The South Korean military has been reconsidering whether to participate in an upcoming multinational military exercise in Thailand as the new coronavirus continues to spread, officials said Sunday. The 39th Cobra Gold exercise, co-sponsored by the Thai and US armed forces, is scheduled to be held from Feb. 26 through March 6. The annual exercise is expected to be joined by more than two dozen countries, including Japan, Singapore and Indonesia. Last year, China and India also participated in

About 1,100 soldiers are quarantined and outdoor military training has been adjusted as part of efforts to contain the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The quarantined soldiers, including 400 conscripts, have either visited China, Hong Kong or Macao in the past 14 days or had contact with people who traveled to those places, according to the ministry. The figure has risen over the past couple of days, as more service personnel were found to have visited places where patien

Around 960 soldiers remained quarantined Wednesday as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus to barracks, the defense ministry said. The quarantined soldiers have either visited China, Hong Kong or Macao in the past 14 days, or had contact with people who traveled to those places. "Of them, about 140 soldiers themselves visited those countries, and the remainder contacted such visitors," the ministry said. Some 330 service personnel have been at their residenc

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and US Pacific Fleet commander Adm. John Aquilino agreed Tuesday to continue cooperation to support joint efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula, Park's office said. Their meeting took place while Aquilino is in South Korea for a five-day trip that began on Sunday. "The two sides agreed continued cooperation to militarily support their governments' efforts for the complete denuclearization of and the establishment of a lasti

South Korea has quarantined about 800 soldiers and postponed regular training sessions for reserve forces as part of efforts to contain the new type of coronavirus, defense ministry officials said Monday. The quarantined soldiers have either visited China or surrounding regions recently, or had contact with such visitors, while the training sessions for reserve forces will be put off for about 50 days, officials said. The ministry also postponed medical checkups for potential draftees with a

The Ministry of National Defense said Sunday that its anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit salvaged an Iranian boat drifting near Oman’s Muscat Port on Saturday. The 50-ton small oil vessel named Alsohail departed from Iran two weeks ago on Jan. 18. It was low on fuel and had been drifting, when the Cheonghae Unit spotted six crew members signaling for rescue on the deck. The unit, which has recently seen its operational range extended to cover the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, provided the Iranian

The Air Force set up a reconnaissance squadron in charge of operating the advanced unmanned aircraft of Global Hawk, the defense ministry said Friday. The new military unit was established in December as South Korea brought in its first RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) that month. Under a 2011 deal with the United States, South Korea purchased four units, with the remaining three to arrive here in the first half of this year, according to officials. As one of the m

The South Korean Air Force is reconsidering whether to participate in an upcoming international airshow in Singapore as the new coronavirus continues to spread, officials said Thursday. The Air Force's Black Eagles had planned to head for Singapore on Friday to take part in the biennial Singapore Airshow 2020 from Feb. 11 to 16 but decided to delay their departure. "A ceremony scheduled for Thursday to mark the Black Eagles' departure was delayed in consideration of the situation regardi

President Moon Jae-in conferred "samjeonggeom" swords on a total of 77 newly appointed brigadier generals Wednesday, ordering them to do their best to ensure South Korea's firm defense posture. "Security is very important in our society. Therefore, assuming the post of generals, who command troops, means becoming a member of leading our society," Moon told them, according to Cheong Wa Dae's deputy spokesperson Han Jung-woo. Speaking after the sword ceremony at his office

The US military said it has started notifying nearly 9,000 South Koreans working for United States Forces Korea that they could be put on unpaid leave if Seoul and Washington fail to agree on cost-sharing for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops here. “USFK began providing Korean national employees today with a 60-day notice of a potential administrative furlough that could occur on April 1, 2020,” USFK said Wednesday. It noted that the military was bound by US law to deliver the no

South Korea's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo met with visiting US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and US Army Pacific Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera on Wednesday and discussed ways to boost cooperation between the two countries, the defense ministry said. During the meeting in Seoul, Jeong highlighted the importance of an "ironclad combined defense posture" to support the diplomatic efforts for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and asked for continued support from the United St

US Forces Korea has begun sending a 60-day notice of potential furloughs to its nearly 9,000 South Korean employees, officials said Wednesday, in an apparent move to further pressure Seoul to pay more for stationing American troops here. The notice came as South Korea and the United States have engaged in grueling negotiations over how much Seoul should pay this year and beyond for the upkeep of the 28.500-strong USFK under the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement. The pre

The military authorities have isolated around 90 soldiers who recently visited China as part of efforts to prevent the spread of a new type of coronavirus to the barracks, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The move came amid growing concerns over the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus across the globe that began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Four cases have been confirmed in South Korea. Of around 150 soldiers who visited China in recent weeks, 92 service personnel, including 38 conscripts,

The US Forces Korea has issued guidelines on the prevention of an outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus amid deepening concerns over the spread of the pneumonia-like illness following four confirmed cases reported in South Korea. The deadly virus appears to have put the US military on alert, particularly as one of the four patients was known to reside in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where its garrison Camp Humphreys is located. "Be advised that this is cold and flu season, and the Coronavirus

About 100 military doctors, nurses and ordinary soldiers will be mobilized for quarantine operations aimed at preventing the spread of the new type of coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. The military personnel have been assigned to 21 checkpoints set up at seaports and airports across the country and will help with body temperature checks and other quarantine efforts, the ministry said. After the government raised its infectious disease alert level by one notch to "orange,&quo