S. Korea to bring home all members of virus-hit Cheonghae unit by aerial tankers

South Korea is preparing to send aerial tankers to Africa to bring home all members of a naval unit on an anti-piracy mission amid fears of a mass COVID-19 infection on their destroyer following recent confirmed cases, officials said Friday. On Thursday, the defense ministry said six service members of the 34th contingent of the Cheonghae Unit aboard the Munmu the Great tested positive for the new coronavirus and around 80 out of about 300 personnel showed symptoms consistent with the virus. &

July 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Overseas anti-piracy unit suffers COVID outbreak

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday instructed the military to dispatch medical staff and supplies to forces abroad with members who have tested positive for the coronavirus and to take stronger steps to avoid infections in overseas missions. Moon asked the military to bring home the patients if necessary. Six service members aboard the anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit operating off the coast of Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus, the military said. None of the 301-strong crew aboard th

July 15, 2021

Cheonghae anti-piracy unit off Africa reports 6 COVID-19 cases

Six service members aboard a South Korean destroyer on anti-piracy missions off the coast of Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday, sparking fears of collective infections among some 300 people living on the same vessel. The infections appeared to have begun after the 4,400-ton Munmu the Great carrying the Cheonghae Unit was docked at a nearby port from June 28-July 1 to load supplies, and poor initial response to suspicious symptoms could have spre

July 15, 2021

Reserve training canceled on COVID-19 surges

South Korea is suspending training for its reserve forces for a second consecutive year, as the fourth wave of COVID-19 threatens to spiral out of control. The US provided Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine for South Korean troops and military workers, but the supply fell short of covering key demographic groups -- those aged between 20 and 30, who account for the majority of the reserve forces. “Those aged 30 and below will receive their shots in August at the earliest,

July 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Air Force legal affairs chief booked for investigation over death of Air Force sexual abuse victim

The Air Force's chief legal affairs officer has been booked for investigation over allegations he failed to properly oversee an initial probe into sexual abuse of a female noncommissioned officer that led to the victim taking her own life, the defense ministry said Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Jeon Ik-soo was booked on charges of dereliction of duty on Tuesday, and his status has been switched to that of a suspect, 42 days after the defense ministry launched an investigation into why the noncommission

July 14, 2021

7 more soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for virus

Seven newly enlisted soldiers at an Army boot camp have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections recently reported at the base to 95, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The enlistees at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine following the mass infection outbreak at the base last week, according to the ministry. Separately, an airman based in Seongnam, south of Seoul, tes

July 13, 2021

Five injured after Army helicopter crash-lands

SEOUL/POCHEON -- Five people were injured after an Army ambulance helicopter crash-landed at a military base Monday, authorities said. The helicopter made an emergency landing on the airstrip at an Army aviation battalion in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, at 10:35 a.m. while on its way to pick up a patient there, according to the Army and the local fire department. Five crewmembers were injured, two seriously, and were moved to a nearby hospital. None of them are in a life-threatening

July 12, 2021

4 more soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for COVID-19

Four more newly enlisted soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total of recent infections at an Army boot camp to 88, the defense ministry said Monday. The enlistees at the Korea Army Training Center have been in isolation since last week after the center reported a cluster infection amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections across the country. The authorities have conducted virus tests on all camp members and carried out contact tracing, according to the ministry.

July 12, 2021

Military to tighten restrictions to curb spread of COVID-19

The military will enhance its own measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in line with government plans to impose tougher controls on the greater Seoul area to fight a new wave of infections, officials said Saturday.    The defense ministry issued new social distancing guidelines to military units Friday, under which vacations, off-installation activities and outsiders' visits will be further restricted Monday for two weeks.    Under the new measures, only 10 percent o

July 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Sex crime victim awaited help that never came: military

The military failed in its response to a sexual assault complaint from an Air Force master sergeant, who later took her life, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday in its interim report. The ministry’s joint investigation team said that the master sergeant was repeatedly revictimized by the abuser and those sympathetic to him, which ultimately pushed her to take her life. The team has been looking into the circumstances surrounding the suicide since June 1. The victim&rs

July 9, 2021

Military reports 3 COVID-19 cases

The military has reported three additional coronavirus cases, the defense ministry said Friday, as South Korea saw the highest-ever daily COVID-19 infections since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. An Army officer in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, and a soldier in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, while an officer in the southwestern city of Taean was found to be infected after coming into contact with a person who tested

July 9, 2021

24 more soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for virus

  Twenty-four more newly enlisted soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total of recent infections at an Army boot camp to 77, the defense ministry said Thursday, as South Korea braces for another wave of infections. The conscripts at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 as of 6 p.m., after 53 others were found to be infected the previous day, according to the ministry. Following the mass inf

July 8, 2021

8 more soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for virus

Eight more newly enlisted soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total of recent infections at an Army boot camp to 61, the defense ministry said Thursday, as South Korea braces for another wave of infections. The conscripts at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after 53 others were found to be infected the previous day, according to the ministry. "We are trying to confirm the source and rout

July 8, 2021

Over 600 cyber attacks against unification ministry detected last year: data

Over 600 hacking attempts against South Korea's unification ministry were detected last year, government data showed Wednesday. According to the data released by the ministry, 633 cyber attacks against the ministry were detected last year, including 46 hacking attempts through the website. The number of cyber attacks against the ministry, which stood at 336 in 2017, jumped to 630 in 2018 and to 767 in 2019 and slightly fell to 633 last year. Web hacking attempts against the ministry increa

July 7, 2021

19 USFK-affiliated individuals test positive for COVID-19

Seventeen American service members and two family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday, amid a massive spike in virus infections across South Korea. Nine service members and a dependent are from Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, while five soldiers and a family member are from K-17 Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul. They all tested positive after direct contact with infected people, according to USFK. In addition,

July 7, 2021

UNC temporarily suspends tours to Panmunjom over COVID-19 concerns

The United Nations Command said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending tours to the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, or the Joint Security Area (JSA), after two of its members came into contact with a coronavirus patient. "Once we are certain that there is no additional risk to our force or the ROK population, we will resume JSA orientations," the US-led command said in a Facebook post. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. The suspension comes a

July 7, 2021

37 newly enlisted soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for COVID-19

Dozens of newly enlisted soldiers at an Army boot camp have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, amid fears of a fourth wave of infections across the country. After one conscript at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, 35 others who had contact with him were also found to be infected, according to the ministry. Virus tests are under way on 400 others to confirm any additional cases. The

July 7, 2021

Defense chief 'terribly ashamed' about one-star general's sexual abuse allegations

Defense Minister Suh Wook said Wednesday he feels "terribly ashamed and regret" over recent sexual harassment allegations raised against a one-star general despite the military's ongoing efforts to root out sex crimes following the suicide of an Air Force abuse victim. The defense chief made the remark during a biannual meeting with top commanders to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other defense issues, vowing to hand down a stern punishment to the accused b

July 7, 2021

Military reports 5 COVID-19 cases

Four Army soldiers and an Air Force officer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Two soldiers in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after one of them first developed symptoms, while another soldier and an officer in Paju, some 35 km northwest of the capital, were found to be infected, also after one of them first tested positive, according to the ministry. The officer received the second dose of Pfi

July 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Military general arrested over sexual harassment allegations

An Army general was arrested on charges of sexually molesting a female subordinate, officials said Tuesday, in yet another sex crime in barracks following the suicide death of an Air Force sexual abuse victim. The brigadier general was relieved of his duties and arrested after the subordinate reported her suffering to the authorities, according to the officials. "An investigation is under way. We will thoroughly look into the case and take corresponding measures," defense ministry s

July 6, 2021