The defense ministry said Wednesday it is trying to secure new "large-scale" firing ranges for the US Forces Korea (USFK) as the American military has complained about limited access to the existing ones due to strong protests from residents. In a report presented to the National Assembly, the ministry said that it will push to secure large-scale training sites as replacements of the existing ranges as part of its longer-term plan to resolve ongoing conflicts between the USFK and resi

Debate on drafting women reflects men’s frustration, perception that they’ve been taken for granted

The defense ministry on Wednesday began administering AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine to service members aged 30 and older, it said, amid growing concerns over the spread of the virus in barracks. Authorities plan to complete giving the first vaccine doses to 126,000 troops over the age of 30 in the next two weeks in the full-fledged launch of a vaccine campaign in the military. Receiving the vaccine is voluntary, but over 80 percent of the troops subject to the vaccination have agreed to t

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Won In-choul was to depart for Hawaii on Wednesday for talks with his US and Japanese counterparts to discuss the security situation in the region, his office said. Won is scheduled to meet with Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki on Thursday (Hawaii time) to discuss ways to strengthen "multilateral cooperation to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia," according to the military. Such trilateral face-to

Conscripted soldiers couldn’t brush teeth or shower in early days of mandatory service

The military plans to complete giving the first doses of coronavirus vaccines to service members aged 30 or older in the next two weeks, the defense ministry said Tuesday, amid sporadic infections reported in barracks across the country. Starting Wednesday, 126,000 service members over the age of 30 will receive AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine shots in a full-fledged launch of a vaccination campaign in the military, the ministry said. "Our plan is to wrap up vaccinating those age 30 or old

A state-run defense development agency said Tuesday it has completed the development of a new high power and high sensitivity radar technology capable of detecting stealth fighter jets. The new technology will be used for wide area surveillance to monitor military aircraft operated by neighboring countries near the Korean Peninsula, according to the Agency for Defense Development. "Securing a homegrown radar technology to detect warplanes with a low radar cross section was essential as th

A British aircraft carrier strike group will make a port call at the southeastern city of Busan later this year, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, as the European country seeks to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region. South Korea has accepted Britain's request for its HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier to make a port call at Busan in the second half to boost "bilateral defense cooperation and friendly exchanges," the ministry said. Accompanied by multiple warships an

The defense ministry said Monday it will launch inspections into growing complaints from soldiers that they were fed poor quality meals while in COVID-19 quarantine. Some service members have raised complaints over the quality of meals they were provided while in coronavirus quarantine upon returning from vacation, posting pictures of food that some even likened to prison meals. Some others also voiced complaints about the bad sanitation of temporary quarantine facilities. "The ministry

South Korea and China have not discussed the Quad alliance, a US-led democratic coalition comprising the US, Australia, India and Japan to contain an increasingly assertive China, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. “It’s an unequivocal no. We have not been in talks on the matter and on whether we will join the group,” ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said, referring to a report that Beijing had repeatedly asked Seoul whether it planned to join the group amid gro

Four airmen and a military civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. An Air Force officer in the southern city of Sacheon was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a series of infections were reported at the base, according to the ministry. Virus tests are under way for some 1,600 members at the unit, of which nine have tested positive so far. Another 1,089 have tested negative. Two airmen based in the eastern city of Wonju have al

Eight people, including Air Force officers and public servants, based at an Air Force unit in the southern city of Sacheon have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Sunday. Following three cases confirmed Saturday, five more at the same unit tested positive earlier in the day, according to the defense ministry and the Air Force. One of the soldiers who tested positive Saturday was found to have visited a local restaurant where infections broke out. The Air Force,

At least 32 Navy sailors who serve on the same naval ship have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. One Navy officer who serves on a landing ship underwent a virus test and tested positive after learning that a teacher of his child's day care center contracted COVID-19, according to the ministry. The child tested negative, however, and how the officer got infected is currently under investigation. Health authorities have found 31 more cases of his colle

Five Army members and two Air Force officers tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. Four of the soldiers and the two officers tested positive after either their recent vacation or coming into close contact with civilians who were confirmed to have been infected later, according to the ministry. The remaining member is a soldier in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan, who had been in isolation after one of his colleagues tested positive, it added. The new v

South Korea will push for the development of a state-of-the-art unmanned surveillance vehicle in earnest after years of preliminary research into the project, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. According to the Defense Acquisition Administration (DAPA), it successfully wrapped up the exploratory development of the robotic vehicle for surveillance purposes, which began in 2018 in cooperation with the Agency for Defense Development and local defense firms. The novel platform will be equi