South Korean Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

First PKX-B Chamsuri II-class Patrol Boat with 130mm Guided Rockets Delivered to ROK Navy

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced today that the first Chamsuri II-class (project name PKX-B batch I) patrol boat has been delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy).

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Yesterday at 9:25 PM

but
Many troops in the Pacific don’t think war with North Korea is imminent
17 hours ago

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

A high-ranking North Korean defector told a congressional hearing Wednesday that a pre-emptive U.S. military strike on the country would trigger automatic retaliation, with the North unleashing artillery and short-range missile fire on South Korea.


The testimony from Thae Yong Ho, former deputy chief of mission at the North Korean Embassy in London, underscored the high risk in using military force against North Korea. The Trump administration has said this is among its options in stopping leader Kim Jong Un from perfecting a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike the United States.

Thae, the highest-level North Korean defector in two decades, appeared to confirm what has long been suspected but rarely articulated by U.S. officials — that even a selective American strike could rain a potentially devastating North Korean military response on the South Korean capital and its environs, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the heavily militarized frontier.

Thae, who is making his first visit to Washington since his defection last year, said the U.S. and allied South Korea would win a war after a preventive military strike on the North, but there would be a “human sacrifice” inflicted on the South from the “tens of thousands” of artillery guns and short-range missiles the North has at the frontier.

“North Korean officers are trained to press their button without any further instructions from the general command if anything happens on their side,” Thae told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, referring to a U.S. bombing or military strike. “We have to remember that tens of millions of South Korean population are living 70 to 80 kilometers away from this military demarcation line.”

He urged Washington to use “soft power” instead — enforcing sanctions and disseminating information challenging North Korean propaganda to turn people against Kim’s authoritarian government. He also contended that if China allowed an “exit route” for North Korean defectors without fear of forcible repatriation there would be a “massive exodus” to the South that would cause the collapse of the North Korean system.

North Korea has called Thae “human scum” and accused him of embezzling government money and committing other crimes.

Thae’s comments come ahead of President Donald Trump’s five-nation trip to Asia that will include a stop in South Korea. The U.S. administration says it seeks a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff but “all options” are on the table. Trump has threatened the total destruction of North Korea if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies.

A Congressional Research Service report published last week said that conservative estimates anticipate that in the first hours of a conflict, North Korean artillery situated along the frontier could cause tens of thousands of casualties in South Korea, where at least 100,000 and possibly as many as 500,000 Americans live — including nearly 30,000 U.S. troops. It said a protracted conflict, particularly one in which North Korea uses its nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, could cause enormous casualties on a greater scale.

Some analysts contend the risk of Kim acquiring a nuclear weapon capable of targeting the U.S. homeland is greater than the risks associated with the outbreak of a regional war, the report said.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois wrote to Trump Wednesday calling for him to provide the American public with declassified estimates of potential casualties, costs and outcomes from a limited or full-scale war with North Korea.

“I fear the country is being deprived of an accurate assessment of what war against the DPRK would entail,” wrote Duckworth, referring to the North’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Duckworth, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, suffered severe combat wounds in Iraq.

In a separate development, the Senate Banking Committee announced late Wednesday it will take up legislation next week to strengthen and expand U.S. financial sanctions against North Korea.

The bill targets banks and other financial institutions that continue to do business with Pyongyang and anyone else that evades existing sanctions to support with the rogue nation. The legislation also permits states and local governments to divest from or prohibit investments in companies that maintain ties to North Korea.

Congressional oversight of North Korea sanctions also would be strengthened, according to the bill, and the Treasury Department would be given a bigger role in fighting human trafficking.

Click to expand...

Published on Nov 2, 2017

Click to expand...

Indonesia has failed to pay its annual share of expenses for a joint project with South Korea to develop high-tech fighter jets, an opposition lawmaker claimed Wednesday.

The claim prompted concerns the project, dubbed KF-X, could be suspended.

Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the Justice Party, a member of the National Assembly Defense Committee, said Indonesia's state-run defense firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), a participant in the project, has yet to pay this year's remaining allotted 138.9 billion won ($124.5 million) to Seoul as of the end of October, based on a document from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

"If Indonesia does not pay in time, the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has to shoulder the burden of 40 percent of the development costs," Kim said. "Coupled with the current issue of the company being financially strapped, the KF-X project could easily be put in danger."

KAI is the nation's sole aircraft manufacturer that signed the KF-X contract with DAPA.

Seoul launched the KF-X project in 2015 to build its own 4.5-generation fighters to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s by 2026.

PTDI signed an agreement with KAI in January 2016 to foot 20 percent of the cost in the development of the program, while KAI pays 20 percent and the South Korean government pays the remaining 60 percent of the 7.5 trillion won for the program.

Due to the form of agreement, the KAI faces a burden when payments from PTDI are delayed, Kim said.

KAI is reportedly in a liquidity crunch amid corruption allegations against its former management. According to a government audit, corporate bonds worth 600 billion won and 290 billion won in corporate paper are due by the end of this year. An internal report said KAI is 630 billion won short for its projected spending this year because of the shortage of cash and required payments on loans.

"The right timing of financing is critical in an R&D project that requires state-of-the-art technology. With no special measures for the delay in payment, the KF-X project could be suspended," the lawmaker said, calling for government action.

Starting April 2016, Indonesia agreed to pay 1 percent of the program costs annually, with its contribution to rise above 2 percent from 2017 onwards. Overall, the Southeast Asian country is supposed to pay 1.6 trillion won ($1.33 billion) into the KF-X program.

In 2017, the Indonesian government should pay 184 billion won but it only paid 45.2 billion won out of 92 billion won due in the first half of the year.

Kim accused DAPA of having downplayed concerns over the delayed payment.

He pointed out that the Indonesian government had officially disclosed its difficulty in paying 138.9 billion won in late September after it failed to include the money in its budget finalized in August.

But DAPA denied this, saying it was in close coordination with the Indonesian government for the payment due by October.

DAPA said the issue will be on the agenda for a summit between leaders of South Korea and Indonesia. President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to start an eight-day official trip to Southeast Asia, Nov. 8.

Click to expand...

Deino said:

...?

Click to expand...

Ships from the navies of the United States, Australia and South Korea met up off the coast of South Korea for a multilateral maritime interdiction operations (MIO) exercise.

US Navy destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) and Royal Australian Navy frigates HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) and HMAS Parramatta joined their ROK Navy counterparts for the two-day evolution which started November 6.

This exercise was designed to improve interoperability between partner nations and focus on interdicting security threats in the maritime environment that impact regional security and stability. Completion of periodic interdiction training exercises continues to improve readiness, capabilities and partnerships throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific.

Personnel from partner nations in Europe, North America and Asia are also taking part in this exercise as observers.

USS Chafee is on an independent deployment to the Western Pacific and South America which began June 13 while HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Parramatta are deployed as part of a Royal Australian Navy six-ship deployment dubbed Indo-Pacific Endeavour.

Click to expand...

US and South Korea have reached a final agreement on removing the limit on the payload of South Korean ballistic missiles.

The agreement came at a bilateral summit between the two presidents, Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump at the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae,

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

reported Tuesday.

"The heads of South Korea and the United States reached a final agreement on removing the limit on missile payloads," Moon said in a joint press conference with the US President.

The leaders also agreed to expand the rotational deployment of US strategic assets to South Korea and its surrounding areas, Moon said at the nationally televised press conference.

"We also agreed to immediately begin negotiations on South Korea's development and acquisition of the most advanced military surveillance assets," he added.

Moon said he and Trump reaffirmed their resolve to peacefully end the North Korean nuclear standoff.

They, however, stressed the importance of having what they called "overwhelming" strength over North Korea.

"We are showing great strength and I think they (North Korea) understand we have unparalleled strength. With that being said, I really believe it makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and people of the world," Trump said.

Click to expand...

South Korea is planning a raft of measures to step up its defense capabilities as U.S. President Donald Trump visits the key American ally against the backdrop of North Korea‘s nuclear ambitions.

This includes the acquisition of potentially billions of dollars worth of military hardware by the South Koreans, including the possibility of South Korea operating nuclear-powered attack submarines, more-capable missiles, as well as surveillance and targeting aircraft.

Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In have agreed to further strengthen the countries’ joint defensive posture and capabilities through the enhanced deployment of U.S. strategic military assets in and around South Korea on a rotational basis.

Moon had indicated an interest in nuclear-powered submarines even before his election in May, and the topic was reportedly discussed during his meeting with Trump. However, details of those discussions were not revealed, and the Trump administration has not indicated that it is open to that idea.

South Korea’s interest in nuclear-powered submarines has been stoked by North Korea’s development of ballistic missile submarines capable of firing the KN-11, also known as the Pukguksong-1, submarine-launched ballistic missile, which has undergone testing during the North’s recent spate of missile tests.

The South Korean Navy currently operates a fleet of locally built diesel-electric submarines and is building more with the aim to reach 18 boats by 2019. However, a small fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines will allow the service to conduct patrols for much longer periods than with conventionally powered boats.

Should South Korea acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines, either through an unlikely direct purchase from the U.S. or more likely through the development and production of an indigenous design with U.S. technical assistance, it would represent a significant shift in the country’s defense posture and stoke concerns with nuclear proliferation on the Korean Peninsula.

But significant obstacles to these ambitions remain. South Korea is a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the Asian nation is also prohibited from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent fuel for military purposes under a deal signed with the U.S. in 2015. The U.S. has also not sold nuclear-powered submarines and has not transferred such technology even to allies, and it is likely to loath doing so out of nonproliferation concerns.

Missiles and warheads

Where South Korea has found more luck is in an agreement with the U.S. for the development of missiles with heavier warheads. Trump acknowledged South Korea’s adoption of its recently revised missile guidelines to remove payload restrictions on its ballistic missiles, which will allow the missiles to attack targets such as the North’s underground bunkers and hardened artillery emplacements near the Demilitarized Zone that threaten South Korea’s capital Seoul.

This acknowledgement further cements the agreement Moon and Trump reached during a telephone call in September — shortly after North Korea’s sixth nuclear test — to no longer limit the weight of South Korea’s ballistic missile warheads.

South Korea has in recent years developed several types of ground- and sea-launched ballistic and land-attack missiles that allow it to reach anywhere in North Korea, but the previous payload limits that had restricted the warheads to no more than 500 kilograms will be removed.

Bolstering ISR

In addition, local media has flagged South Korea‘s interest in an airborne surveillance and targeting platform similar to the Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or JSTARS, currently operated by the U.S. Air Force for ground surveillance, target acquisition and communications relay.

This will be part of a suite of improvements to South Korea’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, which will also include deliveries starting in 2018 for four Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft along with the planned launch in 2019 of the first of five planned military satellites.

A potential South Korean acquisition of a JSTARS capability could complement the U.S. Air Force’s plans to recapitalize its own JSTARS fleet. As Defense News has previously reported, the service should have made a decision by now on what direction the program will take, although the decision will not be announced until the fiscal 2019 budget is released.

Click to expand...