S. Korea to develop border security sensor detecting ground vibration

South Korea began producing ground vibration sensors on a trial basis to install on the border with North Korea, officials said Thursday, after the military failed to detect a North Korean jumping over barbed wire fences on the border in a defection bid last month. The system is designed to sense vibrations on the ground and ring an alarm bell to allow troops to detect infiltrators, as it is to be equipped with diverse sensors, such as infrared, image and vibration sensors, according to the Def

Dec. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] High school dropouts no longer exempt from active duty

High school dropouts will no longer be exempt from mandatory active duty from next year, South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration said Wednesday. All able-bodied men here aged between 18 and 30 must serve active duty for 18 to 21 months. Currently, those who do not graduate from high school must complete alternative service. Unlike soldiers on active duty, participants in the program do not live together or take part in training at military bases. Instead they work as delegates to d

Dec. 16, 2020

Govt. to disregard education levels in military service recruitment

The government will disregard education levels in determining whether one is fit for active military service, the military recruitment agency said Wednesday. Under the current law, the government is required to recruit men with at least high school diplomas for active military service. Those with lower levels of education are assigned to reservist duties, though they can still serve active duty if they volunteered and met certain physical criteria. The government will abolish the education-bas

Dec. 16, 2020

S. Korea to buy MH-60R Seahawk to boost Navy's anti-submarine capabilities

South Korea on Tuesday decided to buy U.S. aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky's MH-60R Seahawk helicopter to bolster the Navy's anti-submarine capabilities, the arms procurement agency said. South Korea will sign a contract with the Lockheed Martin Corp. subsidiary this year for the 960 billion won ($878 million) project to purchase maritime choppers to boost the Navy's detection and attack capabilities against enemies' vessels and submarines, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administra

Dec. 15, 2020

Abrams says USFK will get COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it's authorized

The first batch of a coronavirus vaccine for US Forces Korea (USFK) is expected to be shipped to South Korea as soon as it is approved for emergency use, Gen. Robert Abrams said Monday. The USFK commander made the remark in an interview with the American Forces Network radio station, saying the vaccine to be used for overseas US personnel is likely to be Moderna's, though the US has begun distributing Pfizer's vaccine across the country. "We expect that to happen anytime soon ... probably

Dec. 14, 2020

S. Korea ranks 10th in world arms exports: report

South Korea was the 10th-largest arms exporter in the 2015-2019 period, accounting for 2.1 percent of the world's total defense exports, an annual government report showed Monday. According to the Global Defense Market Yearbook 2020 published by the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, Britain, Iraq and Indonesia were the main buyers of South Korea's defense products during the period. South Korea ranked 11th in last year's report. The United States remained the top arms exporter, foll

Dec. 14, 2020

S. Korea develops mine detector capable of finding nonmetal explosives

South Korea has developed a new mine detector capable of finding nonmetal explosives, such as wooden-boxed land mines with the country's indigenous technologies, the arms procurement agency said Monday. Equipped with a ground penetrating radar, the PRS-20K detector also has an improved detection rate in finding metallic mines compared with the PRS-17K currently used by the military since the late 1990s, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Developed by Hanwha Systems C

Dec. 14, 2020

USFK tightens COVID-19 restrictions in greater Seoul area

US Forces Korea said Friday it will strengthen anti-coronavirus restrictions for its personnel in the greater Seoul area following a resurgence in the number of virus cases in the country. Effective 6 p.m. Saturday, the US military will heighten the Health Protection Condition by one notch to Charlie for Area II that encompasses Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western city of Incheon, until further notice. Under the tightened rules, "only mission essential individuals wil

Dec. 11, 2020

US returns 12 military sites to Korea

The United States returned 12 military sites that were controlled by its forces to South Korea on Friday, in a major handover that included the Yongsan base in central Seoul for the first time.  Following a drawn-out return process due to disputes over environmental cleanup and other issues, the allies finalized the handover at a regular joint meeting of the Status of Forces Agreement, which stipulates legal responsibility of the 28,500-strong US forces stationed here.  The 201st SO

Dec. 11, 2020

US returns 12 military sites to S. Korea, including some at Yongsan Garrison

The United States on Friday returned 12 American military sites to South Korea, including some in central Seoul, amid persistent concerns that an additional delay would further dampen regional development efforts. During a virtual joint committee session of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Seoul and Washington agreed on the return of the sites, though they failed to bridge differences on who and how to shoulder environmental cleanup costs, Seoul officials said. But the two sides agreed t

Dec. 11, 2020

Military to dispatch hundreds of officers to support antivirus work

The defense ministry said Thursday it will dispatch over 300 military officials to help with the government's handling of the resurgence of the new coronavirus. Starting Friday, a total of 362 officers from the Army's special warfare command will be sent to public health centers in the Seoul metropolitan region to help their antivirus work, including contact tracing and data management, according to the ministry. The move comes as South Korea is struggling to stem the spread of COVID-19, with

Dec. 10, 2020

US firm touts attack helicopter to S. Korea

US aerospace manufacturer Bell Textron claimed Wednesday its attack helicopter model would be a highly reliable option for South Korea’s military, which is seeking to create an aviation regiment next year. South Korea’s military is divided on whether to deploy local or foreign attack helicopters from 2026.    Bell’s Viper helicopter is the preferred overseas candidate. It performs better than the local competitor but costs more to maintain. The Marine Corp

Dec. 9, 2020

S. Korea to develop autonomous underwater mine detector

South Korea will develop an autonomous underwater mine detector with its indigenous technologies to boost the military's capabilities in mine countermeasure operations, the arms procurement agency said Wednesday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said it has signed a 12 billion-won ($11 million) contract with LIG Nex1 Co. to develop the robot capable of autonomously searching for mines in waters some hundreds of meters below the surface for over 20 hours. Currently, the military u

Dec. 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] USFK under fire over no-mask dance party amid virus resurgence

The US Forces Korea is facing criticism over a dance party held at one of its bases last week at which participants did not wear face masks amid South Korea's heightened social distancing scheme to stem the resurgence of new coronavirus cases. The party took place at Flightline Tap Room at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Friday, with dozens of people dancing side by side without wearing masks, according to officials. On the same day, South Korea's daily number of new COVID-19

Dec. 8, 2020

‘Seoul unlikely to reclaim wartime role from US during Moon’s tenure’

South Korea is unlikely to reclaim its wartime operational command from the US by May 2022 as President Moon Jae-in has pledged, experts told The Korea Herald. Experts said little time is left in Moon’s tenure and the transfer will be delayed even after Seoul greets a new US military chief, as announced Friday. The new chief will replace Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the United States Forces Korea who said it would be “premature” to set a date for the handover. The two a

Dec. 7, 2020

Proposed US defense budget bill limits reduction of USFK troop level

WASHINGTON -- The US defense budget bill for next year seeks to prevent a reduction of US troop levels in South Korea, a US congressional record showed Thursday. According to the Conference Report on the defense budget, the US Congress seeks to prevent the use of the national defense budget to reduce the number of US Forces Korea from the current level of 28,500. "None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act may be used to reduce the total number of members of the Armed For

Dec. 4, 2020

Military to use Samsung smartphone-based combat information device

The military will introduce a Samsung smartphone-based combat information device on a trial basis next year that will enable troops to view real-time battle information without relying on communications networks. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said it has signed a contract with LIG Nex1 Co. to buy the individual combat equipment for the Army and the Marine Corps, which will allow troops to communicate, sharing intelligence and battle situations, without a separate communications

Dec. 4, 2020

US Army Pacific commander named new USFK chief: sources

US Army Pacific Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has been nominated to be the next commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK), sources said Friday. If confirmed, LaCamera will succeed Gen. Robert Abrams to lead the 28,500 American troops based in South Korea, as well as to take the helm of the UN Command and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command. Abrams took office in November 2018. The nomination is part of a routine reshuffle, though no official term of office is set for a USFK commander, the

Dec. 4, 2020

Budget for veterans affairs rises 2.7% to W5.8tr next year

Korea's budget for patriots and veterans rose 2.7 percent on-year to 5.8 trillion won ($5.29 billion) in 2021, the veterans affairs ministry said Thursday. The amount approved by the National Assembly the previous day is slightly higher than the 5.79 trillion won the government requested, as the budget for subsidies to veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and the families of patriots who fought against the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule rose during a parliamentary review, according to the ministr

Dec. 3, 2020

S. Korea's defense budget rises 5.4 percent to W52.8tr in 2021

South Korea's defense budget for next year rose 5.4 percent on-year as the country strives to boost its self-defense capabilities amid growing security uncertainties and nontraditional challenges, such as infectious diseases, the defense ministry said Wednesday.    According to the budget plan approved by the National Assembly, military spending for 2021 was set at 52.8 trillion won ($48 billion), up from this year's 50.15 trillion won.    The approved amount is slightly l

Dec. 2, 2020