Two Air Force officers and two Army officers tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The airmen stationed in Osan, 55 kilometers south of Seoul, were confirmed to have been infected in a test required to exit quarantine. They had been in isolation following COVID-19 cases on their base earlier, according to the ministry. The two Army members tested positive following their recent vacation, it added. One of them also had received the first dose of a COVID-19

The government is looking into the possibility of South Korean firms violating UN sanctions against North Korea amid a report that two oil tankers, previously owned by them, were added to Pyongyang's oil smuggling fleet in recent years, a Seoul official said Thursday. On Tuesday, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a website on maritime security under the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reported on the transfers of the vessels -- the Sin Phyong 5 and the Kwang Cho

The military will raise the average daily meal cost for service members by 14 percent to 10,000 won ($9) next month, the defense ministry said Thursday, amid criticism soldiers, especially those under coronavirus quarantine, are poorly fed. The decision was announced as the government launched an interagency task force to come up with measures to improve troops' living conditions following a series of complaints over inconveniences. The quality of military meals, in particular, gained attentio

Five service members and a civilian worker for the military tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. A soldier and an Air Force officer were confirmed to have been infected after coming into contact with members of their respective bases who tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. A Marine and the civilian worker tested positive following infections of their family members, the ministry said, adding that contact tracing is under way on the remai

Military prosecutors sought an arrest warrant Wednesday for an Air Force noncommissioned officer on charges of sexually harassing a female colleague, the defense ministry said, amid mounting criticism that the military's mishandling of the case led to the victim taking her own life. Investigators also took the suspect, identified as master sergeant Jang, into custody. He is suspected of sexually harassing the victim of the same rank inside a car on their way back to the base in the western city

The defense ministry said Tuesday it will directly investigate the death of an Air Force officer who died of apparent suicide, allegedly after suffering harassment by a colleague, amid criticism the military failed to properly respond to the victim's call for support. In March, the female master sergeant stationed in the western city of Seosan was sexually harassed by the man surnamed Jang inside a car on their way back to the base after a private gathering that she was forced to attend, accor

Seoul’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday flatly denied speculation over the reasons behind Washington’s decision to send Janssen's COVID-19 vaccines for the Korean military, saying the vaccine type has been decided through consultations between the two countries. “The Janssen vaccine was the most proper option to cover 550,000 people among the stockpiles secured by the US Defense Department,” the ministry’s spokesperson Boo Seung-chan told a media briefing, refuting cla

The defense ministry will launch an interagency task force to come up with measures to improve troops' living conditions after a series of complaints over poor meal quality and other inconveniences, officials said Tuesday. The quality of military meals has emerged as a hot issue after active-duty soldiers uploaded photos showing poor quality meals on a Facebook page serving as an anonymous bulletin board for troops, leading to Defense Minister Suh Wook issuing an apology. Those under COVID-19

An Air Force officer and two Army members tested positive for the new coronavirus, the latest in a series of infections at barracks, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The airman in the city of Osan was confirmed to have been infected in a test required to exit quarantine. He has been in isolation after coming into contact with his colleague who tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. One enlisted soldier and an Army officer tested positive following their recent vacations, it adde

An Air Force officer has died in an apparent suicide after being sexually harassed by a colleague, officials said Tuesday. In March, the female master sergeant stationed in the central city of Seosan was sexually harassed by the man surnamed Jang inside a car on their way back to the base after a private gathering that she was forced to attend, according to the officials. She then reported the case to the authorities the following day, but the military allegedly failed to take appropriate step

South Korea discovered 28 more bone fragments believed to be from troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War as well as thousands of artifacts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) so far this year, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The military resumed a demining and excavation operation on Arrowhead Ridge in Cheorwon, about 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on April 5, after months of hiatus during winter, to continue the project launched in 2019. Over the past two months, the military has disco

South Korea will push to develop diverse platforms to fire off space launch vehicles from air and sea, the defense ministry said Monday, after the United States lifted all restrictions on the country's missiles. Earlier this month, South Korea and the US announced their decision to scrap the 1979 bilateral guidelines that ban Seoul from developing or possessing missiles with a maximum flight range greater than 800 kilometers. "In order to beef up our defense capabilities following the ter

The military will begin administering coronavirus vaccines to service members aged under 30 next week, the defense ministry said Monday. "We plan to begin vaccinating those aged under 30 next week, with Pfizer's vaccines expected to be provided," ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said during a regular press briefing. The military has completed providing the first doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines to some 117,000 service members aged 30 and older who have agreed to be inoculate

Advocacy groups for overseas Koreans are demanding for measures to protect the rights of expats living outside of South Korea in carrying out their mandatory military service, as a revision that recently took effect infringes their right to visit and stay in their home country as lawful citizens. The Korean International Network and others claimed in a joint statement Sunday that the right to choose their place of living could be infringed for third and fourth generation Korean nationals living

Two Army soldiers and an Air Force officer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Sunday. The soldier in the border town of Cheorwon received a positive result for COVID-19 in a test required to exit quarantine. He has been in isolation since coming into contact with his base members who contracted the virus earlier, according to the ministry. The remaining soldier and the officer were confirmed to have been infected following their recent vacations, it added.