South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is expected to meet virtually with Southeast Asian foreign ministers Friday and ask for their support in building lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as the two Koreas seek to repair ties over recently reconnected hotlines. North Korea is also attending the ASEAN Regional Forum, which brings together top envoys from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations and their counterparts from 17 countries, including the US and EU. But North

Foreign Affairs Aug. 6, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday instructed the defense minister to discuss the S. Korea-US military drills “carefully” by taking into consideration multiple factors, a hint the annual exercises could see some change this year. According to the presidential office, Moon told Defense Minister Suh Wook to prepare for the joint drills while looking at “factors including the pandemic.” Moon’s comment comes just a day after the country’s spy agency told la

North Korea Aug. 4, 2021

South Korea should not suspend military exercises with the US to rebuild ties with North Korea because Pyongyang is not interested in peace efforts like Seoul, experts said Tuesday. On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned Seoul against holding the drills, which Pyongyang routinely denounces as rehearsals for war. The South and US annually stage drills mainly in spring and summer to bolster readiness against the North. A last-minute debate over whether to g

Defense Aug. 3, 2021

South Korea and the US are still discussing the joint military exercises set for later this month, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday, amid growing speculation they could skip the drills to make room for South and North Korea to rebuild strained ties. On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement warning Seoul against the exercises, a week after the two Koreas reopened communications lines. A year ago, Pyongyang cut them and demolished

Defense Aug. 2, 2021

South Korea and the US have yet to reach consensus on clean-up costs for military bases that Washington is handing back to Seoul, despite years of talks, the first of which was held in 2002. On Friday, the US military agreed to return about one-quarter of its Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul by early next year. This is the second time since last year the US military is giving up parts of its Yongsan base, the largest US installation here and one of 12 sites out of 80 it needs to hand over to K

Defense Aug. 1, 2021

The military has recently seen its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, which forced its anti-piracy warship to come home last week. The 301-strong Cheonghae Unit, which left the country unvaccinated for Africa in February, cut short its mission because more than two-thirds of its crew were infected. But the military, which sent an aircraft to airlift the crew and a contingent to bring the 4,400-ton destroyer left behind back home, told the parliamentary defense committee tha

Defense July 27, 2021

Seamen on South Korea’s unvaccinated anti-piracy mission who returned home from Africa this week because of a massive COVID outbreak aboard their warship said Friday that the coronavirus could have spread onto the vessel from food supplies they loaded from a nearby port. A seaman from the 301-strong Cheonghae Unit, which arrived here Tuesday with more than two-thirds of its crew infected, exhibited cold symptoms on July 2, a day after the destroyer made a four-day supply stop at a port. M

Defense July 23, 2021

The military’s decision to launch an inspection into the COVID-19 outbreak that forced its anti-piracy unit to return home from Africa has sparked concerns, as the military plans to run the examination itself without outside experts that critics say are needed for an independent inquiry. The Cheonghae Unit, which cut short its mission, was found to have been sidelined from the vaccine priority list. It was left out from the March vaccination campaign because of supply constraints; it

Defense July 23, 2021

The Ministry of National Defense has launched a sweeping inspection into the massive COVID-19 outbreak that forced its unvaccinated anti-piracy unit to return home five months after departing for Africa, military officials said Thursday. The inspection comes amid mounting calls for Defense Minister Suh Wook to step down to take responsibility for an aborted overseas mission, a first for the military, which airlifted the 301-strong Cheonghae Unit on Tuesday. More than two-thirds of the cre

Defense July 22, 2021

Military and health authorities had not looked to vaccinate the country’s anti-piracy warship off the coast of Africa, despite opportunities along the way. So when the COVID-19-hit unit returned home Tuesday, it was the first time the military had cut an overseas mission short. The military, which has said the seamen could not get COVID shots because they had little expertise in handling a possible allergic reaction to the vaccine or the ability to manage extreme storage conditions f

Defense July 21, 2021

South Korea’s arms procurement agency recently suspended its project to replace the K1A assault rifle for special forces after it found the defense firm contracted for the job had unauthorized access beforehand to the type of weapons the agency was planning to develop.  The K1A uses rifle ammunition but is classified as a submachine gun by the military. “Nothing, really, has been decided on what to do with the project yet … we’ll have to see how the trial unf

Defense July 20, 2021

Poor decision-making was behind the failure to vaccinate the 301-strong crew on an anti-piracy ship before they left for Africa, Defense Minister Suh Wook said as he apologized Tuesday for a huge COVID outbreak aboard the 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great. Suh was facing criticism over the outbreak that forced the military to cut short its overseas mission for the first time. The military said the seamen could not get COVID shots because they had little expertise in handling a possible allerg

Defense July 20, 2021

South Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit is returning home this week after 68 seamen tested positive for the coronavirus aboard a warship off the coast of Africa, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday. Two-thirds of the 301-strong crew are still awaiting test results. This is the first time the military has cut short an overseas mission because of a pandemic. None of the seamen had received any COVID-19 vaccinations because the March vaccination campaign began a month after their dep

Defense July 18, 2021

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

Defense July 15, 2021

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,

Defense July 14, 2021