2 US service members in S. Korea test positive for new coronavirus

Two American service members stationed in South Korea recently have tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) has said. One soldier, stationed at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have been infected on Feb. 27, after providing a screening sample as part of the command's surveillance testing program, according to the USFK. He is in isolation at a facility for COVID-19 patients, and USFK and South Korean health authorities are

March 2, 2021

Navy urged to spell out W2tr weapon project

South Korea’s Navy saw its yearslong dream come true on Feb. 22, when the Ministry of National Defense approved a plan to build the nation’s first light aircraft carrier by 2033. But experts say that the Navy could do better to assure the skeptics opposing the 2 trillion-won ($1.8 billion) project.  First discussed in 1996, the project is strongly backed this time by a united Navy, with its chief appealing to the public that the weapon would help South

March 1, 2021

S. Korea to roll out prototype of first homegrown fighter jet next month

South Korea will showcase a prototype of the country's first indigenous fighter jet in April, the arms procurement agency has said. Jung Kwang-sun, heading the KF-X program at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said the planned rollout event will be a "landmark moment" for the country and the aerospace industry. "After working only with the blueprint so far, we will now have something we can actually see and test whether what we have been studying actually works,&q

March 1, 2021

S. Korea, US near deal on sharing troop costs

South Korea and the United States are close to inking an agreement that could settle a prolonged dispute over how they should share the cost of maintaining 28,500 US troops here, the Wall Street Journal said Friday. The two allies, whose talks have continually fallen apart since September 2019 because of differences over how much of the burden Seoul should shoulder, are reportedly set to sign a five-year accord. Seoul would pay about $1.3 billion in the fifth year, almost half the cost of stat

Feb. 28, 2021

COVID-19 vaccines transported to Ulleung Island via military helicopter

The defense ministry said Sunday it transported a batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Ulleung Island in the East Sea to help inoculate local residents, where access through commercial transportation is relatively time consuming and difficult. The ministry said a batch of AstraZeneca's vaccine from the government's vaccine storage warehouse left Icheon, some 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and arrived at a Navy base on Ulleung via a CH-47D military transportation helicopter. After its landing, the

Feb. 28, 2021

Nearly 1,000 conscientious objectors allowed to do alternative military duty

A total of 984 people have been approved to substitute their mandatory military service for other public service due to their religious and other personal beliefs since a related act took office in 2019, the military manpower agency said Friday. By law, all able-bodied South Korean men must carry out military service for about two years. But the National Assembly passed a bill allowing those who refuse to take up arms for religious or other personal beliefs to do other forms of service without

Feb. 26, 2021

Court recognizes 1st conscientious objector on ethical grounds

Conscientious objectors in South Korea will now be able to perform alternative service instead of reserve forces training if they demonstrate personal beliefs in nonviolence, South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday. South Korea, which conscripts all able-bodied men for about two years to maintain defense readiness against North Korea and requires reserve forces training for eight years after they are discharged, introduced the program in October to honor a court ruling.  The Cons

Feb. 25, 2021

14 USFK-affiliated people test positive for coronavirus

Twelve American service members and two of their family members have tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival here from the United States recently, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. Seven service members and two dependents arrived on international commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, between Feb. 5 and Feb. 21, according to USFK. The remaining five service members arrived at Osan Air Base on US government chartered flights from the US on Feb. 3 and 22

Feb. 25, 2021

Discussions still under way on upcoming S. Korea-US combined exercise: defense ministry

South Korea and the United States have yet to finalize the schedule and other details of a planned combined springtime military exercise, the defense ministry said Thursday. The joint computer-simulated command post training is expected to kick off in around the second week of March for about 10 days. But exactly when and how the exercise will be staged has not yet been announced. "The date, content and other details of the combined exercise to be held in the first half of the year are no

Feb. 25, 2021

Army soldier tests positive for COVID-19

An Army soldier based in Paju, north of Seoul, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The soldier was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 in a virus test conducted after a vacation in Seoul, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 571. Of them, 558 have been fully cured and 13 are under treatment. Nationwide, South Korea added 396 new cases Thursday, bringing the tota

Feb. 25, 2021

1st conscientious objector recognized on ethical grounds

A conscientious objector received approval on Wednesday to perform alternative service instead of undergoing mandatory conscription. He is the first conscientious objector in South Korea to qualify for the program because of a personal belief in nonviolence, rather than on religious grounds. South Korea, which conscripts all able-bodied men for about two years to maintain defense readiness against North Korea, introduced the program in October to honor a court ruling that the country stop penal

Feb. 24, 2021

American soldier at Seongnam air base tests positive for COVID-19

An American service member stationed at an air base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea said Tuesday. The soldier at K-16 Air Base was confirmed on Monday as having contracted COVID-19 following direct contact with a person who tested positive earlier, according to the US military. “KDCA and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed to these individual

Feb. 23, 2021

Defector’s entry exposes diminishing military readiness at border

It took South Korea’s military at least three hours to detect a border breach by a North Korean defector who swam across the eastern maritime border on Feb. 16, in what appeared to be an indisputable lapse in border security. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that the military surveillance system picked up the man the moment he set foot on South Korean soil at 1:05 a.m. that day, but it learned about the event at 4:16 a.m. Commanders were notified much later. The def

Feb. 23, 2021

Defense minister readies for nationwide vaccine rollout

South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook on Monday chaired a teleconference reviewing the last-minute preparations for the first round of coronavirus vaccinations to begin Friday. The military has practiced safely delivering the vaccines -- from AstraZeneca and Pfizer -- to about 340,000 patients and medical personnel in nursing homes and COVID-19 treatment centers.  Pfizer vaccines need to be kept at temperatures at least as cold as minus 60 degrees Celsius, while AstraZeneca vaccines can

Feb. 22, 2021

US generals warn against rush for OPCON transfer

South Korea’s push to take over its wartime operational command from the US, which has been responsible for it since the 1953 Korean War armistice, has taken a more serious hit after a former US commander openly challenged the plan. Retired Gen. Burwell Bell, who headed the joint forces from 2006 to 2008, withdrew his previous support for the transition, saying the change would have a devastating fallout. “If the United States places restrictions on the employment of its troops i

Feb. 21, 2021

2 Army soldiers, Marine test positive for COVID-19

Two Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The Marine was confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 in a test required before returning to his unit in the city of Gimpo, west of Seoul, after vacationing in the central city of Boryeong, according to the ministry. In Boryeong, a full-time reservist soldier tested positive following direct contact with another person who contracted the virus. An Army officer based in Hwaseon

Feb. 19, 2021

Defense chief apologizes over border security breach

South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook on Wednesday apologized for the latest lapse in border security after a North Korean man swam across the eastern maritime border unnoticed. The man, who was taken into custody Tuesday hours after being spotted by military surveillance personnel, is believed to be a civilian in his 20s seeking to defect. He was captured walking along the road on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. “Commanders and the rank an

Feb. 18, 2021

Army officer tests positive for COVID-19

An Army officer in Pocheon, north of Seoul, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The officer was confirmed to have contracted the virus after developing symptoms, according to the ministry. It was not known how he got the virus. The case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 563. Of them, 554 patients have been fully cured while the other nine are under treatment. Nationwide, South Korea reported 621 new

Feb. 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] Another North Korean makes it to South unnoticed

A North Korean who was taken into custody Tuesday is believed to have swum across the eastern maritime border, the military said Wednesday. The military failed to capture him until it spotted him walking along the road on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. The man, who was captured after a six-hour chase on Tuesday morning, reportedly wore a wet suit and flippers, which the military found on the eastern shore in the northernmost region of Gangwon Province.

Feb. 17, 2021

S. Korea, US have 'clear commitment' to conclude defense cost talks before April: source

South Korea and the United States share a "clear commitment" to strike a deal on the sharing of the cost for stationing 28,500 America troops here before April, a diplomatic source said Wednesday. Seoul and Washington have been stepping up final-stage efforts to reach the deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), as South Korean civilians working for the US Forces Korea (USFK) could be forced to go on unpaid leave on April 1 absent a new deal. "We mutually have a clear

Feb. 17, 2021