Mar 27, 2020

US Forces Korea reports new infections, total 12

United States Forces Korea said Friday that a soldier and a contract worker at Camp Humphreys, its headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing its tally to 12. Of the 12 patients, two have been American soldiers -- one at Camp Humphreys, the other at Camp Carroll near Daegu -- and the rest were either the service members’ family or contract employees working for the US Army garrison. Two days earlier on Wednesday, USFK declared

Mar 26, 2020

Military reports no new coronavirus cases, total at 39

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus Thursday, with the total number of infections standing at 39, the defense ministry said. Thirty-four COVID-19 patients are active-duty service members, and the remaining five are civilians working for the military, the ministry said. It added that 21 were in the Army, 14 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry. Of the total, 26 have fully recovered fr

Mar 26, 2020

Defense chief calls for tighter naval defense on 10th anniversary of NK's sinking of warship

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo called for tighter defense of the sea border with North Korea on Thursday, the 10th anniversary of the communist nation's deadly sinking of the South's warship Cheonan. The Cheonan went down near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, on March 26, 2010, killing 46 sailors. After an international probe, the South concluded the sinking was caused by a torpedo attack by a North Korean submarine. "We

Mar 25, 2020

USFK declares public health emergency over coronavirus

US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams declared a public health emergency on Wednesday as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus, his office said. The declaration came in accordance with the US State Department's issuance of a global level 4 travel advisory and USFK installations' increased exposure to COVID-19, USFK said in a release. "In order to ensure I possess the necessary authorities needed to enforce compliance and protect the force, I have declared a Public Health Emer

Mar 25, 2020

Defense ministry official tests negative for coronavirus

A partial shutdown of the defense ministry's main building in Seoul has been lifted after one of its officials, who had close contact with a relative confirmed to have the coronavirus, tested negative. The ministry had temporarily shut down part of the building for disinfection work earlier in the day after the Army colonel assigned to the ministry was found to have dined with the relative, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 following an overseas trip. So far, no confirmed cases have been r

Mar 24, 2020

USFK employee tests positive for virus, total at 10

A US citizen working for US Forces Korea (USFK) has tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of USFK-related infection cases to 10, the military said Tuesday. The COVID-19 patient, who works at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, is now in isolation at his off-base residence as directed by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), USFK said, adding he last visited the base Friday. "KCDC and USFK are actively conduc

Mar 24, 2020

Allies considering holding defense cost talks via videoconferencing amid virus concerns: official

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among its population Tuesday, with the total number of infections standing at 39, the defense ministry said. Thirty-four COVID-19 patients are active-duty service members, and the remaining five are civilians working for the military, the ministry said, adding that 21 were in the Army, 14 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry. Of the total, 24 have

Mar 24, 2020

Military reports no fresh coronavirus cases, total at 39

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among its population Tuesday, with the total number of infections standing at 39, the defense ministry said. Thirty-four COVID-19 patients are active-duty service members, and the remaining five are civilians working for the military, the ministry said, adding that 21 were in the Army, 14 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry. Of the total, 24 have

Mar 24, 2020

Navy holds commemorating ceremony ahead of 10th anniversary of Cheonan sinking

The Navy has held a memorial ceremony to honor dozens of sailors killed in North Korea's 2010 deadly sinking of a South Korean warship ahead of its 10th anniversary, the military said Tuesday. The warship Cheonan went down near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, on March 26, 2010, killing 46 sailors. After an international probe, the South concluded that the sinking was caused by a torpedo attack by a North Korean submarine. On Monday, service membe

Mar 23, 2020

US still insists on $4 billion demand in defense cost-sharing talks: source

The United States stuck to its demand for $4 billion in Seoul's financial contribution to stationing 28,500 American troops here in last week's defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea, a diplomatic source indicated Monday. The figure was down from the US' initial call for a fivefold increase to $5 billion in Korea's share of the cost for the upkeep of the US Forces Korea (USFK), but Seoul officials believe that the figure is still unrealistically high. "Basically, there wasn't a chan

Mar 21, 2020

U.S. rejects call to first address Korean workers' wage issue in defense cost talks: official

The United States has officially opposed a proposal for a separate deal to fund wages for South Korean workers in the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), Seoul's top negotiator in the allies' defense cost-sharing talks said Saturday.    During the latest talks in Los Angeles, South Korea had pushed for the proposal, as thousands of the workers face furloughs that could start on April 1 absent the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA).    "We proposed a

Mar 20, 2020

S. Korea, US to continue combined exercises in adjusted manner: defense minister

South Korea will continue to stage planned combined exercises with the United States in an adjusted manner, though an annual springtime drill was postponed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Seoul's defense minister said Friday. The springtime exercise, named the Combined Command Post Training (CCPT) 20-1, had initially been planned for early March, but the allies decided late last month to postpone it due to concerns over the COVID-19 situation. It was the first time that joint exercis

Mar 20, 2020

Residents of special disaster zones to be excluded from annual reserves forces training

South Korea said Friday that it had decided to exempt residents of the “special disaster zones” in the southeastern part of the county from reserve forces training this year. The exemption covers those who reside or work in Daegu, Gyeongsan, Cheongdo and Bonghwa, the Ministry of Defense said. “We decided to exempt reservists of the designated area from training sessions for the reserve forces this year for early recovery of economic damages and stabilization of local commu

Mar 20, 2020

Nearly half of Korean workers at US military camps face furloughs

Nearly half of South Koreans working at US military camps here may face furloughs next month as the two countries failed to narrow their differences during the latest round of cost-sharing negotiations, which ended Thursday in the US. “Prior to furloughs of nearly half the Korean national employees of US Forces Korea on April 1, a US negotiating team traveled to Los Angeles under extraordinary circumstances this week to meet over four days,” Yonhap News Agency quoted a State Depa