I guess we will see if robotics becomes another defense industry product that the ROK can reliably produce:
The state arms procurement agency said Monday it has test-deployed a multi-legged robot designed for counter-terrorism operations as part of a push to introduce advanced technologies to the military.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) launched the project in August 2022 to develop a robot that can check for threats inside buildings in a terror situation before troops are deployed.
The Army received the robot last Wednesday to conduct the six-month trial run to determine whether it is suitable for operations. The Army Special Warfare Command and a front-line Army division will assess its performance and capabilities.
#Marines with @3d_Marine_Div conduct exercise Korea Viper 24.2 at Rodriguez Live-Fire Complex, South Korea.
Korea Viper is a recurring exercise series demonstrating the Republic of Korea and the U.S. Marine Corps' ability to respond decisively in the region as a unified force. pic.twitter.com/nZ8mksQIOX
If South Korea develops their own nuclear powered submarines it would not be because of threats from North Korea, but instead preparing for war with China instead:
The chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has said the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) in South Korea could be considered in the future depending on its operational analysis, the presidential office said Sunday.
“From the standpoint of submarine warfare, I think it’s important as allies and partners to find the most efficient and effective ways to combine our capabilities in ways that most effectively defend our alliances and partnerships,” Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo said during an interview with the South Korean press Thursday on the runway of the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.
“And if the operational analysis leads us to believe that, then we can move forward at a later date,” he added.
The very politically charged death of a Marine that died last year from drowning during a botched rescue attempt, has led to charges against multiple officers:
In this file photo, Lee Yong-min, former commander of the Marine Corps’ 7th battalion, pays his respect on June 13, 2024, at the tomb of a Marine conscript who died during a search for missing downpour victims last year. (Yonhap)
Police decided Monday not to charge a Marine division commander accused of responsibility in last year’s death of a young solider during a search operation for flood victims, only referring six other officers to the prosecution for indictment.
The result of the politically sensitive investigation came a year after the then 20-year-old Marine conscript, surnamed Chae, was swept away by a torrent during a search for missing downpour victims in the southeastern county of Yecheon on July 19 last year. He was found dead half a day later.
The death sparked national outrage over initial findings that conscripts, including Chae, were mobilized for the risky search mission to comb through a swollen, torrential and muddy stream without proper safety gear, such as life jackets or ropes, resulting in Chae’s death.
On Monday, the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency in Andong, near Yecheon, announced that it has decided to forward six military field commanders, including the commander of Chae’s battalion and another battalion chief, to the prosecution on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
You can read more at the link, but the political aspect of this case occurred when the Marine Corps division commander tried to allegedlly cover up the investigation. The claims are that the division commander was covering up on behalf of President Yoon. This interference is being investigated separately.
This is another way for South Korea to respond to increasing provocative behavior from North Korea:
South Korea’s army held live-fire artillery practice near the border with North Korea for the first time in six years, and the first such move since suspending a ban on live drills in June. The artillery drill was conducted at an unspecified firing range within three miles of the Military Demarcation Line, the actual border dividing the Korean Peninsula, according to a news release Tuesday from the South Korean army.
The border is inside the 2½-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone. Numerous air and artillery ranges are scattered near the border with North Korea. U.S. and South Korean troops conduct drills throughout the year at the 3,390-acre Rodriguez Live Fire Complex roughly 16 miles south of the border. Tuesday’s artillery drill focused on South Korea’s “response capabilities and fire preparedness” in the event of North Korean provocations, the release said. The army said it plans to regularly conduct artillery drills around the area for the foreseeable future.
I had no idea that the ROK military does not allow trainees to run with their gear on. After this incident I am sure word is going to get out broadly to not allow trainees to run with gear on:
A violation of military regulation occurred with a recent trainee soldier’s death during a training exercise, an Army official told local media Monday.
In a meeting with reporters, the unnamed official confirmed that there “had been a situation that was not in accordance with (military) regulation” during the exercise. The official refused to elaborate, saying the case was still under investigation by the police and the military.
According to the Army, the trainee soldier died Saturday while being treated at a civilian hospital, two days after collapsing at a unit in Inje, Gangwon Province, at around 5:20 p.m. on Thursday.
The deceased had been carrying out a training exercise that is not part of the regular program, conducted usually as a disciplinary action when the commander deems it necessary. A total of six soldiers took part in the said training, which involved them running laps around the grounds while fully equipped with their gear.
A group of South Korean Cold War-era fighter aircraft staged one of their final flights last week ahead of retirement next month, bidding farewell after more than five decades of service.
The four F-4 Phantom IIs took off from their home base in Suwon, just south of Seoul, for the commemorative flight boarded by reporters on Thursday, retracing the supersonic fighter-bomber’s 55-year history in South Korea’s airspace.
The first batch of the U.S.-made jets arrived in South Korea in 1969, in a major boost to the Air Force that sought to beef up its aircraft fleet against threats posed by North Korea’s Soviet-made jets amid fierce rivalry between the two Koreas.
More than a half-century later, the Phantoms will be fully retired from service on June 7, handing over operations to defend the skies to a new generation of aircraft.
With all the cyber threats that South Korea faces this is probably a good exercise for them to take part in:
South Korea’s Cyber Operations Command will participate in a U.S.-led multinational cyber exercise this week to strengthen its capabilities to counter malicious cyber activities, Seoul’s defense ministry said Sunday, amid growing security threats from North Korea.
Nine personnel from the South’s military will join the Cyber Flag exercise to be held from Sunday through Saturday (local time) in the U.S. state of Virginia, according to the defense ministry.
The online exercise is designed to hone skills for multinational cooperation in countering cyberthreats and share intelligence against enemies’ cyber activities.
This sounds like a way for the Korean government to reduce Apple’s marketshare in Korea by imposing this ban because any smartphone is a possible recording device not just Apple phones:
South Korea’s military is considering a comprehensive ban on iPhones in military buildings due to increasing concerns about possible leaks of sensitive information through voice recordings, according to multiple military sources on Tuesday.
The sources, a group of ranking officers who wished to speak on condition of anonymity, said that the Air Force headquarters released an internal announcement on the military’s intranet server on April 11, instructing a complete prohibition on any device capable of voice recording and which do not permit third-party apps to control inherent functions, effective June 1, with “iPhones” cited as items subject to the ban.
According to the document, the decision to ban iPhones in the military came from joint meetings held by the headquarters of the Army, Navy and Air Force, located at Gyeryongdae in South Chungcheong Province.
With such short mandatory service times in Korea there is not much training V is going to receive to make him a very effective special operator. I wonder if he volunteered for this unit or the ROK military put him in it for publicity reasons?:
Photos of K-pop supergroup BTS member V in the gear of a counter-terrorism unit have been unveiled, a Facebook page on the South Korean military showed Thursday.
Images of V wearing pitch black Special Duty Team (SDT) attire were released Wednesday on the page, which serves as an anonymous bulletin board for military service members.
V enlisted in the military last December for his mandatory service and was accepted to join the military police during boot camp training, according to the Army.
The BTS member has since been assigned to the SDT, which focuses on counter-terrorism and other special operations, under the Army’s 2nd Corps.
