Some of the most powerful ROK and US military officers were recently in Guam touring United States strategic assets located on the island:
In this photo taken in Guam on Nov. 1 and provided by Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, JCS Chairman Lee Sun-jin (L) and U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks hold a joint press conference in front of a nuclear-powered submarine at Naval Base Guam. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s top military officer visited Guam and exchanged views with top U.S. brass on ways to further strengthen their alliance against North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday.
JCS Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin and U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks examined the range of U.S. strategic assets in Guam along with senior leaders from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Pacific Command, the JCS said in a statement.
“The Seoul-Washington alliance is capable of immediately responding to any type of provocation from North Korea. The allies will consider all options, including the rotational deployment of U.S. strategic assets near the Korean Peninsula, if the North sticks to developing nuclear weapons,” Lee said in a joint press conference held at Naval Base Guam, according to the statement. (……..)
The military leaders then inspected strategic assets such as the B-1B strategic bombers, nuclear-powered submarines and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery set up in Guam to intercept possible incoming missiles from the communist North. [Yonhap]
South Korea is planning on developing a laser system to counter North Korea’s drone program:
This photo captured from North Korea’s state-run TV on Sept. 14, 2016, shows its newly developed 1-meter wide unmanned aircraft. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution.) (Yonhap)
South Korea will develop or purchase a new laser air defense weapon to bring down small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sent by North Korea, military officials said Wednesday.
“Amid growing worries about possible terror attacks by North Korea’s unmanned drones, we are planning to secure a high-precision weapon which can detect, trace and hit a small aircraft,” a defense official told Yonhap News Agency.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has entered into a project to develop core technologies for a laser weapon. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has designated Hanwha Defense Systems as test product developer, according to the agencies.
“Depending on research and development (R&D) results, it will be determined whether the country can produce and deploy its own air defense system,” said an ADD official. “If not, the military plans to import a foreign air-defense system to counter North Korean unmanned aircraft.” [Yonhap]
At least one ROK lawmaker wants to get really serious about preventing ROK military corruption:
Rep. Sin Sang-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party.
– A lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party proposed a new bill on Thursday to classify military-related corruption as a form of aiding and abetting the enemy, paving the way for courts to hand out stricter punishment including the death penalty.
Under South Korean law, any action benefiting the enemy can land a person in jail for at least five years, with more serious offences leading to capital punishment.
“Irregularities in the military have an adverse impact on national defense that leads directly to the safety of the people,” Rep. Sin Sang-jin said, adding the existing system cannot sufficiently root out military-related corruption due to ineffective punishment. [Yonhap]
A medical non-commissioned officer surnamed Lee, 24, was arrested for allegedly stabbing a female officer while drunk. The event occurred on Aug. 5, after he got into a quarrel with his colleagues.
“The victim got neural damages in her thigh due to the incident,” said an official from the Armed Forces Medical Command on Friday. “She is currently being treated in a private hospital.”
Around 10 officers from the Korean Armed Forces Hongcheon Hospital in Hongcheon County, Gangwon, gathered on Aug. 5 for dinner and drinks. The conflict began when Lee was reprimanded for his rudeness by another non-commissioned officer with a lower rank, according to police.
“It seems like Lee felt disrespected that someone with a lower rank scolded him,” said a military official.
After dinner, the party moved on to a noraebang (karaoke room). Lee, who had left for home around midnight, also showed up, holding a knife, police later said. Lee brandished his knife and moved toward the non-commissioned officer he had quarreled with, the report noted, who then ran away with wounds to his stomach.
Police also said the female officer, running into Lee on her way back from the washroom, was stabbed in several places including her thigh.
The chaos was concluded when a civilian military worker inside the noraebang venue subdued Lee. Police arrested Lee for bodily harm and handed him over to the military police. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
A group of air force instructors makes a high altitude, low opening (HALO) jump from a military chopper at a height of 10,000 feet on Aug. 18, 2016, in this photo provided by the air force. (Yonhap)
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jang Jun-gyu speaks during a send-off ceremony for the 11th batch of South Korean troops in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Special Warfare Command in southern Seoul on July 19, 2016. Since 2011, the UAE has been home to some 150 troops charged with training UAE special forces and conducting joint military drills. Their unit is known as “Ahk,” an Arabic word meaning “brother.” (Yonhap)
I wonder how the ROK military plans to keep the location a secret? I have no doubt the location will quickly be leaked to the media one THAAD deploys to South Korea:
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo visits an opposition party lawmaker’s office at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 8, 2016. (Yonhap)
Han responded to China’s discontent over THAAD being placed on South Korean soil and concerns that it could worsen the relationship between South Korea and China, saying the two countries should strengthen their talks.
Han said that the site for the THAAD deployment will be announced soon, but the specific location will not be made public due to military secrecy. [Yonhap]
I am a bit surprised that it has taken this long for a North Korean defector to serve in the ROK military:
A North Korean defector recently completed his mandatory military service in South Korea, according to Korea Hana Foundation, a state-funded organization helping defectors, Thursday.
Kim Ji-hwan, 22, was discharged on Feb. 23 after serving two years as an Air Force sergeant in the 8th Fighter Wing in Wonju, Gangwon Province.
Kim is the first North Korean defector to have completed military service here, according to the Military Manpower Administration (MMA).
All able-bodied South Korean men aged between 19 and 37 are subject to compulsory military duty. But those who escaped from North Korea can legally refuse the draft under the Conscription Law, the MMA said.
Despite this, Kim applied for service in the Air Force. There are no other North Korean defectors serving in the military.
Kim fled to South Korea with his family in 2005. [Korea Times]
