The United Nations Command said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending tours to the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, or the Joint Security Area (JSA), after two of its members came into contact with a coronavirus patient. "Once we are certain that there is no additional risk to our force or the ROK population, we will resume JSA orientations," the US-led command said in a Facebook post. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. The suspension comes a

Dozens of newly enlisted soldiers at an Army boot camp have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, amid fears of a fourth wave of infections across the country. After one conscript at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, 35 others who had contact with him were also found to be infected, according to the ministry. Virus tests are under way on 400 others to confirm any additional cases. The

Defense Minister Suh Wook said Wednesday he feels "terribly ashamed and regret" over recent sexual harassment allegations raised against a one-star general despite the military's ongoing efforts to root out sex crimes following the suicide of an Air Force abuse victim. The defense chief made the remark during a biannual meeting with top commanders to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other defense issues, vowing to hand down a stern punishment to the accused b

Four Army soldiers and an Air Force officer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Two soldiers in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after one of them first developed symptoms, while another soldier and an officer in Paju, some 35 km northwest of the capital, were found to be infected, also after one of them first tested positive, according to the ministry. The officer received the second dose of Pfi

An Army general was arrested on charges of sexually molesting a female subordinate, officials said Tuesday, in yet another sex crime in barracks following the suicide death of an Air Force sexual abuse victim. The brigadier general was relieved of his duties and arrested after the subordinate reported her suffering to the authorities, according to the officials. "An investigation is under way. We will thoroughly look into the case and take corresponding measures," defense ministry s

New Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho met Monday with the bereaved family of a late noncommissioned officer who took her own life after suffering from sexual abuse, and promised to reform the barracks culture to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Park took office on Friday to succeed Lee Seong-yong, who stepped down last month to take responsibility over the death of the master sergeant, surnamed Lee. Lee was found dead in an apparent suicide on May 22, three months after she was

The Navy has joined a US-led multinational maritime exercise in Australian waters to hone cooperative operation skills at sea, officials said Monday. The navies of South Korea, the United States, Japan and Australia kicked off the Pacific Vanguard maritime exercise off Australia's east coast Monday, which is to continue through Saturday, according to the officials. The Korean Navy dispatched the 4,400-ton Wang Geon destroyer, involving 200 crew members to engage in a range of drills, including

South Korea and the United States are discussing when and how to stage their annual summertime military exercise, the defense ministry said Monday, amid concerns the maneuvers could affect efforts to resume talks with North Korea. The two sides usually hold the summertime drill in August. Sources said this year's exercise is expected to kick off around Aug. 10 for a three-week run and take the form of a computer-simulated command post exercise (CPX) without outdoor drills. Whether and how to g

Defense Minister Suh Wook called for speeding up South Korea's envisioned takeover of wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the United States after new US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera took office last week, his office said Monday. During a meeting to check on progress in efforts to retake OPCON, Suh "called for various consultations between top USFK officials, including its new commander, and the defense and military authorities to expedite the OPCON transfer

PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province -- Gen. Paul LaCamera, the new US military chief in South Korea, said he is looking to work with Seoul as one team and take the Seoul-Washington alliance to new heights in his first public address after taking office on Friday. The change of command ceremony -- which took place at Camp Humphreys, the US military headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province -- comes as the two allies seek to resolve disputes involving South Korea’s plan to retake wa

An Army officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The officer based in Yongin, 49 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a support mission at a local coronavirus treatment center, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 1,026. Nationwide, South Korea added 826 new infections Friday, marking a near six-month high as infections in t

North Korea hacked key South Korean defense firms, including Korea Aerospace Industries, which is building the country’s first homegrown fighter jet, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party said Thursday. “The arms procurement agency essentially said that there had been cyberattacks on more defense companies,” he said, adding the agency had told him it could not reveal the names of companies breached because of privacy concerns. The previous day, the lawm

The Army plans to test-run a prototype of the newly developed Redback armored vehicle next year to check its performance for a possible deployment in the future, officials said Thursday. The new model, developed by Hanwha Defense Co., a South Korean defense manufacturer, is now under review by Australia after being shortlisted for Canberra's $4.6 billion project to buy new infantry fighting vehicles. Australia will select the successful bidder by next year. According to Hanwha, it plans to len

Conspiracy theories over the 2010 sinking of the warship Cheonan still hold sway over many South Koreans because Seoul bungled the initial probe, the ship’s former captain says. A joint investigation by South Korea, the US, the UK, Australia and Sweden in May 2010, two months after the sinking, found that the North attacked the South’s corvette, leaving 46 seamen dead. North Korea has denied any involvement. Some in South Korea believe there could be another explanation. “Th

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, suffered hacking attempts, and many documents are believed to have been leaked, possibly including sensitive data on major projects, sources said Wednesday. KAI's system appeared to have been hacked twice this year by unidentified entities, and "a large quantity of documents" seems to have been leaked, according to the sources. Some say that the breached data might include sensitive information about major d