South Korea on Wednesday opened a new state cemetery for fallen national heroes, including independence fighters and Korean War troops, on the southern island of Jeju, the veterans affairs ministry said. The ministry held a ceremony opening the Jeju National Cemetery, the first such facility on the island, with the attendance of some 100 people, including Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Veterans Af...

South Korea's military on Wednesday reported 31 additional COVID-19 cases, including 28 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,583. Of the new cases, 26 people are from the Army, two from the Air Force, two from the Navy and one from a military unit under the direct control of the defense ministry, officials said. Currently, 302 miliary personnel are under ...

South Korea's military reported 19 additional COVID-19 cases, all of which are breakthrough ones, Monday, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,531. Of the new cases, 13 people are from the Army, one from the Air Force, two from the Marine Corps and three from units under the direct control of the defense ministry, officials said. Of the cumulative cases in the military, 279 patie...

South Korea's Navy has selected the 2,500-ton frigate, Jeonbuk, as this year's "top gun" ship following an annual assessment of its warships' combat capabilities, officials said Monday. The frigate of the Third Fleet Command based in Mokpo, 410 kilometers southwest of Seoul, won the title after it passed final gunnery competitions that took place from September to October, the officials said. T...

South Korea's military reported 24 additional COVID-19 cases, including two dozen breakthrough ones, Sunday amid growing concerns over the new omicron variant, raising the total caseload among the armed forces to 2,512. Military personnel from Army, Navy, Air Force and direct units under the defense ministry tested positive for the virus, the military said. Among them, 22 contracted the virus a...

South Korea's Navy looks set to embark on a long-cherished project next year to secure a light aircraft carrier, as the National Assembly passed a 7.2 billion won ($6.1 million) budget for the project Friday in a reversal of an earlier move to slash it. The legislature passed the budget in a plenary vote, reversing a committee-level decision last month to reduce it to 500 million won -- a drasti...

Postponed assessment to transfer OPCON to Seoul to begin next fall

S.Korea and US to discuss on a new operational war plan against N.Korea

South Korea's Marine Corps launched an aircraft group Wednesday to bolster the defense of border islands and wartime capabilities for landing operations, its officials said. The launch of the Marine Aircraft Group came as the armed service had sought to secure a separate air unit after its earlier unit, formed following the 1950-53 Korean War, was incorporated into the Navy in 1973. The launch ...

South Korea's military reported 38 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, including cluster infections at an Army unit in Gangwon Province, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,366. Ten Army conscripts stationed at a base in Hwacheon, 118 kilometers northeast of Seoul, tested positive after a fellow was infected at their base. All of the newly added patients from the base were full...

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday for annual security talks with his South Korean counterpart on the envisioned wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer, North Korean threats and the bilateral alliance, Seoul officials said. Austin is scheduled to land at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, in the afternoon, for a three-day trip o...

US permanently stations previously rotational units in S. Korea

South Korea's military reported 23 additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,328. Among the new cases, five Army officers and a conscript stationed in the central city of Sejong tested positive after a fellow was infected at their base. A civilian employee of the Army based in Seoul tested positive after working at a COVID-19 testing center. Another...

Defense Minister Suh Wook expressed appreciation to a visiting former US Forces Korea (USFK) commander for his contributions to the bilateral alliance during a meeting earlier this week, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Suh and Vincent Brooks, who led the USFK from 2016-18, met Monday, as the latter was in Seoul to attend a set of alliance-related events ahead of the Security Consultative Meet...

South Korea is set to host an annual international forum on maritime law, setting the stage for judicial officials and academics to discuss emerging challenges from the new oceans technologies and environmental crises, the foreign ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN-backed International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) will jointly hold the sixth International...