South Korea tests first SLBM

South Korea has become the first non-nuclear state to develop a submarine-launched ballistic missile, having run a test-firing from a newly built submarine, sources said Tuesday. SLBMs have been developed by seven countries -- China, France, India, North Korea, Russia, the UK and the US -- all of which have nuclear weapons. A Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine, the country’s first 3,000-ton underwater vessel revealed last month, carried out the underwater ejection tests last week after similar

Sept. 7, 2021

Military reports 3 COVID-19 cases

An Air Force officer and two Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,644, the defense ministry said Tuesday. An Air Force officer in the central city of Cheonan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after coming into contact with a person who tested positive earlier, while an Army officer in Yangju, north of Seoul, was found to have been infected after a family member tested positive, according to th

Sept. 7, 2021

Military eases antivirus rules amid high vaccination rate

The defense ministry on Monday eased monthslong restrictions on service members' vacation and off-installation activities as the military has a high COVID-19 vaccination rate of about 94 percent, officials said. Under the fresh regulations effective on Monday, up to 20 percent of service members can go on vacation at the same time per unit, and fully vaccinated troops are allowed to meet visitors who have also received vaccines, according to the ministry. Previous regulations had banned soldie

Sept. 6, 2021

Arms procurement agency seeks W1.5tr for defense R&D next year

The arms procurement agency has allocated 1.485 trillion won ($1.3 billion) for defense technology research and development (R&D) next year in a budget request submitted to the parliament, it said Monday. Last week, the defense ministry requested a defense budget of 55.23 trillion won for 2022, up from this year's 52.84 trillion won. Of the total, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's R&D budget rose 76 percent on-year to surpass the 1 trillion won mark for the first time, i

Sept. 6, 2021

Military to resume search for Korean War dead

The military is resuming its search for the remains of Korean and UN soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday. The first search, from April 2019 to June 2021 near Arrowhead Hills inside the Demilitarized Zone, uncovered the remains of 424 people. It is expected that a similar number will be found at the second site to be searched, near White Horse Hills next to Arrowhead Hills. It is estimated that 1,000 soldiers died there in one of the war&rsqu

Sept. 3, 2021

Military to build ‘Korean Iron Dome,’ enhance strike capability

The military said Thursday it will pursue a homegrown missile defense system and a greater strike capability as part of a 315 trillion-won ($271 billion), five-year plan starting next year. About 106 trillion won goes to bolstering defense capabilities to build weapons, such as anti-missile systems and ballistic missiles, while the rest is set aside to cover operating costs. “We will have ironclad defense against North Korean fire targeting Seoul and the surrounding areas,” the Mi

Sept. 2, 2021

S. Korea developing massive ballistic missile as powerful as tactical nuclear weapon

South Korea has been developing a massive ballistic missile as powerful as a tactical nuclear weapon, sources said Thursday, after the full lifting of US-imposed restrictions on missile development. The surface-to-surface missile, which can carry a warhead of up to 3 tons with a flight range of 350-400 kilometers, is in the last stage of development and the timing of its deployment will be determined after several test-firings, according to the sources. Unveiling its defense blueprint for 2022

Sept. 2, 2021

USFK commander calls for more achievements after summertime Korea-US exercise

US Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has said that the latest joint exercise between South Korea and the United States served as a chance to display readiness and strengthen the bilateral alliance, but the two sides need to and can "achieve more." The commander, who also leads the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command, made the comments in a message sent to the Korea-US Alliance Foundation after wrapping up the joint summertime exercise.

Sept. 2, 2021

Air Force officer tests positive for virus after return from Afghan mission

An Air Force officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus after taking part in a mission to evacuate Afghan people from the war-torn nation last month, officials said Wednesday. The officer, based in the southeastern city of Busan, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms while in quarantine, according to the defense ministry. South Korea carried out an emergency operation last week mobilizing military aircraft to evacuate those who worked at its embassy in K

Sept. 1, 2021

S. Korea-US defense cost-sharing deal comes into effect

The new defense cost-sharing agreement between South Korea and the United States took effect Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, a day after the National Assembly ratified the deal on sharing the cost for the upkeep of American troops here. After Tuesday's parliamentary ratification, the two countries notified each other that all domestic procedures necessary for the agreement to go into effect have been completed, bringing the deal officially into force, the ministry said. The pact, known a

Sept. 1, 2021

Soldier welfare key to military spending next year

The military is spending drastically more on soldier welfare in its budget for next year by providing better meals, pay and terms for soldiers’ savings, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday in its proposal that links most of the 55.2 trillion won ($47.5 billion) spending to maintenance. Soldiers, who take part in mandatory military service that lasts as long as 21 months, make up more than half the country’s 550,000-strong military. The National Assembly will start looking

Aug. 31, 2021

USFK reports 40 new COVID-19 cases, including those from cluster at Osan base

Thirty-six American soldiers and four affiliated individuals have tested positive for the new coronavirus, including those from a cluster infection at the Osan base, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday. Eighteen service members and one family member stationed at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive Thursday and Friday, either after developing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or after coming into contact with colleagues who tested positive earlier,

Aug. 31, 2021

S. Korea, US launch joint Korean War remains excavation project near DMZ

South Korea and the United States launched a joint project Tuesday to recover the remains of troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War at a former battle site near the inter-Korean border, the defense ministry said. Around 60 South Korean military personnel and 10 from the US' Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) began the joint excavation work on Mount Baekseok in the northeastern county of Yanggu, which will continue through Sept. 16, according to the ministry. As one of the key strate

Aug. 31, 2021

Govt. agencies agree on need to extend peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, South Sudan

South Korean government agencies agreed Monday on the need to extend its peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and South Sudan, the foreign ministry said. Officials from the foreign, defense, finance and interior ministries as well as the military and police participated in a virtual consultative meeting to discuss extending the presence of the Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon and the Hanbit Unit in South Sudan, the ministry said.  In the meeting led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon,

Aug. 30, 2021

Panel accuses military of sitting on human rights reforms

The Ministry of National Defense is not living up to its promise to better protect human rights, members of a civilian-led advisory panel said Monday. The 88-member panel – of which 15 have either left or decided to walk out – was put together by the Defense Ministry in late June, amid a public outcry following the death of an Air Force master sergeant who died by suicide after alleged sexual abuse. Her family claims cover-ups led to her death. “I had thought the ministry was

Aug. 30, 2021

Air Force chief, US space commander agree to form consultative body on space policy

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho has signed a deal with the chief of the US space operations and agreed to form a joint consultative body on space policy to strengthen cooperation, his office said Sunday. During his visit to the Air Force Space Command in Colorado, Park signed a memorandum of understanding with Gen. John Raymond on the formation of a joint space policy consultative body on Friday (US time), becoming official partners in space security cooperation. The Air Force plans t

Aug. 29, 2021

USFK reports cluster infection at Osan base after recent no-mask dance party

At least 33 American service members stationed at Osan Air Base tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Friday, after the base came under fire for a no-mask dance party in disregard of social distancing rules. The infections were reported on Thursday and Friday at the base, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and contact tracing is under way, according to South Korean government officials. A dance party took place at the base Saturday involving dozens of individuals not wearing face

Aug. 27, 2021

Pilot error caused crash-landing of medical chopper in July: Army

A pilot error caused July's crash-landing of an Army medical chopper, and the same type of helicopters will be allowed to resume operations, the Army said Friday. In July, five people were injured after the ambulance helicopter, Medion, crash-landed at a military base in Pocheon, north of Seoul, on its way to pick up a patient. The Army immediately suspended the operations of the same type of aircraft and launched an investigation. "Our investigation found that the pilot misunderstood t

Aug. 27, 2021

Military reports 4 new COVID-19 cases

Three Army members and a Navy sailor tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday, the latest in a series of infections among service members across the nation. The two Army soldiers and the sailor were confirmed to have been infected after their recent vacation, and a civilian official for the Army tested positive following the infection of one of his family members, according to the ministry. The latest cases brought the total caseload among the military populati

Aug. 27, 2021

[Herald Interview] Prize of war is peace, freedom: Colombian veterans

Peace and freedom was the prize of the Korean War that South Korea earned, and it should be a reminder for all South Koreans that its vibrant democracy with a strong economy came at a cost, Colombian veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War said Thursday, during an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. Separated by the Pacific Ocean, Colombia is the only Latin American country to field ground troops and a warship to help South Korea fight back North Korea and China during the war, which sti

Aug. 26, 2021