Military postpones reserve forces' training again due to coronavirus

SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- The military has decided not to hold regular training sessions for reserve forces in the first half of this year due to the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

The training for the country's 2.75 million-strong forces was slated to kick off in June across the nation, after being put off twice from the original schedule in March due to COVID-19.

South Korean reservists are required to go through one training session of one to three days per year.

The ministry said it will make an announcement 45 days prior to the resumption of the training after evaluating the virus situation.

"We have decided not to hold training sessions in the first half considering the COVID-19 situation," the ministry said in a release. "The defense ministry will continue to take measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and fully prepare for a combat readiness posture."

As of Tuesday, the military had reported 39 cases of the new coronavirus in barracks, with the last infection reported in mid-March.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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