S. Korea should modernize force to tackle N. Korea's 'robust' air defense — US general

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, June 24 — North Korea has a "robust integrated air defense" that requires South Korea to bolster efforts to modernize its air force training, a U.S. commander here said Wednesday.

"We need an electronic warfare training range to prepare our pilots for North Korea's robust integrated air defense capability," Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Remington said in a speech in Seoul.

South Korea currently has only one such range in its northeastern region, according to Air Force officials in Seoul.

"Effective training now will mean a minimized threat of death and destruction in the greater Seoul metropolitan area later," Remington said during a South Korean Air Force conference.

The three-star US general heads the 7th Air Force that operates about 80 non-rotational aircraft here, which support the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea.

North Korea recently detonated a nuclear device and test-fired a series of short-range missiles, drawing international censure that led to tougher sanctions on the communist state.

According to sources in Seoul, North Korea has also intensified its air force training this year off the west coast where it has threatened an armed provocation against US and South Korean forces.

"Force modernization has to be a priority for the ROKAF in order to be able to lead the air component," Remington said. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name, while AF refers to its Air Force.

"The aging fleet of aircraft must be replaced with newer jets capable of carrying precision guided munitions," he said, warning that the South Korean Air Force "has an extremely limited night and all-weather capability."

"The ROKAF is not interoperable and cannot support a digital CAS (close air support) environment," he added, calling for improved Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I).

"There must be improvements in the ROK's C4I capability," he said. (PNA/Yonhap)

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