Category: ROK Military

It takes many years of development and testing to field a missile defense system this is why THAAD as well as the Patriot batteries in South Korea remain so important to the defense of Korea:

South Korea’s Army said Thursday it is pushing to acquire an advanced interception system to defend against evolving missile and artillery threats from North Korea.

It unveiled the plan for the acquisition of the low altitude missile defense-II (LAMD-II) system that is intended to shoot down North Korea’s new ballistic missiles, such as the KN-23 and the KN-24, and its super-large artillery rockets in a report for an annual parliamentary audit.

LAMD-II will be an improved version of the LAMD system that Seoul seeks to develop by 2029.

The Army added that it is also planning for the early development of the Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile-II (KTSSM-II) as part of efforts to bolster the military’s Kill Chain preemptive strike platform against the nuclear-armed North. It aims to develop the KTSSM-II by 2030, earlier than its initial target year of 2034.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It sounds like BTS is going to have easier mandatory military service than even most KATUSAs have, but at least they are doing their service unlike others who have found ways out of it:

Members of K-pop super group BTS will be able to participate in “national” events for the “public good” even while serving in the military, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

Col. Moon Hong-sik, the ministry’s acting spokesperson, made the remarks a day after Big Hit Music, the band’s agency, said all BTS members will fulfill their military service, starting with the eldest member, Jin.

“Our position is that we will provide an opportunity if they wish to participate when there is a national-level event for the public good or an event designed in light of the national interest,” Moon told a regular press briefing.

He added that such an opportunity can be granted to other service members under current regulations. 

Earlier this month, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup told a parliamentary audit that BTS members will be able to join even overseas performances during their military service.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Considering how many other celebrities have completed their mandatory military service it is only fair that BTS completes their service obligations as well:

All members of K-pop supergroup BTS will go to the military to fulfill mandatory service, starting with the oldest member Jin, the band’s agency said Monday.

“Jin will revoke his request to delay his conscription at the end of this month and will follow conscription procedures required by the Military Manpower Administration,” Big Hit Music said in a public notice to the local bourse. “Other members will fulfill their military duty in turn according to their individual plans.”

Jin, born in 1992, had his conscription delayed till the end of this year under the Military Service Act revised in 2020.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. But the current law allows global award-winning athletes and classical musicians recommended by the minister of culture, sports and tourism to do alternative services in their respective fields instead of serving in active military duty.

Bills that would include globally recognized male pop culture artists, like BTS, in the program are still pending at the National Assembly amid a lingering debate over whether the K-pop giant should get exemptions in recognition of its contribution to improving the country’s brand image.

With Monday’s decision, the septet will pause working together as a group for the time being.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but BTS is expected to rejoin as a musical group in 2025 when everyone should have their mandatory military service completed.

The ROK military was fortunate no one was hurt or killed by the is missile malfunction:

A Hyunmoo-2 short-range ballistic missile malfunctioned and crashed shortly after being launched from a South Korean military base late Tuesday night during a joint drill by South Korea and the United States, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).  
   
The drill was a response to North Korea’s launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM)on Tuesday morning.  
   
In its initial 7 a.m. press release, the JCS said that South Korea and the United States each launched two U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) surface-to-surface missiles beginning at 12:50 a.m. on Wednesday, which accurately hit mock targets and demonstrated the allies’ capability to deter further provocations.    (….)

The press release made no mention of a South Korean-made Hyunmoo-2 missile fired more than an hour earlier, which crashed almost immediately after its launch.  
   
Residents around the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon, reported a fire and a loud explosion close to the location of the 18th Fighter Wing Air Base at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. Reports of the joint drill were embargoed until 5 a.m. Wednesday.  
   
Images uploaded to social media by local residents showed an orange fireball.  
   
The South Korean military was forced to issue a clarification about the Hyunmoo-2’s crash-landing after reports of the explosion spread.  
   
“Immediately after its launch, the missile flew inland instead of toward the sea and abnormally landed on a golf course on the base at a location approximately 700 meters (765 yards) from a civilian residential area,” said a military official who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity, implying the missile’s trajectory had been intended for the East Sea.  
   
“The flames (the residents saw) were not from the warhead exploding, but rather from the propellant burning,” he added. “There was no damage to civilians nearby as the missile crashed within the base immediately after the launch.”   

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but it appears the ROK military may have tried to keep news of this accident quiet until the social media frenzy became enough they had to issue a statement. This is definitely an embarrassing accident for the ROK military to have happen to them right after North Korea conducts their longest successful ballistic missile test yet.

I don’t like the alternative military service for celebrities especially since a number of celebrities went and completed their military service and successfully restarted their careers afterwards:

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon has proposed allowing the members of K-pop superband BTS to replace their military duties with alternative service as public relations ambassadors for the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, officials said Thursday.

The government formally appointed the septet last month as a PR ambassador in charge of promoting the Expo bid, for which Busan is competing with cities in Italy and Saudi Arabia. 

Mayor Park recently made the proposal asking the presidential office to grant BTS the alternative military service benefit currently available to athletes and artists who helped elevate national prestige or cultural advancement, according to officials.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is good to see the ROK military continuing to take advantage of the world class training offered at the National Training Center:

About 150 South Korean Army commandoes will leave for the United States later this month for joint training with the U.S. Army at the National Training Center (NTC) in California, officials said Sunday.

The special forces troops from a front-line Army corps will conduct joint exercises at the Fort Irwin training center for about a month as part of an annual training program the two countries have carried out since 2020 to establish a firm readiness posture.

It was the second time this year the two countries have held joint exercises at the NTC after some 100 officers from the Army’s Special Warfare Command staged special warfare exercises with the U.S. military at the training ground between June and July.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is good to see this trilateral cooperation restarting again after it was stopped when former President Moon Jae-in was elected:

 South Korea, the United States and Japan will kick off a combined ballistic missile defense exercise in waters off Hawaii this week, informed sources said Sunday, amid their stepped-up security coordination against North Korea’s evolving military threats.

The biennial Pacific Dragon exercise is scheduled to take place from Monday through Aug. 14, according to them. In addition to the three countries, Australia and Canada will join the exercise in this year’s edition. 

Featuring the mobilization of eight warships and two aircraft, the exercise is aimed at enhancing cooperation among the participating countries in detecting, tracking and reporting ballistic missile targets. 

The exercise has been arranged as the defense chiefs of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan agreed to reinforce their security coordination during their trilateral gathering on the margins of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 11.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is good to see the ROK Army now increasing their training readiness that had been impacted by COVID restrictions:

The South Korean Army flexed its combat power during a large-scale air drill held at two Army facilities in Icheon and Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi Province on Monday.

A total of 34 helicopters, including 16 Apache Guardians, 13 Black Hawks and five Chinooks were mobilized for the largest-ever exercise of its kind conducted by the Army, simulating a scenario in which troops are required to infiltrate enemy territory by air and secure a target.

In the training, the Army’s key asset, the Apache attack helicopters, executed sharp descents after soaring vertically, a maneuver intended to minimize exposure to hostile fire.

The choppers also fired some 150 2-point-75 inch rockets and 450 rounds from a 30-millimeter machine gun in a display of firepower.

KBS World News

You can read more at the link.