Top military commanders overseeing space operations for South Korea and the United States reaffirmed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation Thursday, emphasizing the growing threat posed by North Korea’s space-related military activities.
"Our Air Force is integrating aerial and space intelligence into real operations to respond swiftly to asymmetric threats, including ballistic missile launches and GPS jamming (from North Korea)," said Lt. Gen. Kim Hyung-soo, commander of the South Korean Air Force Operations Command, during a meeting with Lt. Gen. David Miller, commander of the US Space Operations Command, at the Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province.
"We hope the US Space Force will provide valuable guidance based on its extensive operational expertise to ensure seamless joint space operations on the Korean Peninsula," Kim added.
During the meeting, Kim and Miller shared concerns over North Korea's increasing space threats, including its military cooperation with Russia and continued satellite launches, according to the South Korean Air Force. The meeting took place nine months after Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations for the US Space Force, visited South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo in May 2024.
The two commanders agreed to establish a system for sharing intelligence on North Korean ballistic missile detection and analysis using space assets. They also reviewed ways to expand collaboration in the civilian space sector and enhance joint space exercises and training programs.
The South Korean Air Force has been working with the US Air Force on space operations since 2017. It later elevated its space operations unit to the Air Force Space Operations Group in September 2022.
Most recently, South Korea’s Air Force Space Operations Group and US Space Forces Korea conducted the Polaris Hammer-Korea exercise in January to simulate the detection of and response to enemy threats in space.
This exercise marks the first time the US has conducted a joint space operations drill with a foreign military outside its territory. The next phase of the exercise is scheduled for the allies’ annual joint exercise in March.
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