The US Forces Korea (USFK) will start administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to its members this week, Gen. Robert Abrams said Wednesday. According to the US Department of Defense's plan, Allgood Army Community Hospital inside Camp Humphreys in South Korea will be one of four sites outside the continental US that will receive the initial vaccination. "Over the next few days, USFK will begin to receive and administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to combat the COVID-19 virus to further

South Korea has launched a second round of production for the Army's newly upgraded command and control system designed to improve commanders' real-time decision-making ability in combat situations, the arms procurement agency said Wednesday. The production for the Army's upgraded C4I -- command, control, communication, computer and intelligence -- system will by completed by October 2023 with a 150 billion-won ($135 million) investment, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administrati

South Korea scrambled fighter jets Tuesday to warn Chinese and Russian warplanes that had entered its air defense zone. But the warplanes did not fly into South Korea’s territorial airspace. The Air Defense Identification Zone, which surrounds the territorial airspace of each country, is recognized so countries may demand foreign aircraft take steps to identify themselves to avoid misunderstandings. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said four Chinese military aircraft flew in the morning near Ie

Revised law allows postponing military service until the age of 30 for decorated pop artists

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Australia held telephone talks Monday and discussed ways to boost exchanges and cooperation in defense and related industry fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. During the dialogue with Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds, South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook expressed gratitude to Australian veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. He also voiced hope for the further development of the bilateral ties, as next year marks the 60th annivers

Former US Defense Secretary James Mattis was chosen as the recipient of a South Korean government award for his contribution to the security of the Korean Peninsula and the bilateral alliance, the defense ministry said Monday. Mattis, who served as the top US defense official between 2017 and 2019, will receive this year's Paik Sun-yup Award, which was named after the best-known South Korean hero of the 1950-53 Korean War. He is the eighth recipient. "He played a pivotal role in managing

Two Navy officers and a soldier tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Saturday. The Navy officers stationed in the southeastern city of Jinhae underwent COVID-19 tests after their colleague was confirmed to have been infected earlier, according to the ministry. The soldier in the border city of Paju also tested positive while in isolation after coming in contact with other patients at his barracks, it added. The latest cases brought the total number of COVID-19 in

US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Friday called for "immediate and aggressive" measures against the new coronavirus, as the US military was set to raise its antivirus scheme by one notch. Effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, USFK will heighten the Health Protection Condition (HPCON) by one notch to Charlie, or HPCON C, for all areas in the country due to the resurgence of COVID-19 nationwide. The decision on the tighter guidance was announced earlier this week. The cou

South Korea's human rights watchdog said on Friday that the Army's forced discharge of a sergeant who underwent a sex reassignment surgery while serving in the military was an infringement of human rights by a public authority. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said its plenary meeting held Monday concluded the Army's decision in January not to allow Byun Hee-soo, then a staff sergeant, to continue to serve in the military as a female soldier had no legal grounds. The NHRCK

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

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

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

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

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

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