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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Conscientious objectors found not guilty of draft dodging

Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to join the Army because of their beliefs. YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoung An appeals court has found seven Jehovah's Witnesses innocent of draft dodging. Changwon District Court ruled on Thursday that an earlier court's decision on the conscientious objectors was incompatible with the Constitution.“The choice is inevitable,” the court said.The seven were accused of refusing to serve in 2017. One worshipper received 18 months' jail for violating the military service law. The Supreme Court will conduct a public hearing on Aug. 30 regarding the sentencing of conscientious objectors.

Aug 24, 2018
Conscientious objectors found not guilty of draft dodging

Military's new security command to debut Sept. 1

By Lee Min-hyungThe Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday the military will have a new security command on Sept. 1 after the scandal-tainted Defense Security Command (DCS) is disbanded.The ministry will send hundreds of DSC personnel, who were involved in a series of its recent political interference activities, back to their former branches no later than the end of this week, according to the ministry Wednesday.“We are going to have 200 to 300 DSC personnel returned to their former branches of the military,” a military official said.The officers are suspected of engaging in a series of political activities. They include the DSC's plot to overturn the nation by writing a 67-page-long military document.Ever since a joint military-civil investigation team was formed, a total of 28 ranking DSC officers ― including former DSC general So Gang-won ― have been sent back to their former branches.Other officers include those suspected of participating in the DSC's special taskforce to handle the aftermath of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster which left more than 300 pe

Aug 22, 2018
Military's new security command to debut Sept. 1

USFK chief backs removal of border posts

U.S. General Vincent Brooks, commander of the United Nations Command, U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command, speaks during a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club, Wednesday. He expressed support of two Koreas' decision to remove guard posts near the inter-Korean border despite risks. / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonUnited States Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Vincent Brooks expressed support for the two Koreas' decision to remove some guard posts near their border, Wednesday, calling it a “trust-building” measure. But he also stressed that Seoul and Washington must continue to pressure the North.When asked during a press briefing in Seoul about the South Korean defense minister's announcement Tuesday that the two Koreas had agreed to remove 10 guard posts from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Brooks, who also serves as commander of the United Nations Command and Combined Forces Command, said, “As a U.N. commander, I support this initiative that can reduce military tension along the Military Demarcation Line.”However, he mentioned there are

Aug 22, 2018
USFK chief backs removal of border posts

South Korea, US begin talks on sharing defense costs

South Korea and the United States opened another round of negotiations Wednesday on sharing the cost of American troops stationed on the Korean peninsula amid differences over how much Seoul should pay.Senior diplomats of the allies started the two-day session at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul at around 10 a.m., officials said. It's the sixth round of talks this year aimed at deciding new terms related to South Korea's financial burden for the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).It comes as Washington wants Seoul to pay far more for the 28,500-strong USFK and "operational support" from American forces outside Korea.Operational support includes the deployment of so-called strategic assets, such as aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and nuclear submarines to counter North Korea's military threats.It's a new category in the bilateral Special Measures Agreement (SMA) that dates back to the early 1990s.South Korea has divided the bill for the USFK into three sectors: payroll, construction and logistics.Speaking at a National Assembly session on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Kang Ky

Aug 22, 2018
South Korea, US begin talks on sharing defense costs

Defense ministry to withdraw 10 DMZ guard posts on trial basis

Defense Minister Song Young-moo said Tuesday that Seoul will withdraw about 10 border guard posts on a trial basis, in line with the April inter-Korean summit agreement to transform the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a "peace zone."Song did not give a specific timeline for the measure aimed at reducing military tensions and building trust with the communist state, while noting that Pyongyang will also take reciprocal steps in the buffer zone separating the two Koreas."What it means is that we will withdraw one or two guard posts first and then additional ones," Song told a session of the National Assembly's defense committee. "The (South's) closest guard post lies about 700 meters away (from the North's) ... We will start pulling out the guard posts that are within 1 kilometer (of the North's guard posts)," the minister added.During their general-grade military talks last month, the two Koreas shared their "understanding" on fostering peace in the DMZ, such as pulling out guard posts, disarming the Joint Security Area and jointly excavating remains of fallen troops.At their summit in

Aug 21, 2018
Defense ministry to withdraw 10 DMZ guard posts on trial basis

Seoul to skip Armed Forces Day military parade

By Jung Da-minThe Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team perform over Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Aug. 4. YonhapThe Armed Forces will not hold a military parade to mark their 70th anniversary on Oct. 1.But they will hold a concert, an aerobatic demonstration by the Air Force Black Eagles and a “dronebot” show, among others, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.A demonstration of future combat systems by each military branch is also planned.Seoul's decision not to hold a big parade comes as the two Koreas are warming to each other. They just announced an agreement to hold a summit in Pyongyang in September, the third between President Moon Jae-in and the North's leader Kim Jong-un.Meanwhile, the North is expected to conduct military parades on Sept. 9 to mark its 70th foundation day but there is speculation the scale may be reduced.According to the Voice of America, Tuesday, the Aug. 11 satellite images by private satellite company Planet Labs showed what appeared to be a preparatory gathering at Kim Il-sung Square.The North staged military parades at the same

Aug 14, 2018
Seoul to skip Armed Forces Day military parade

South Korean military embraces new technologies

Soldiers gather at a military base in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, before carrying out a search-and-rescue mission with drones, in this 2017 file photo. / YonhapDrones will transport military goods in 2024By Lee Min-hyungThe military will embrace emerging technologies ― such as 3D printing and drones ― and turn them into mainstream logistics platforms, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.The move comes as part of the military's ongoing Defense Reform 2.0 drive, under which the ministry is seeking to simplify and streamline outdated supply chains within military camps.A big data-driven analytics system will stand at the center of the drive. Starting from 2020, the military plans to incorporate its data management system into logistics sectors, which will help build a more scientific defense logistics platform here, according to the ministry.“We are pushing for establishing a state-of-the-art military components production facility by taking advantage of 3D printing technology,” a ministry official said. “This is part of our efforts to

Aug 8, 2018
South Korean military embraces new technologies

Heat-struck Army battles steamy berets, exploding ammunition

An ammunition storage in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, blew up on Aug. 2, possibly because of extreme heat and the Army's failure to manage the building properly in the conditions. Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanThe heat wave grilling South Korea for weeks hasn't spared the Army, suffocating soldiers obliged to wear wool berets and allegedly causing an ammunition storage in Anyang to explode. The problems have prompted calls that the military rearrange its force and equipment to fare better in the heat.The ammunition storage in Gyeonggi Province, built above ground in 1967, blew up on the morning of Aug. 2, according to Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party. Kim, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, said Tuesday an artillery division's storage containing “dual-purpose improved conventional munitions” allegedly exploded because of a “chemical reaction due to high-temperature heat,” citing a division official.No one was injured in the explosion, but the storage was close to stacks of dynamite, white phosphorous and o

Aug 8, 2018
Heat-struck Army battles steamy berets, exploding ammunition

Moon replaces commander of scandal-ridden military intelligence unit

Lt. Gen. Nam Young-sinPresident Moon Jae-in on Friday replaced the commander of the scandal-ridden defense intelligence unit and ordered the creation of a new command "in a break with its past" marred by a slew of political allegations.Moon's chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan made the announcement as part of efforts to reform the Defense Security Command (DSC) following revelations that the unit reviewed the possibility of imposing martial law last year to quell anti-government protests.The president appointed Lt. Gen. Nam Young-sin, the current commander of the Army's Special Warfare Command, to replace Lt. Gen. Lee Suk-koo, who had led the command since September last year."For the across-the-board and expeditious reform, (the president) ordered the creation of a new command by disbanding and reorganizing the current DSC to historically break with its past," Yoon said at a press conference.To this end, the president called for promptly forming a body to prepare for the establishment of the new command and presidential decrees necessary for the new command, the press secretary a

Aug 3, 2018
Moon replaces commander of scandal-ridden military intelligence unit

Lawmaker's anti-gay comment causes controversy

By Kim Hyun-binKim Sung-tae, the floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LPK), is under fire for his derogatory comments toward Lim Tae-hoon, chief of the Center for Military Human Rights.Controversy arose after Kim claimed it's illogical for Lim, who is gay and a conscientious objector, to have a voice in military reform issues as Lim's group disclosed documents alleging abuse of power by the Defense Security Command (DSC). It is mandatory for all able-bodied men in Korea to serve in the military for 21 months.“How could a person who is confused about his own sexuality lead the military reform? It is illogical. How can people accept such people talking about military reform by representing the 600,000 troops?” Kim said. “Only a person who served in the military has the right to talk about military reform. I served 35 months.” Lim said that his sexuality and military service have nothing to do with the DSC issue.“We have unveiled the possibility of the government trying to impose martial law to quash public protests and other illegal act

Aug 1, 2018
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