South Korea has lifted the veil on a key nerve centre of its air defences, offering a rare look inside the facility tasked with responding to threats from North Korea and beyond in as little as two minutes.
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On Wednesday, local media were given access to the Korea Air and Space Operations Center (KAOC), a highly secured command post located within Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60km south of Seoul.
From here, South Korean and US forces monitor and coordinate aerial responses across the Korean peninsula – a capability that has become increasingly vital as North Korea advances its missile and nuclear programmes.
The unveiling comes amid growing alarm in Seoul over Pyongyang’s push to develop smaller, tactical nuclear weapons and diversify its delivery platforms. On May 15, North Korea carried out its first publicly acknowledged live-fire test of a medium-range air-to-air missile, fired from a MiG-29 fighter jet during drills attended by leader Kim Jong-un.
South Korean officials are also concerned that the North’s weapons development may be receiving a technological boost from Russia, in exchange for Pyongyang’s reported support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine – a relationship that has triggered fresh unease in Washington and Tokyo.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s air defence identification zone has seen a growing number of incursions by Chinese and Russian military aircraft, adding to the operational strain on KAOC personnel.