US flies spy aircraft over S. Korea ahead of N. Korea's founding anniversary

A US surveillance aircraft has flown over South Korea earlier this week, an aviation tracker said Friday, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea. The US Air Force's E-8C, or JSTARS, was spotted in the skies over the central part of South Korea and the metropolitan area the previous day, No Callsign tweeted. The flight came days before the North's founding anniversary of the communist government, which falls on Sept. 9. As a platform for airborne command and control, surveillance and

Sept. 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] Hanwha named preferred bidder for W1tr Australia artillery project

South Korean defense firm Hanwha Defense was named the preferred bidder for an artillery project worth about 1 trillion won ($842 million) in Australia, which involves building self-propelled K9 howitzers and K10 ammunition resupply vehicles, the Australian Defense Ministry said Thursday. “Through this project, this Government is delivering the capability Army needs while creating local jobs in and around Geelong that will grow our highly skilled workforce,” Australian Defense Minis

Sept. 3, 2020

Army soldier tests positive for new coronavirus after contact with infected colleague

An Army soldier stationed in the eastern coastal county of Yangyang tested positive for the new coronavirus after coming into contact with an infected colleague, the defense ministry said Thursday. The soldier has been in isolation after the colleague was confirmed to have COVID-19 following a visit to Seoul for vacation in mid-August. The greater Seoul area has seen a surge in the number of confirmed cases since around that time. He initially tested negative but received a positive result i

Sept. 3, 2020

Military doctors to be dispatched to treat COVID-19

South Korean military doctors will be dispatched to understaffed civilian health facilities to help treat coronavirus patients, as trainee doctors carry on their strike amid a surge in the number of severely and critically ill COVID-19 patients, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday. Starting Friday, 22 military doctors will begin work at nine facilities in the Seoul area, including hospitals, screening clinics and other designated centers treating COVID-19 patients. More doctors are expected to

Sept. 2, 2020

S. Korea seeks biggest defense budget at W53tr

The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that it was seeking a 5 percent increase in its budget for next year, with most of the total 52.9 trillion won ($44.7 billion) linked to personnel training and facilities maintenance. “We will make sure to invest in beefing up our capabilities to counter any security threat, both conventional and unconventional,” the ministry said. The budget is drawn as South Korea seeks to deter aggression from North Korea amid stalled nuclear talks, w

Sept. 1, 2020

Air Force chief tapped to head Joint Chiefs of Staff

Air Force chief Won In-choul was named to lead the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. “He is an operations expert with initiative to power through defense reforms including ongoing efforts to transfer the wartime operational control to South Korea from the US,” the ministry said. Seoul had been making preparations to take over the wartime role from Washington by 2022, but the plan has hit a snag over the reduced joint drills to te

Aug. 31, 2020

Defense ministry extends restrictions on troop vacation amid fight

The defense ministry said Sunday that it will extend a ban on military draftees' vacations and off-base movement by one week, as the country is practicing stricter social distancing to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. The two-week measure restricting conscripts from traveling outside their bases and meeting private visitors was set to expire Monday. With the extension, it will remain in effect until Sept. 6. The military has also decided to temporarily suspend all religious facilities

Aug. 30, 2020

Russian warplanes violate S. Korea's air defense zone again

South Korean officials said Saturday two Russian military planes briefly violated the country's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) the previous day for the second time in 10 days.   The planes, presumed to be Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft, entered the zone over the East Sea off Uljin, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Friday afternoon without prior notice, the military officials said.    They stayed about 30 minutes before exiting toward Japan's air defense iden

Aug. 29, 2020

Army chief named to lead Defense Ministry

Army chief Gen. Suh Wook was tapped to head the Ministry of National Defense, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday at a briefing. “He is experienced in field operations and strategy and has as well exceptional expertise in joint operations at the ROK-US Combined Forces Command,” spokesperson Kang Min-seok said, adding that Gen. Suh is fully versed in security initiatives championed by President Moon Jae-in. Suh, a four-star general, has taken on senior roles involving operations and strategy

Aug. 28, 2020

Civilian Army worker at unit participating in joint exercise with US tests positive for COVID-19

A civilian Army worker tested positive for the new coronavirus Wednesday, forcing hundreds of troops at his unit into quarantine, including some participating in an ongoing joint exercise with the United States, officials said. The summertime exercise, however, is under way as planned, as those essential for the training do not appear to have been affected, they added. The worker affiliated with the Army's First Corps in the city of Goyang, north of Seoul, tested positive following the infect

Aug. 26, 2020

Annual reserve forces' training called off due to COVID-19

The defense ministry decided to cancel this year's regular training for reserve forces due to the spike in coronavirus cases, officials said Friday. The training sessions for the country's 2.75 million-strong forces were supposed to kick off in September in a scaled-back manner after a monthslong delay over the COVID-19 situation.  But the ministry decided not to conduct field programs and instead have the forces take online programs "to join the nationwide efforts to overcome the

Aug. 21, 2020

Former US commander in Korea named to lead fraternity group

Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea from 2016-2018, was named chairman as well as president of the Korea Defense Veterans Association, the fraternity group comprising American and Korean servicemen said Wednesday. “KDVA has been essential in bringing together Americans and Koreans who care about the Alliance and how the Alliance supports both countries,” Gen. Brooks said. “My love for Korea and my appreciation for the Alliance are well-known, a

Aug. 20, 2020

US bombers conduct drill over Korean Peninsula in show of force

Several US bombers flew over waters between Korea and Japan on Monday in a show of force, it was revealed Wednesday. The US military’s deployment of four B-1B Lancers and two B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers to the region came just a day before South Korea and the US kicked off their annual joint military drills Tuesday. Scheduled to run through Aug. 28 this year, the drills are held annually to deter North Korea’s aggression, but are now scaled down, without key US-based troops, due t

Aug. 19, 2020

S. Korea, US kick off joint summertime exercise amid COVID-19 concern

South Korea and the United States on Tuesday kicked off their annual summertime combined exercise in a scaled-back manner amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. The computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training (CCPT), which will run until Aug. 28, is the first major exercise between the two countries this year as their annual springtime exercise was called off due to COVID-19. The first part of the exercise, which is to run until Saturday, will focus on how to defend the South ag

Aug. 18, 2020

S. Korea, US to stage joint military drills from Tuesday

South Korea and the US are set to kick off their annual summertime combined military exercises on Tuesday, with drills to be reduced in scope due to the coronavirus pandemic. 　 The computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will start Tuesday and run until Aug. 28, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement Sunday, while “comprehensively taking into consideration the COVID-19 situation.” 　 The joint exercise was initially scheduled to start Sunday, but the date was pushed

Aug. 17, 2020

S. Korea, US to stage joint summertime exercise this week: JCS

South Korea and the United States decided to kick off their annual summertime combined exercise in an adjusted manner this week, military officials said Sunday, following the postponement of their springtime training due to the coronavirus. The computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will begin Tuesday and run until Aug. 28, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, noting that the two sides made the decision "after taking into consideration related circumstances, such as t

Aug. 16, 2020

S. Korea, US to stage joint summertime exercise behind schedule amid coronavirus: sources

South Korea and the United States plan to kick off their annual summertime combined exercise in a scaled-back manner next week, days behind schedule amid a recent surge in new coronavirus cases, sources said Saturday. The computer-simulated command post exercise was initially set to begin Sunday and to run until Aug. 28, but the date of the commencement will be pushed back two days, the sources said, adding that it is to end on the planned date. The adjustment came as a South Korean Army offi

Aug. 15, 2020

Military to expand mine removal operations next week

The military will expand operations to detect and remove landmines in the border regions next week after a dozen mines were collected from flood-damaged areas amid concern that some could have also been washed away from North Korea, officials said Friday. Front-line military units have been working to search for mines that could have made their way south from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and other border regions as heavy downpours have drenched the country for weeks. As of Friday, 12 mines hav

Aug. 14, 2020

US military tightens coronavirus controls

Starting Aug. 21, all US military personnel will be required to undergo coronavirus testing before departing for South Korea, a US military newspaper reported Friday. Under the toughened rules, all US soldiers entering Korea will be quarantined for four weeks and must take two virus tests. They must be in a two-week quarantine before departure and again upon arrival here. They will be tested again before their isolated period here ends. The same rules apply to any family members traveling wit

Aug. 11, 2020

S. Korea, US set to launch combined summertime exercise next week

South Korea and the United States are expected to kick off their annual summertime combined exercise next week in a scaled-back manner due to coronavirus concerns, a source said Tuesday. The computer-simulated command post training will likely run from Aug. 16-28, the source said. In the run-up to the exercise, the two countries launched a four-day crisis management staff training (CMST) on Tuesday. Defense ministry officials, however, declined to confirm the dates. "The JCS is preparing

Aug. 11, 2020