Army Chief of Staff Gen. Nam Yeong-shin vowed Tuesday to accelerate the establishment of a drone robot-based combat system to enhance its capabilities in evolving battle environments. "The dronebot combat system will be one of the Army's core capabilities in the future. We will strive further for its early deployment in close cooperation with the government, related industries and the academic circle," Nam said during a forum on military drones held at the military headquarters in the

An Army officer and a soldier tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday, the latest in a series of infections among service members across the nation. The officer stationed in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan was confirmed to have been infected after showing symptoms while on vacation, according to the ministry. The soldier of an Army unit in the eastern city of Wonju also underwent a COVID-19 test after coming into close contact with a civilian, who later

South Korea’s first homegrown fighter jet, the KF-21 Boramae, will be ready to fly with weapons aboard by 2028, the arms procurement agency said Sunday. “We will come up with air-to-air missiles by 2026 and air-to-surface missiles by 2028,” the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said. The fighter jet, whose prototype was revealed to the public Friday, will have to go through flight tests through 2026 and become combat ready by 2032. It provides an opportunity for Kore

The defense ministry on Monday extended the current social distancing rules for the military, which allow service members to take vacation in a limited manner, for three weeks. The Level 2 scheme, which was supposed to expire Sunday, will be in place until May 2 in line with the government's guidance, according to the ministry. Under the Level 2 scheme, troops are allowed to go on vacation while strictly adhering to antivirus measures, such as a mandatory quarantine and coronavirus tests. Up t

An Army soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus after a vacation, the defense ministry said Friday. The soldier, based in Yanggu, some 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine upon returning from a vacation, according to the ministry. Some 40 people at the base who had contact with the soldier have all tested negative. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 671. Nationw

An American service member and a South Korean contractor working for US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to the US military. The service member, on a temporary duty to USFK, was confirmed Wednesday to have contracted COVID-19 in a virus test conducted prior to his return to his permanent duty station off the Korean Peninsula, it said. On the same day, a South Korean contractor who works at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, was

The South Korean and Indonesian defense chiefs said that their deal to build Korea’s first homegrown fighter jets together represents a relationship based on trust, and that they should build on the legacy to expand exchanges, at a face-to-face meeting in Seoul on Thursday. The KF-X program, in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest, is set to reveal its prototype jet early this month, but Indonesia has so far paid just $22 million

Maj. Gen. Kim Tae-sung, the first Marine division commander, was tapped as the top commandant of the armed service in a regular reshuffle, the defense ministry said Thursday. He will replace Lt. Gen. Lee Seung-do, who led the Marine Corps since April 2019. The 54-year-old officer has served various positions in the service branch after his graduation from the Republic of Korea Naval Academy. "As an expert in Marine operations and strategy fields, the nominee has a strategic insight and c

Three American service members and a dependent have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here in the past two weeks, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. Two of the service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on US government chartered flights, while the others traveled via commercial flights, according to the US military. "Thorough cleaning of all transportation assets and quarantine rooms has been completed," USF

A military officer working for the arms procurement agency tested positive for the new coronavirus, the latest in a series of confirmed cases there, the defense ministry said Thursday. The officer of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has been in isolation after coming into close contact with his colleague who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry. Since last week, the agency has reported six COVID-19 cases, including the latest one. All of them worked at a same

The South Korean and European Union defense chiefs agreed to cooperate on Seoul’s initiative to engage North Korea in talks to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, at a face-to-face meeting in Seoul on Wednesday. Defense Minister Suh Wook and Gen. Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU Military Committee, discussed expanding ties to deal with security concerns on the Korean Peninsula and in the surrounding regions. Graziano, who represents the defense chiefs of the 27-member EU, reports t

Indonesia is defaulting on a deal with South Korea to build Korea’s first homegrown fighter jets, sitting on its contribution to the project worth at least 8 trillion won ($7.1 billion), but Seoul is confident that it could manage the undertaking without the Southeast Asian country. The KF-X program, in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest, is set to reveal its prototype jet early this month, but Indonesia has so far paid just $2

South Korea's Cabinet approved a recently concluded defense cost sharing deal with the United States on Tuesday, a foreign ministry official said, noting that the government will request parliamentary consent for it at an early date. Last month, the two countries concluded the deal, under which Seoul is to pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.05 billion) this year, up from 1.038 trillion won in 2019, for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK). The government is expected to request the Na

Delays in building a US base in South Korea to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system have been a fact of life for the past four years. But the two allies may soon find themselves at odds as Washington demands better living conditions for its personnel handling the THAAD system. In April 2017, South Korea brought in a THAAD battery to counter mounting threats from North Korea. But the living accommodations for the soldiers who live at the site remain inadequate, as Sou

South Korea is in talks with Indonesia to set up defense ministerial talks on the occasion of an upcoming rollout ceremony showcasing a prototype of South Korea's first indigenous fighter jet this month, the defense ministry said Monday. Whether Indonesia, a partner for the KF-X project, will send senior officials to the rollout ceremony has been a focus of attention as it could be a sign the country remains committed to the joint project amid speculation it is seeking to quit the business. So