South Korean soldiers have been using substandard exercise clothes and berets for years, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said amid continued reports about poorly fed troops. According to DAPA data released by Rep. Yoon Joo-kyung of the main opposition People Power Party on Thursday, eight of the 18 companies that provide apparel for the military has supplied substandard exercise clothes and berets. The total cost of the faulty products supplied by the eight firms over the past

The defense ministry said Thursday it will communicate more actively with residents around the US THAAD missile defense base as clashes continue to happen every time supplies are brought onto the base. Residents in the central county of Seongju have long opposed the US Forces Korea (USFK) base in their town where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is deployed, and they have clashed with police when the ministry brought construction equipment and other items for troops onto t

Defense Minister Suh Wook convened a meeting of top military commanders Thursday to discuss troops' living conditions, his office said, amid continued complaints over poor meal quality, especially for those under coronavirus quarantine. Earlier this month, the defense ministry unveiled a set of measures to improve service members' living conditions, including a plan to raise the average daily meal cost, following a series of complaints over the quality of meals. Yet questions were raised over

Nine Army soldiers and a military civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. Of them, eight soldiers were from a unit in Hongcheon, about 100 kilometers east of Seoul, where a COVID-19 case was reported earlier. Around 390 members of the unit received virus tests after the initial case was reported, and around 70 of them are still waiting for their test results, according to the ministry. Separately, another soldier in the southwestern

WASHINGTON -- Joint field exercises between South Korean and US troops are extremely important to maintain their readiness, the nominee for commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday, adding he will work for the resumption of field exercises if confirmed. Gen. Paul LaCamera insisted in-person training gives the combined forces an opportunity to work with each other and thus build their trust. "They are extremely important to build readiness, but they are also extremely important to

South Korea will take part in an annual US-led multinational air force exercise for the first time in three years next month, joining Japan and other countries in the maneuvers designed to improve interoperability, the Air Force said Tuesday. The Air Force plans to send F-15K fighter jets, cargo planes and dozens of troops to the Red Flag-Alaska 21-2 exercise set to take place in Alaska from June 10-25 involving around 1,500 service members and 100 aircraft. Earlier, the US Seventh Air Force s

Construction materials and daily necessaries were brought onto the US THAAD missile defense base in South Korea on Tuesday to improve living conditions for service members, the defense ministry said. Earlier in the day, the military moved construction equipment and materials, as well as daily necessaries for service members, such as water onto the US Forces Korea (USFK) base in the central town of Seongju, which hosts the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Residents opposed to

Investigators from the defense intelligence command raided the arms procurement agency over allegations that an agency official leaked confidential information on major defense projects, officials said Tuesday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) official is suspected of leaking internal documents on several military technology development projects to private defense firms, including the development of a submarine sonar system, according to the officials. During Monday's raid

A civilian worker for the military tested positive for the new coronavirus even though he received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, marking the fifth such case among the military population, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The employee working on an Army base in the southern city of Busan was confirmed to have been infected after coming into contact with one of his colleagues who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry. He got the first jab of AstraZeneca's vaccine late la

Three Army soldiers and an airman have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. The three soldiers based in Yangju, just north of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine after a virus case was reported at their base, according to the ministry. The airman, based in the eastern city of Gangneung, was found to be infected while away from his base on vacation. An Army unit in the border county of Cheorwon where 27 service members hav

The arms procurement agency said Monday it has signed a deal to purchase hydrogen powered-drones for a pilot operation at the Air Force to boost the military's surveillance capabilities. Under the 831 million won ($737,000) contract with Doosan Mobility Innovation Inc., the drones will be delivered to the military by November after six months of production and inspection, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The hydrogen fuel cell-propelled drones have a greater flight

Senior South Korean and US defense officials agreed to hold three-way minister-level talks with Japan in the coming days, potentially to discuss security issues involving the Korean Peninsula, at a two-day dialogue that ended Thursday in Washington. The trilateral talks, which last opened at an expanded meeting of ASEAN defense ministers in 2019, are expected to resume at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 4-5. The gathering is coming at a critical time for the US seeking to engage

The military is expected to complete the administration of the first doses of COVID-19 vaccinations to service members aged 30 and older this week, officials said Friday. As of Thursday, 97.5 percent of around 114,000 troops, who are eligible for the inoculation program and agreed to take it, have received their first jabs of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to the defense ministry. "We are working to wrap up this round of the vaccination program this week, though there could b

Outgoing US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams said Thursday that a "rock solid" combined defense posture between South Korea and the United States is the "single greatest deterrent" against any potential adversaries, including North Korea.     Abrams made the remark at a farewell event in Seoul, saying the US will continue to work with its allies "to address the threats posed by North Korea through diplomacy and credible deterrence.&q

Two Marines and two Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The Marines were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 upon arrival in South Korea after completing their overseas education programs, according to the ministry. One soldier in the border town of Cheorwon also tested positive following his recent vacation and an Army officer in the border city of Paju was believed to have been infected after coming into close contact with a civil