Pyeongtaek: A top South Korean Air Force general will meet a senior U.S. Space Force commander on Thursday to discuss ways for cooperation against North Korea's space-based threats, the Air Force said. Lt. Gen. Kim Hyung-soo, head of the Air Force Operations Command, will hold the talks with Lt. Gen. David Miller, commander of the U.S. Space Operations Command, at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this marks the first time the head of the U.S. command in charge of the U.S. Space Force's operations has visited South Korea. The two sides are expected to share their assessments on increasing space-based threats from North Korea, recently highlighted by Pyongyang's attempts to launch more military spy satellites and ongoing military cooperation with Moscow.
They will also discuss ways to strengthen the allies' combined operational capabilities in space, such as establishing a system to share data on North Korean ballistic missile launches, and expanding combined space-related drills. South Korea's Air Force, tasked with handling space-related operations, has conducted various combined drills with the U.S. military over the years to boost readiness in the domain.
Last month, the Air Force's Space Operations Group and the U.S. Space Forces Korea held the first phase of the Polaris Hammer exercise designed to improve response capabilities to space-based threats. The second phase of the exercise will take place during the allies' regular springtime Freedom Shield exercise period set for next month.