Tag: USFK

The corporal that was stabbed said he was too drunk to remember much from the stabbing. Fortunately for him the police have video evidence that shows the getaway car with a good look at the license plate:

A soldier assigned to this Army installation south of Seoul was in stable condition Wednesday after being stabbed in the stomach while drinking at an off-base bar over the weekend, according to local police. (……)

Closed-circuit TV at the bar captured four suspects, two Koreans and two foreigners, fleeing the scene in two cars, nearly colliding with traffic as they made a quick getaway, according to the detective.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

My theory has always been that the Moon administration is making the sustainment of the THAAD base challenging in hopes that the U.S. will just remove the system itself one day:

South Korea is closely discussing with the United States ways to improve living conditions for American service members stationed on the THAAD missile defense base in the country, the defense ministry said Monday.

Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan made the remarks after a recent Chosun Ilbo report that said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin strongly protested poor conditions of the base during his recent visit to Seoul, calling the neglect “unacceptable.”

“I do not confirm details of what Secretary Austin said. But there have been talks about how to ensure conditions for training of the US Forces Korea (USFK),” ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan told a regular briefing.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

These exercises have definitely been scaled down significantly, but I guess we will see if North Korea cares or not:

 South Korea and the United States will stage a major springtime combined military exercise starting this week in a scaled-back manner amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Sunday. (………)

“South Korea and the U.S. decided to conduct the springtime combined exercise from March 8 for nine days, after comprehensively taking into consideration the COVID-19 situation, the maintenance of the combat readiness posture, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of peace,” the JCS said in a statement.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Not a good look for USFK:

Eight foreigners and one South Korean have tested positive for the new coronavirus after attending a party at a U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) service member’s home, officials said Monday.

The party was held Feb. 13 near Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and attended by 19 foreigners and two South Koreans, according to officials at the Pyeongtaek city government. The service member works on the base.

Police have been asked to locate two of the attendees, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, the officials said. The other 10 tested negative.

The group met on Instagram and gathered from across the country, including North Gyeongsang, South Chungcheong and Gyeonggi provinces.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The lockdown didn’t last long and instead was shifted to focus on people potentially exposed to the coronavirus:

Osan Air Base, about 40 miles south of Seoul, returned to its pandemic normal Saturday, a day after its commander declared a lockdown to trace the contacts of a service member who tested positive.

Osan allowed most of its personnel to get back to their weekend routines, save those who had visited a list of hot spots associated with its first service member infected with the coronavirus.

Stars & Stripes

You can read the rest at the link.

Like I said before signing a new cost sharing deal would be a simple win for the Biden administration. The reported 13% rise allows the administration to say they were able to get the ROK to pay more when the Trump administration with their hardline tactics could not:

The United States and South Korea are just weeks away from coming together on a new cost-sharing deal for stationing 28,500 U.S. troops on the peninsula, CNN reported Wednesday.

The report, which cited five anonymous sources familiar with the discussions, said the contract taking shape is a multiyear deal that increases Seoul’s contribution by about 13%.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It is an amazing phenomenon that it appears only U.S. military training causes noise and not ROK military training. It is kind of like how American radars are supposedly dangerous and Korean ones are not:

 A planned live-fire exercise involving Apache attack helicopters of the U.S. Forces Korea has been suspended following noise and other complaints from residents near the firing range in the southeastern city of Pohang, officials said. 

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said the drill, which had been scheduled to begin on Tuesday and continue until next month, will be suspended while a mediation procedure is under way with residents near the Suseong firing range in Pohang.

“As the live-fire drill cannot be suspended for a long time, we expect the commission’s prompt and reasonable mediation,” defense ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said during a regular press briefing.

Earlier, some 2,800 residents living near the range filed a petition with the agency calling for the cancellation of the exercise and closure of the facility, citing noise and vibration caused by the exercise. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

As expected, it appears the Biden administration is going to fast track a new cost sharing agreement with South Korea:

The United States is committed to quickly reaching a defense cost-sharing agreement with South Korea that will be acceptable to both and help strengthen their alliance, an official from the U.S. Department of State said Friday.

The remarks came after Seoul officials said the sides agreed to seek an early conclusion to talks on Seoul’s share of the cost in maintaining 28,500 U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula in a meeting held Friday (KST).

“We decline to comment on or confirm any specific details of our ongoing diplomatic conversations, but I can tell you that U.S. and ROK negotiators agreed to continue negotiations in the near future and are committed to expeditiously concluding an updated Special Measures Agreement (SMA) that will strengthen our alliance and our combined defense posture,” the department official told Yonhap News Agency in an emailed response to related questions.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but getting a new cost sharing agreement signed should be an easy win for the Biden administration.