Most Popular
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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Esper urges S. Korea to pay more for combined defense
WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday that South Korea can and should contribute more to its defense in terms of financial contributions to the upkeep of American troops on the peninsula. Esper, speaking at a joint news conference after talks with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, also said that the two countries are considering scaling back combined military exercises due to concerns about the new coronavirus spreading in the South. "General Abrams and
Feb. 25, 2020
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US and S. Korea may cut back military moves due to coronavirus
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States and South Korea are considering curtailing joint military exercises due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus, officials said Monday. After a meeting at the Pentagon to review a full range of issues, including a standoff over US demands that Seoul pay a much bigger share of the cost of hosting American forces, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters that coronavirus is a threat to their schedule o
Feb. 25, 2020
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Military has 13 infected, 7,500 quarantined
A total of 13 military personnel tested positive for COVID-19, and 7,500 service members were under quarantine as of Monday, the Ministry of National Defense said. Infected personnel included soldiers, officers and civilian workers; Ten of the patients were in the Army, while the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps had one each. The military was notified of its first patient Thursday, when a Navy sailor stationed on Jeju Island contracted the virus after visiting Daegu, one of two COVID-19 clus
Feb. 24, 2020
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11 soldiers confirmed as coronavirus patients, 7,700 in quarantine
Eleven service members have been confirmed to have the new coronavirus as of early Monday, and around 7,700 others are quarantined as part of efforts to stop the virus from spreading further into barracks, the defense ministry said. Eight COVID-19 cases in the Army and one each in the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps were confirmed as of 8 a.m. Monday, up from a total of seven cases the previous day, according to the ministry. The four newly confirmed soldiers are suspected of having
Feb. 24, 2020
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US says 'most' S. Korean workers to be furloughed if no defense deal is reached
The United States will furlough "most" South Korean nationals employed at its military bases on the peninsula if no defense cost-sharing deal is reached by the beginning of April, the Pentagon said Sunday. In a rare "media advisory" previewing Monday's meeting in Washington between South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the Pentagon said the pair will discuss a range of bilateral issues, including the regional security environmen
Feb. 24, 2020
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USFK says it has no case of COVID-19 among its personnel
The US Forces Korea said Sunday that it has no confirmed case of the new coronavirus among its personnel despite an increase in the number of South Korean patients. In an updated report on its efforts to fend off the COVID-19 virus, the 28,500-strong USFK said that the risk for its personnel and installations on the Korean Peninsula remains "moderate." On the day, South Korea's death toll from the virus increased to five with the number of confirmed cases rising to 602. "USFK
Feb. 23, 2020
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6 soldiers infected, 1,300 quarantined
A total of six military personnel were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 as of Sunday, and 1,300 service members were quarantined, the Ministry of National Defense said. All six of the infected individuals, including two officers and one civilian worker, were found to have visited either Daegu or adjacent North Gyeongsang Province. The surge in cases of COVID-19 linked to church services there brought the national tally to 602 as of Sunday afternoon. “More and more soldiers are susp
Feb. 23, 2020
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Military fighting coronavirus after first armed forces infections confirmed
The military is making all-out efforts to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading further into the barracks, officials said Friday, after the country's first infections in the armed forces were confirmed. Earlier in the day, a Navy sailor on the southern island of Jeju was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 in the first such case among service personnel here. Following the confirmation, the Navy has checked the temperature of all personnel at the base where the infected sailor served a
Feb. 21, 2020
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Military to restrict draftees from vacationing, staying outside bases over coronavirus
South Korea will start restricting all enlisted soldiers from vacationing, staying outside their bases and meeting visitors this weekend, the defense ministry said Thursday, after the Navy reported the first suspected coronavirus case among the country's service members. The restrictions, set to go into effect on Saturday, came at a meeting of top defense and uniformed officials, which was presided over by Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo. "Based on the recommendations from each armed s
Feb. 21, 2020
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S. Korea reports 1st military member infected with coronavirus
SEOUL/JEJU -- A Navy sailor on the southern island of Jeju was confirmed Friday to have contracted the new coronavirus in the first confirmed case among service personnel in South Korea, officials said. The sailor, 22, tested positive for COVID-19 in the initial examination the previous day and was finally confirmed earlier in the day, according to the officials. He visited his hometown, Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, from Feb. 13 to Tuesday. Upon returning to the base, he showed
Feb. 21, 2020
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Military suspends drafting soldiers in Daegu
South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration said Thursday that it had decided to suspend physical examinations for conscript candidates in Daegu and adjacent North Gyeongsang Province until March 6. The decision was a response to the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 linked to church services there. Men who have already passed the physical and are waiting to join the military will be asked to delay enlistment, the agency said, adding it is postponing interviews for Navy and Air Force a
Feb. 20, 2020
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USFK bans travel to Daegu amid virus spread
Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the US military in South Korea, banned service members from “non-essential travel” to and from Daegu on Wednesday, after a surge in cases of COVID-19 linked to church services there. The total number of infected people in Korea was at 104 as of Thursday afternoon. The commander of United States Forces Korea said service members who attended church services in Daegu would undergo mandatory self-quarantine. He urged their family members to do th
Feb. 20, 2020
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USFK limits soldiers' travel to Daegu, closes several facilities amid surge in coronavirus cases
US Forces Korea (USFK) has banned "non-essential" travel to and from South Korea's southeastern city of Daegu and shut down all of its children-related facilities there in the wake of a surge in new coronavirus cases in the region. Since Wednesday, South Korea has confirmed more than 50 additional cases of the COVID-19 virus, and a majority of the newly confirmed patients are from Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, according to Se
Feb. 20, 2020
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US says to adjust S. Korean workers' services if no defense cost deal
WASHINGTON -- The United States will adjust the services provided by South Korean workers on its military bases on the peninsula if the two countries fail to reach a cost-sharing deal in the coming weeks, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Nearly 9,000 South Korean workers face a furlough in April if the allies fail to renew their agreement on sharing the cost for the stationing of 28,500 American troops on the peninsula. "Nine thousand workers, that's pretty significant," Rear Adm. Willi
Feb. 20, 2020
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Defense chiefs of S. Korea, US to hold talks in Washington next week
The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Washington next week to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other pending issues, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo will leave Seoul on a six-day trip to the US on Sunday for his first visit there since US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper took office in July last year. During the talks on Monday, the two sides will discuss issues ranging from the allies' joi
Feb. 18, 2020
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Ministry denies report on military intel-gathering equipment
The defense ministry denied a new report Monday that the military failed to detect signs of a North Korean rocket launch last year as a maritime intelligence-gathering device was out of service at the time. The vernacular daily Joongang Ilbo reported that key parts of the wiretapping equipment broke down around February and took three months to fix as the broken parts had to be sent to Canada. That led to the South failing to detect signs in advance of a North Korean rocket launch in April, th
Feb. 17, 2020
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No discussions on possible location shift of THAAD launchers in S. Korea: defense ministry
No discussions on possible location shift of THAAD launchers in S. Korea: defense ministry No discussions have taken place with the United States about the possibility of moving THAAD missile interceptor launchers away from their battery in central South Korea to other parts of the country, the defense ministry said Friday. Earlier, the US Missile Defense Agency hinted at the possibility of separating the Terminal High Altitude Area Defens (THAAD) unit's launchers in the central county of Seo
Feb. 14, 2020
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Navy chief to visit unit dispatched to Strait of Hormuz
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Sim Seung-seob will embark on a trip to Oman and Thailand next week and visit an anti-piracy unit deployed to the Strait of Hormuz, the Navy said Friday. The six-day visit, which will kick off Sunday, is aimed at boosting maritime security cooperation with the two countries and supporting South Korea's broader pitch to expand exchanges with Southeast Asia, it said. During his stay in Oman, Sim will visit the 4,400-ton destroyer Wang Geon of the 300-strong Cheon
Feb. 14, 2020
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US: S. Korea's possible funding for its THAAD base on Korean soil 'addressed'
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea's possible funding of the construction of a US base on Korean soil for the THAAD missile defense system has been "addressed," a US budget proposal has shown, which could run counter to the allies' agreement on the issue. According to the fiscal year 2021 budget proposal of the Department of the Army dated Feb. 3, 2020, the US earmarked $49 million for the development of the South's Seongju area, where its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) bat
Feb. 14, 2020
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Supreme Court approves not-guilty verdict for 111 conscientious objectors
South Korea's top court on Thursday acquitted more than 110 believers of a non-mainstream Christian sect who were indicted for rejecting mandatory military service for religious reasons. The Supreme Court upheld lower courts' not-guilty verdicts for 111 Jehovah's Witnesses who were charged with refusing to serve in the military in violation of the Military Service Act, saying their conscientious objection was justifiable. It is the first time the Supreme Court has confirmed a not-guilty verdic
Feb. 13, 2020