South Korean military chief inspects naval readiness, calls for deterrence against North Korea

Seoul, May 15 (IANS) South Korea's top military officer inspected naval units and the submarine command on Thursday, urging firm naval readiness to deter any provocations by North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo made the call as he boarded the ROKS Jeongjo the Great destroyer and visited the submarine force command, the Jinhae Naval Base Command and the naval special warfare flotilla based in Jinhae, some 310 kilometres southeast of Seoul, according to the JCS.

Boarding the destroyer, Kim urged troops to familiarise themselves with the warship's combat system and equipment to preemptively deter and respond to the North's nuclear and missile threats.

The 8,200-tonne Aegis destroyer, armed with an advanced missile interception platform, was delivered to the Navy in November last year and is expected to be deployed by December.

While visiting the submarine force command, Kim instructed the command to maintain a firm readiness posture against the enemy's potential provocations, Yonhap news agency reported.

As part of the visit, Kim also conducted a command flight on the P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, the JCS said.

The Navy completed its acquisition of six P-8As last year with an aim to deploy them this year. Dubbed the "submarine killer," the P-8A is capable of conducting an array of missions, including anti-submarine, anti-surface, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Earlier on Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had supervised combined tactical drills of special operations, stressing that the most "crucial" task for the North's armed forces is to make full preparations for war.

The combined tactical drills of special operations and tank subunits' joint fire strike demonstration took place the previous day.

"Saying that our revolutionary armed forces are now in charge of not a few fronts, but the most important among them is the anti-imperialist class front and making full preparations for war is the most crucial task," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

He also said the combat drills will help "turn the whole army into an elite ranks."

Photos carried by state media showed North Korean troops in camouflage suits operating drones. South Korea's spy agency earlier said it detected signs of North Korean troops deployed to Russia learning drone operations and tactics from Moscow.

Last month, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that it had sent troops to Russia to fight against Ukrainian forces. During a visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang last week, Kim said the North's involvement in the war was "justifiable," calling it an exercise of sovereign rights under a mutual defence treaty with Moscow.

--IANS

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