20th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), the two sides plan to discuss "major pending security issues," such as the assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and the policy coordination on North Korea, according to the ministry. The meeting comes two da

Sept. 27, 2021

Key takeaways from S. Korea’s missile tests

The recent missile tests President Moon Jae-in oversaw and praised marked a milestone that experts say shows a rapidly growing South Korean missile capability. Here are key takeaways on what it means for North Korea and foreign powers. Fending off North Korea South Korea is the first non-nuclear state to have tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile. SLBMs -- which have also been developed by China, France, India, Russia, the UK and the US -- are designed to deliver a fatal second strik

Sept. 26, 2021

Military reports 9 COVID-19 cases

Six Army soldiers and three Marines have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,723, the defense ministry said Friday. The three Marines in Gimpo, west of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after an infection was reported at their base, according to the ministry. Among the Army soldiers, five -- one from the eastern county of Inje, two from the western city of Incheon and one each from Paju, north of Seoul,

Sept. 24, 2021