SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean military has been reconsidering whether to participate in an upcoming multinational military exercise in Thailand as the new coronavirus continues to spread, officials said Sunday. The 39th Cobra Gold exercise, co-sponsored by the Thai and U.S. armed forces, is scheduled to be held from Feb. 26 [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has quarantined about 800 soldiers and postponed regular training sessions for reserve forces as part of efforts to contain the new type of coronavirus, defense ministry officials said Monday. The quarantined soldiers have either visited China or surrounding regions recently, or had contact with such visitors, while [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of female soldiers in the South Korean military stood at 12,602 last year, accounting for 6.8 percent of the total forces, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The tally is up from 5.5 percent in 2017, according to the ministry. South Korea aims to expand the number to [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will abolish the military guardhouse system in July as part of efforts to protect the human rights of draftees, defense ministry officials said Sunday. The move comes after parliament passed a revision of the Military Personnel Management Act earlier this month, which calls for the abolishment of [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of military deserters has decreased more than 80 percent since 2013, the defense ministry said Monday. A total of 105 conscripts attempted to abandon their units in 2019, down 83.7 percent from 643 desertions in 2013, according to the ministry. During the cited period, the number of [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is expected to abolish the military guardhouse system this year as part of efforts to better protect the human rights of draftees, officials said Saturday. A revision of the Military Personnel Management Act calls for the abolishment of guardhouses and the establishment of additional educational programs instead [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean men who refuse to fulfill their mandatory military service due to religious or personal beliefs will be allowed to serve three years of alternative duty at local correctional facilities starting next year, the defense ministry said Monday. By law, all able-bodied South Korean men must carry out [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean military authorities have decided to add new food choices at military cafeterias based on a big data analysis of military food services. The Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday new plans to control the amount of food given out to service members, revamp menus, and better ensure [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea seems to have begun exploring concrete ways in earnest to help ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz amid apparent pressure from the United States. Briefing media on the results of a weekly session of the National Security Council’s (NSC) standing committee Thursday, Cheong Wa [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — With the number of artists eligible for special exemptions from military service set to be reduced, the arts community in question has responded with a backlash to the government’s decision. According to the government’s “Plan to Improve the Alternative Military Service System” released Thursday, 10 competitions that allow winners [...]