Navy chief urged to take 'special caution' after defense ministry inspection

The defense ministry called Wednesday on the Navy chief to take "special caution" in conducting his duties, a measure that followed an inspection into the allegations he failed to attend an emergency meeting on a missing officer earlier this month after drinking alcohol. But the ministry dismissed the claims that Adm. Boo Suk-jong failed to properly handle the case involving the officer, stressing he had faithfully carried out his role as the chief of naval operations at the time of

Jan. 27, 2021

S. Korea to invest W45b to develop new technologies to monitor space objects

South Korea will invest 45 billion won ($41 million) in the next five years to develop next-generation technologies to track and monitor space objects, a state-run research center said Wednesday. The new laser-based technologies are aimed at better monitoring objects that fly over the Korean Peninsula amid an increase in the use of satellites for military purposes, according to the Defense Industry Technology Center. Hanwha Systems Co. will lead the research project that will be joined by a nu

Jan. 27, 2021

Four USFK-affiliated people test positive for COVID-19

Two US Department of Defense officials and two dependents of a service member based in South Korea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday. One of the officials, who works at US Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Saturday following his direct contact with a person who tested positive earlier, according to the US military. The other department official working at the

Jan. 26, 2021

Military to improve security system along eastern border after defection case

The military will take additional steps to improve the security system along the eastern section of the inter-Korean border this year following a recent unhindered border crossing case by a North Korean, officials said Tuesday. In November last year, the North Korean civilian crossed the border in the town of Goseong into the South undeterred in a suspected defection attempt. Malfunction of sensors installed at the fences and other loopholes in the military's scientific security system were bla

Jan. 26, 2021

S. Korea completes deployment of K-14 sniper rifle, observation device

South Korea has completed the deployment of K-14 sniper rifles and its observation device at infantry units to boost combat capabilities in missions involving precision attacks, the arms procurement agency said Tuesday. The K-14 rifle developed with domestic technology was first deployed for special forces in 2013 and was distributed to infantry battalions in 2017, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. With the deployment of the observation devices used along with the we

Jan. 26, 2021

Defense ministry denies media report on alleged push for time-based OPCON transfer

South Korea and the United States are working closely on the conditions-based wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer, as agreed upon earlier, the defense ministry said Monday, rebutting a media report that Seoul seeks to fix a date for the goal. Earlier in the day, local daily JoongAng Ilbo reported that South Korea abandoned its goal of regaining the operational control of its troops from Washington by the end of President Moon Jae-in's term, and instead aims to clearly fix a transition

Jan. 25, 2021

S. Korea completes development of wheel-type command post for military

South Korea has completed the development of a command post vehicle to replace makeshift tent type posts for front-line infantry units, the arms procurement agency said Monday. The new wheel type vehicle allows commanders to lead combats while moving around and is equipped with devices to defend against enemy's chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) attacks, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Hyundai Rotem Co. had led the development since 2017, using mostly loca

Jan. 25, 2021

3 more service members diagnosed with coronavirus: defense ministry

Three South Korean service members have been newly confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, bringing the total caseload in the military to 543, the defense ministry announced Saturday. Two Air Force soldiers in a base in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, have been diagnosed with the virus while in quarantine following a report of confirmed cases, the ministry said. A total of 15 infections have been reported so far in the installation. Another solider at an Army unit in Suncheon, South Jeolla

Jan. 23, 2021

Navy's sea salvage unit conducts annual wintertime training

The Navy's Sea Salvage and Rescue Unit has kicked off its annual wintertime training as part of efforts to maintain full operational readiness, the military said Friday. Around 50 members of the special unit launched the three-day training at the southern port of Jinhae on Wednesday, which includes drills to hone skills for underwater search operations and rubber boat pedaling, according to the Navy. "With antivirus measures in place, we conducted the training to cultivate our service mem

Jan. 22, 2021

10 USFK-affiliated people test positive for COVID-19

Ten people affiliated with US Forces Korea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Thursday. A US Department of Defense official working at US Army Garrison Yongsan tested positive Wednesday after developing symptoms. She last visited the base on Monday, according to USFK. The spouse of another DoD official in Yongsan who tested positive earlier and a service member stationed at Kunsan Air Base were also confirmed to have contracted the virus the same day. &ldquo

Jan. 21, 2021

Unmanned submarines, flying bikes, AI pilots proposed as future game changers

The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has proposed unmanned submarines, flying bikes, and artificial intelligence (AI) pilots as the future game changers. In a collaboration with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the ADD unveiled the Novel Weapon Systems Yearbook in booklet form for free on its website Wednesday. Introduced in the booklet, the state-of-the-art weapons systems cover a wide range of technologies in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including AI, synt

Jan. 21, 2021

USFK reports another virus case linked to Yongsan base

A US Department of Defense official working at an American military base in central Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday. The American working at the US Army Garrison Yongsan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Monday following direct contact with someone who tested positive earlier, the US military said. The official had been in quarantine at his off-installation residence since Jan. 8, and tested positive after developing symptoms.

Jan. 20, 2021

Navy officer in Seoul tests positive for COVID-19

A Navy officer based in Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus after coming into contact with an infected civilian, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The officer was confirmed to have been infected in a test conducted before release from quarantine, which he was put into following contact with a person who was found to have contracted COVID-19, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections among the military population to 540. Meanwhile, a vete

Jan. 20, 2021

Defense ministry inspects Navy chief's alleged absence on night officer went missing

The defense ministry on Tuesday launched an inspection into allegations the Navy chief failed to show up at an emergency meeting convened to discuss an officer who went missing earlier this month after having drinks that night, officials said. On Jan. 9, a Navy officer was found dead after going missing near the western border island of Baengnyeong while on guard operations the previous day. His body was found in the Yellow Sea hours later. The Navy convened an emergency meeting to monitor the

Jan. 19, 2021

S. Korea withdraws destroyer to negotiate tanker release

South Korea pulled its anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit from the Strait of Hormuz near Iran in a show of good faith in the negotiation to release a South Korea-flagged tanker seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps for polluting the sea, Seoul officials said Monday. Tehran lodged a strong complaint with Seoul on Jan. 5, a day after it seized the tanker, when South Korea deployed the unit to the strait off the Iranian coast. South Korea withdrew the destroyer in a sign of goodwill before fi

Jan. 18, 2021

Defense ministry extends restrictions on troop vacations over pandemic

The defense ministry said Monday it has extended a toughened social distancing scheme for two weeks, banning troops from vacationing and taking off-installation trips to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Since November, the ministry has enforced Level 2.5 social distancing rules, the second highest in its five-tier alert system, following a series of COVID-19 cluster infections at barracks across the country. "Given the government's decision on the social distancing rules, we've dec

Jan. 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] USFK issues 'shelter in place' directive amid COVID-19 outbreaks in barracks

United States Forces Korea (USFK) on Sunday issued a "shelter in place" directive, ordering part of its service members to remain at home after additional COVID-19 outbreaks were reported inside its barracks. According to USFK's Twitter account, the directive dated Saturday requires service members based at Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, to stay at home except for necessary activities. It said the directive will expire Tuesday. The

Jan. 17, 2021

Military postpones reserve forces' training to second half due to COVID-19

The military has decided not to hold regular training sessions for reserve forces in the first half of this year due to the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The training for the country's 2.75 million-strong forces was slated to kick off in March across the nation, but it will be held in the second half in consideration of the COVID-19 situation, according to the ministry. South Korean reservists are required to go through one training session of one to three days per year. I

Jan. 15, 2021

7 American workers on Yongsan base test positive for coronavirus

Seven American civilians working at US Forces Korea (USFK)'s Yongsan garrison in central Seoul have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Thursday. One US Department of Defense (DoD) employee and four contractors, who work together on the base, have been in isolation after coming into direct contact with their colleague who earlier tested positive for COVID-19, according to the USFK. The sixth case is the spouse of one of the contractors, who works at a separate locatio

Jan. 14, 2021

2 Army members in Suwon test positive for new coronavirus

An enlisted soldier and a civilian official of an Army unit in the metropolitan city of Suwon tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. They underwent COVID-19 tests after coming into close contact with another enlisted soldier confirmed to be infected with the virus earlier this week, according to the ministry. The latest cases brought the total number of virus cases among the military population to 526. Currently, 337 service members are in isolation in ac

Jan. 14, 2021