A man in his 70s was caught but released without being referred to police after intruding into an education center for military intelligence officers earlier this month, officials said Monday, the latest in a series of security breaches at military compounds. The man, whose identity has been withheld, entered the Defense Security Support School in Goyang, north of Seoul, early this month after he got lost while hiking, according to the Defense Security Support Command. A duty officer who foun

Renewed uncertainty is hanging over defense cost-sharing talks between South Korea and the United States after President Donald Trump's reported rejection of a tentative deal to end their monthslong impasse feared to erode the alliance. The prolonged tug of war between the allies has fanned concerns that it could undercut their efforts for robust defense, as thousands of Korean workers of US Forces Korea (USFK) have been furloughed in the absence of a deal to fund their wages. Trump has turne

An American contractor working at a key US military base south of Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Sunday, bringing the total number of USFK-related infections to 22. The worker at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek underwent the test after his supervisors directed him to self-quarantine due to his direct contact with a COVID-19 patient. He last visited the base on March 26 and has been self-isolating outside the base since March 30. "This conf

US Forces Korea said Friday that all individuals on its installations will be required to wear masks or cloth face coverings in public spaces to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Effective Friday, all people at military installations must wear one if they cannot maintain at least 2 meters of social distance in public areas or work centers, USFK said in a release. The measure will be toughened starting on Saturday, as all individuals on its installations "will be required to wear a clot

The army chiefs of South Korea and the US held a telephone conversation Friday to discuss countering the coronavirus and the readiness of their combined forces. The call between Suh Wook, South Korea’s Army chief of staff, and James C. McConville, his US counterpart, was held at the request of the US. In the call, Gen. Suh highlighted strong measures to track down potential patients and test them while following anti-virus precautions as key to curb the spread of COVID-19. South Korea&r

US Forces Korea (USFK) reported a coronavirus case from Camp Casey, north of Seoul, on Wednesday, bringing the total number of USFK-related infections to 21. It is the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus from the base in the city of Dongducheon, around 40 kilometers north of Seoul. Other details were not immediately available. "Contact tracing and thorough cleaning are occurring now," USFK said in a Facebook post. USFK has kept the coronavirus risk level at "high"

The Army plans to hold a two-week field training involving some 4,500 service members this month, officials said Wednesday, amid lingering concerns over the new coronavirus. The exercise will kick off at the Korea Combat Training Center in the eastern county of Inje on April 20, the military said. The training comes as South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases stayed at around 50 for the third straight day Wednesday. The country's social distancing campaign is set to expire on April 19. Health a

Amid drawn-out negotiations on military cost-sharing between South Korea and the US, the defense chiefs of both countries spoke by phone and discussed the importance of reaching an “equitable” agreement quickly. 　 US Defense Secretary Mark Esper called Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday evening, and discussed the ongoing negotiations for about 20 minutes, according to Seoul’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday. 　 “I appreciate Korean Defen

A US surveillance aircraft has flown over South Korea, an aviation tracker said Saturday, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea following a series of major weapons tests by the communist nation last month. The US Air Force's RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted in skies above the eastern province of Gangwon and Gyeonggi Province near the capital city of Seoul, Aircraft Spots tweeted without specifying the exact time of the operation. It uploaded a similar post Saturday about detecting thi

South Korea's Bigung guided rocket system has passed a comparative test by the US defense department for foreign weapons, paving the way for exports to the US market, the arms procurement agency said Tuesday. The 70-millimeter rocket system hit all 10 targets and met all US requirements during the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) session held in South Korea in October that was attended by a panel of experts from the US Department of Defense, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Admini

US Forces Korea (USFK) reported another coronavirus case from its air US Forces Korea (USFK) reported another coronavirus case from its air base in the city of Pyeongtaek on Tuesday, bringing the total number of USFK-related infections to 20. It is the third COVID-19 case confirmed at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, near Camp Humphreys, where the USFK's headquarters is located, USFK said in a Facebook post. Other details were not immediately ava

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday he called South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo to discuss the importance of an "equitable" defense cost-sharing agreement between the allies. The phone call took place days after US Forces Korea placed thousands of Korean workers at US military bases on unpaid leave, citing the absence of an agreement to cover their salaries. "I appreciate Korean Defense Minister Jeong taking my phone call today to discuss the importance of

US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday it has commissioned civilian labs in South Korea to conduct coronavirus tests on samples from American troops stationed outside of the Korean Peninsula as it was unable to handle all outside test requests. A vernacular daily reported earlier in the day that 72 American servicemembers have been confirmed to have the virus in tests conducted by a South Korean research institute in Seoul at the request of the US military hospital at Camp Humphreys. The paper cit

US Forces Korea (USFK) declined to confirm a media report Monday that it plans to deploy advanced attack drones, similar to those used in the killing of a top Iranian general in January, in South Korea this year. The Chosun Ilbo, a Seoul-based daily, said six Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) drones will be deployed at a USFK air base in the southwestern city of Gunsan in September, citing an unidentified source. "The new drones were to have been deployed earlier, but US President Donald

The US 8th Army in Korea said Sunday it had stripped one sergeant and three soldiers of two months’ pay, as they had visited an off-base bar in violation of the military guidance not to travel outside their base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where the US military is headquartered. The three soldiers had their ranks downgraded to private as well. Noncompliance with the guidance will be made public so everyone related to the US military understands the consequences of defying the comma