Articles by Choi Si-young
Choi Si-young
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com-
Key takeaways from COVID-hit warship
The military has recently seen its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, which forced its anti-piracy warship to come home last week. The 301-strong Cheonghae Unit, which left the country unvaccinated for Africa in February, cut short its mission because more than two-thirds of its crew were infected. But the military, which sent an aircraft to airlift the crew and a contingent to bring the 4,400-ton destroyer left behind back home, told the parliamentary defense committee tha
Defense July 27, 2021
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Seamen from COVID-hit warship blame food supplies
Seamen on South Korea’s unvaccinated anti-piracy mission who returned home from Africa this week because of a massive COVID outbreak aboard their warship said Friday that the coronavirus could have spread onto the vessel from food supplies they loaded from a nearby port. A seaman from the 301-strong Cheonghae Unit, which arrived here Tuesday with more than two-thirds of its crew infected, exhibited cold symptoms on July 2, a day after the destroyer made a four-day supply stop at a port. M
Defense July 23, 2021
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Inspection into COVID-hit warship brings doubt
The military’s decision to launch an inspection into the COVID-19 outbreak that forced its anti-piracy unit to return home from Africa has sparked concerns, as the military plans to run the examination itself without outside experts that critics say are needed for an independent inquiry. The Cheonghae Unit, which cut short its mission, was found to have been sidelined from the vaccine priority list. It was left out from the March vaccination campaign because of supply constraints; it
Defense July 23, 2021
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Ministry launches inspection into COVID-hit warship
The Ministry of National Defense has launched a sweeping inspection into the massive COVID-19 outbreak that forced its unvaccinated anti-piracy unit to return home five months after departing for Africa, military officials said Thursday. The inspection comes amid mounting calls for Defense Minister Suh Wook to step down to take responsibility for an aborted overseas mission, a first for the military, which airlifted the 301-strong Cheonghae Unit on Tuesday. More than two-thirds of the cre
Defense July 22, 2021
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Anti-piracy omitted from vaccination plan
Military and health authorities had not looked to vaccinate the country’s anti-piracy warship off the coast of Africa, despite opportunities along the way. So when the COVID-19-hit unit returned home Tuesday, it was the first time the military had cut an overseas mission short. The military, which has said the seamen could not get COVID shots because they had little expertise in handling a possible allergic reaction to the vaccine or the ability to manage extreme storage conditions f
Defense July 21, 2021
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Assault rifle project suspended over potential security breach
South Korea’s arms procurement agency recently suspended its project to replace the K1A assault rifle for special forces after it found the defense firm contracted for the job had unauthorized access beforehand to the type of weapons the agency was planning to develop. The K1A uses rifle ammunition but is classified as a submachine gun by the military. “Nothing, really, has been decided on what to do with the project yet … we’ll have to see how the trial unf
Defense July 20, 2021
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Defense chief apologizes for worst COVID outbreak aboard ship
Poor decision-making was behind the failure to vaccinate the 301-strong crew on an anti-piracy ship before they left for Africa, Defense Minister Suh Wook said as he apologized Tuesday for a huge COVID outbreak aboard the 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great. Suh was facing criticism over the outbreak that forced the military to cut short its overseas mission for the first time. The military said the seamen could not get COVID shots because they had little expertise in handling a possible allerg
Defense July 20, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Outbreak forces anti-piracy unit to return home from African coast
South Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit is returning home this week after 68 seamen tested positive for the coronavirus aboard a warship off the coast of Africa, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday. Two-thirds of the 301-strong crew are still awaiting test results. This is the first time the military has cut short an overseas mission because of a pandemic. None of the seamen had received any COVID-19 vaccinations because the March vaccination campaign began a month after their dep
Defense July 18, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Overseas anti-piracy unit suffers COVID outbreak
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday instructed the military to dispatch medical staff and supplies to forces abroad with members who have tested positive for the coronavirus and to take stronger steps to avoid infections in overseas missions. Moon asked the military to bring home the patients if necessary. Six service members aboard the anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit operating off the coast of Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus, the military said. None of the 301-strong crew aboard th
Defense July 15, 2021
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Reserve training canceled on COVID-19 surges
South Korea is suspending training for its reserve forces for a second consecutive year, as the fourth wave of COVID-19 threatens to spiral out of control. The US provided Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine for South Korean troops and military workers, but the supply fell short of covering key demographic groups -- those aged between 20 and 30, who account for the majority of the reserve forces. “Those aged 30 and below will receive their shots in August at the earliest,
Defense July 14, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Sex crime victim awaited help that never came: military
The military failed in its response to a sexual assault complaint from an Air Force master sergeant, who later took her life, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday in its interim report. The ministry’s joint investigation team said that the master sergeant was repeatedly revictimized by the abuser and those sympathetic to him, which ultimately pushed her to take her life. The team has been looking into the circumstances surrounding the suicide since June 1. The victim&rs
Defense July 9, 2021
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Critics dismiss ruling party’s olive branch to North Korea
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is desperately seeking to carry on President Moon Jae-in’s legacy and revitalize inter-Korean ties, but with North Korea still unwilling to engage, its last-minute attempt at diplomacy stands little chance, critics say. Recently, the party has said it will seek parliamentary approval of the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration -- the first of Moon’s two peace deals with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- to rekindle talks. At the 2018 summits, Moon and Kim
Politics July 7, 2021
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New US general stresses team spirit amid disputes
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
Defense July 2, 2021
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South’s key defense firms hacked by N. Korea: lawmaker
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
Defense July 1, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Clumsy probe bred conspiracy theories, Cheonan captain says
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
Defense June 30, 2021
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