A soldier kisses his son during a send-off ceremony in Incheon, west of Seoul, on March 29, 2017, for the 19th contingent of the 317-member Dongmyeong unit heading to Lebanon next month to replace their comrades serving as United Nations peacekeepers there. The unit has been stationed in Lebanon since 2007 as part of the U.N. interim forces’ efforts to oversee a cease-fire and maintain a buffer zone between Lebanon and Israel. (Yonhap)
It looks like the ROK military like the US military has taken a very strong stance against prostitution:
Three Korea Military Academy (KMA) cadets were expelled a day before their graduation for allegedly visiting prostitutes, the elite school said on Friday.
“We received intelligence regarding their illegal activity on Monday and it was proven grounded through an internal investigation,” a KMA official said.
The official said the three visited a “massage parlor” in Gangnam, an entertainment district in southern Seoul, on Feb. 4. “One of the cadets admitted having sex there, while the others claim they didn’t, arguing they paid money but didn’t (have sex) out of a sense of guilt,” the official said.
A separate police investigation is under way, the official said.
The KMA had it 73rd commencement on Friday with 248 graduates who will be commissioned as Army second lieutenants. The highest distinction, summa cum laude, went to female cadet Lee Eun-ae. [Korea Times]
Towed artillery guns fire as soldiers of the Army’s 23rd Infantry Division conduct a live-fire drill against a potential landing enemy along the shore in Gangneung, a coastal city in South Korea’s northeastern province of Gangwon, on Jan. 10, 2017. (Yonhap)
Kim Jae-joong, a member of boy band JYJ, salutes fans and reporters after being discharged from military service on Dec. 30, 2016, at an Army infantry division in Yongin, south of Seoul. Kim served 21 months in compulsory military duty. (Yonhap)
Fortunately no one was killed by whatever caused this explosion in Ulsan:
This photo taken on Dec. 13, 2016, shows a military base in Ulsan, some 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where an explosion took place at around noon. Authorities are investigating the details of the incident. (Yonhap)
An explosion at a military base in South Korea’s southeastern city Tuesday injured more than 20 soldiers, authorities said.
The blast of unknown cause took place at around 11:50 a.m. at a training camp for reservists in Ulsan, some 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the authorities.
The injured soldiers, some of whom were burned, were taken to nearby hospitals. No casualties were reported.
No training took place at the time of the incident, according to authorities. All the injured were soldiers on active duty, mostly in their early 20s. [Yonhap]
This photo from LIG Nex1 on Dec. 2, 2016, shows the “Hyungung,” a man-portable anti-tank system that has gone into production. The company said it signed a 32.7 billion-won (US$27.9 million) deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration a day before for initial production of the guided rocket system. (Yonhap)
Gen. Lee Sun-jin (C), chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), walks with other military leaders on the Namhan River in Yeoju, about 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Nov. 7, 2016, as the Army’s 30th Mechanized Infantry Division conducts a field maneuver to enhance its combat preparedness against possible North Korean attacks, in this photo released by the JCS. (Yonhap)
U.S. Forces Korea’s top commander Vincent Brooks gives a pep talk to South Korean soldiers in Yeoju, about 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Nov. 2, 2016, as he visits a river-crossing drill conducted by the Army’s 8th Division. The maneuver is part of the broader Hoguk combined drill that the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have carried out since 1996. (Yonhap)
South Korean Army tanks cross a river via a pontoon bridge in Yeoju, about 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Nov. 2, 2016, as part of the broader Hoguk combined drill that the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force has carried out since 1996. (Yonhap)
