President Park Geun-hye watched South Korea’s first test-fire of a ballistic missile capable of reaching nearly all parts of North Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, in an apparent show of force against the communist archrival.
The test-firing took place at a firing range run by the state-run Agency for Defense Development in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said.
It is the first time in three decades that a president visited the firing range on the west coast.
The move came amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea’s provocative actions in recent weeks, including a launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but South Korea was allowed to start developing these missiles by the United States back in 2012. Considering the technological advantage South Korea has over the North I am sure they can rapidly develop some great ballistic missile systems.
Something to keep in mind is that if these missiles can target all areas of North Korea they will also have the range to target large Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing. I wonder if the ROK continues to develop ballistic missiles to counter the North that this will get the Chinese government to try and reel in the North Koreans? This seems like the best reason for the ROK to continue the development of ballistic missiles.
This type of blue on blue shooting is unfortunately becoming a somewhat annual occurrence in the ROK Army:
Two died and three injured in what is believed to be a shooting spree at around 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday during a reserve forces training session at a military base located in Seocho District, southeastern Seoul.
The suspect, one of reserve forces trainees, is known to have killed himself with the weapon after the incident, according to the Army.
“During a zeroing fire session, a trainee fired a rifle at fellow soldiers which killed one and injured four others,” said an Army officer after the shooting spree. “Death toll may rise as well.”
The injured are being evacuated to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. Two of the injured were in critical condition and one of them died after the Army’s announcement.
The Army is still on an internal investigation. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
The new submarine that the ROK is commissioning actually has some really good capabilities and range:
South Korea unveiled a new 1,800-ton attack submarine on Thursday amid its stepped-up efforts to cope with evolving maritime security challenges such as from North Korea.
The 214-class submarine, the country’s sixth, was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. and for the first time named after a woman ― Yu Gwan-sun, a venerated independent fighter during Japanese colonial rule.
Defense Minister Han Min-koo, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Chung Ho-seop, other top military and industry officials and Yu’s families attended the launching ceremony held on Geojedo Island, South Gyeongsang Province.
“The submarine is equipped with antiship, antisubmarine and offensive mining operations capabilities and will be loaded with Korean cruise missiles capable of precision strikes against key facilities of the enemy,” the Navy said in a statement.
To be commissioned in November 2016, the diesel-powered sub has a maximum underwater speed of 20 knots (37 kilometers per hour), which makes it possible to travel between South Korea and Hawaii without refueling.
It will be operated by Air Independent Propulsion, which bolsters the vessel’s submerged endurance and allows the crew to carry out underwater missions for up to two weeks without access to atmospheric oxygen.
The Navy currently has 13 submarines: nine 1,200-ton, 209-class submarines and four 1,800-ton, 214-class submarines. By 2019, its fleet is slated to be expanded to 18 submarines with the addition of five 214-class submarines. [Korea Herald]
A light utility helicopter, the Surion, takes off in the city of Yongin, south of Seoul, on May 1, 2015, as the Army conducts a drill to evacuate emergency patients to its main hospital in the adjoining city of Seongnam. The drill was timed with the launch the same day of the aviation command for the operations, with six of the choppers to be deployed. (Yonhap)
Soldiers take a look at an self-heating lunch box at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul on April 28, 2015, as they attend a public hearing on the innovation of combat food. (Yonhap)
These are very small amounts of money to be taking to be worth putting an entire military career at risk which leads me to believe that he has probably been doing this for a very long time and saw others doing it as well:
An Army brigadier general was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of taking bribes in exchange for paying favors to his friends’ sons serving mandatory military duty, the defense ministry said.
The general, who currently serves as a vice commander of the country’s Army Corps, allegedly received some 13 million won ($11,989) from five of his friends between 2012 and 2014, who asked him to change their sons’ assignments at the barracks.
“While the general, surnamed Kim, had been trying to peddle his influence, only one of the five was able to be transferred to another position,” a defense ministry official said on condition of anonymity. [Korea Herald]
New South Korean military officers salute during the joint commission ceremony of 6,478 new military officers of the army, navy, air force and marines at the military headquarters in Gyeryong, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 12, 2015.
Shirtless South Korean soldiers conducted an exercise in heavy snow in Pyeongchang, about 180km east of Seoul, in temperatures below -20°C.
More than 150 Chunma Special Force Army members stripped off their shirts and shouted army slogans during a physical strength training exercise. [International Business Times]
You can read and see more pictures at the link, but this picture is just asking for a caption contest.
The US may want an interoperable BMD architecture with the ROK, but they continue to maintain they are going to develop their own BMD system:
Building an interoperable missile defense system is a key focus the United States places on trilateral cooperation with its two key Asian allies, South Korea and Japan, a senior American diplomat said.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Anita Friedt made the remark at the Japan Institute of International Affairs in Tokyo earlier Friday, echoing what Assistant Secretary Frank Rose said during a recent trip to Seoul, according to the State Department.
“With regards to trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and the ROK … Developing an interoperable regional missile defense architecture is an important future area of focus in light of the increasing nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea,” she said.
“We believe that future trilateral cooperation between the United States, the ROK, and Japan can positively impact our deterrence efforts against North Korean aggression and send a powerful message of deterrence to the DPRK (North Korea),” she added.
The U.S. wants to build a regional missile defense with South Korea and Japan in a move that critics say is aimed not only at countering North Korean threats, but also keeping China in check. Seoul has said it will build its own Korean Air and Missile Defense System (KAMD) in a way that is interoperable with the U.S. system. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but the ROK is trying to take the middle road on this to balance their relationship with China and the US. China doesn’t want an interoperable architecture so the ROK has maintained they will build their own missile defense system. However, as the article states the ROK’s KAMD system can be developed to be interoperable with the US if needed.
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