South Korea doubles number of K-9 howitzers on Yeonpyeong Island

 A concrete structure in the K-9 Marine artillery base on Yeonpyeong Island bears marks from North Korea's attack 

on Tuesday.

South Korea's military has doubled the number of its K-9 (Thunder) 155-mm self-propelled howitzers on this border island shaken by North Korea's deadly artillery attack last week, sources said Monday.

North Korea's artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island has raised concerns that the South does not have the firepower needed to effectively defend its five islands off the west coast against the North's attacks. 

Military officers are criticizing top brass of failing to bolster defensive capabilities in the West Sea even though the area has become a powder keg with repeated North Korean provocations around the Northern Limit Line.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Wednesday troops and armaments on Yeonpyeong and Baeknyeong islands "were deployed to respond to the threat of an amphibious landing by North Korean forces. Now an artillery battle has become the new threat, so we're reassessing the need to strengthen defenses."
The minister practically admitted that the military failed to respond to a new type of North Korean threat in the West Sea. Kim pledged to boost the number of K-9 self-propelled howitzers on the island from six to 12 and replace existing 105 mm towed howitzers with 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, which have a longer range and are capable of counterattacks against North Korean artillery positions.

"When it comes to defending the West Sea, it's true that the focus of our defensive posture was on thwarting a North Korean naval clash or preventing infiltration," a military source said. "I don't think we fully anticipated an artillery attack."

North Korea has threatened to respond "mercilessly" to South Korean-U.S. military exercise that began Sunday.

In time with the start of the joint exercise, the North Korean military fired about 30 artillery shells from the Kaemori region north of Yeonpyeong Island into the West Sea as part of a military drill of its own. It also moved some of its 122 mm multiple rocket launchers and opened more camouflaged artillery gates to coastal positions.

The North moved SA-2 surface-to-air missiles with a range of about 30 km to the coast and placed surface-to-ship missiles with ranges between 83 and 100 km on launch pads on the western coast. Mig-23 fighters are on standby at Hwangju Air Base.

The North Korea Eighth Navy Combat Fleet in the West Sea and South Hwanghae Province are in a virtual state of war. 

South Korea Lawmakers grilled the minister over the relatively weak fighting power of troops in an area as strategically important as the West Sea. 

North Korea's Fourth Army Corps, which is entrusted with guarding the West Sea, is headed by General Kim Kyok-sik, who commands tens of thousands of troops. 

In contrast, South Korea has only around 5,000 marines on Baeknyeong and Yeonpyeong islands. It is unclear whether South Korean troops could successfully defend the five West Sea islands if North Korea were to stage a massive attack.
In fact the military has been implementing reforms that weaken defense capabilities in the five West Sea islands. Since the Roh Moo-hyun administration, efforts were made to cut the Marine presence in the West Sea and 3,200 marines stationed in the area were to be moved elsewhere while the 6th brigade was to be shrunk down to a regiment.

"To my knowledge, discussions are under way to scrap the Marine troop cut plan. Now that the situation has become more tense, troop levels in the West Sea would need to be increased," said a Marine officer.

The North has deployed around 1,000 artillery pieces capable of firing 130 mm and 170 mm shells on major islands and coastal positions on the West Sea. 

In contrast, the only South Korean weapons in the West Sea capable of directly hitting North Korea are K-9 self-propelled howitzers with a range of 40 km, and 155 mm towed howitzers with a range of less than 20 km. There was only six K-9 self-propelled howitzers each on Yeonpyeong and Baeknyeong islands, and 10 155 mm towed howitzers are stationed only on Baeknyeong Island.
 


The K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer was developed as a replacement for the M109A2K, also known as the K55, self-propelled howitzers. 

In the late 1980s Republic of Korea Army drew up it's requirements for a new indigenous 155-mm tracked howitzer to meet the requirements of 21st century. Key operational requirements included a higher rate of fire, longer range, better accuracy and faster into and out of action times. 

Development of the K9 Thunder began in 1989. First prototypes were completed in 1994 and it entered service in 1999. Some sources claim that over 300 of these howitzers are already in service with the Republic of Korea Army and 200 more are ordered.

   The main armament of the K9 Thunder consists of 155-mm / L52 howitzer, fitted with automatic shell handling and ramming system. It is compatible with standard NATO 155-mm ammunition. Maximum range of fire is 30 km with standard HE projectile and 40 km with rocket-assisted projectile.

   The K9 Thunder has a maximum rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute and is capable of multiple-round simultaneous-impact firing. It is able to fire three rounds in 15 seconds, each in different trajectories, so that all of the shells arrive on target at the same time. Sustained rate of fire is 2 rounds per minute.

   The K9 Thunder is fitted with automatic fire control system with internal navigation system and automatic gun laying systems. It takes 30 seconds to prepare to fire at emplacement and 60 seconds from movement. Vehicle can shortly leave position to avoid counter-battery fire.

   The K9 has all-welded steel hull and turret with a maximum thickness of 19 mm. It provides protection from small arms and artillery shell fragments. Vehicle is also fitted with NBC protection system.

   This self-propelled howitzer has a crew of five, consisting of commander, gunner, assistant gunner, loader and driver.

   Vehicle is powered by German MTU MT 881 Ka-500 diesel engine, developing 1 000 horsepower. Transmission of the K9 Thunder is a further development of that installed on the M1 Abrams main battle tank. The K9 is fitted with a hydropneumatic suspension.

   The K9 Thunder is resupplied form the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle. It is based on the K9 chassis. The reloading process is fully automated and can be performed without exposing the crew under enemy fire or in the contaminated areas.

Variants:

   K10 ammunition resupply vehicle

   T-155 Firtina, Turkish self-propelled howitzer with subsystems of the K9 Thunder

U.S. and South Korea live-fire drills in Yellow Sea

 

Background:

Its Tuesday: North Korean Artillery Attack a South Korean Island







 Large-scale joint naval drills between South Korea and the United States off the Korean Peninsula's west coast went into their second day Monday, stepping up their warning against any further provocations by North Korea which has bristled over the maneuvers.

Led by the USS George Washington, the allies started the four-day drills Sunday in the wake of the North's deadly artillery attack on an inhabited South Korean island that killed four South Koreans, including two marines.

North Korea alleges that South Korea incited the attacks when shells from a South Korean drill landed in North Korean waters during their annual Hoguk military drill. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency has verbally condemned South Korea and the United States for rousing this predicament. 

China may be criticizing North Korea privately for its November 23rd artillery attack on a South Korean town (Yeonpyeong Island), but it is publically chastising South Korea and the U.S. for conducting naval training exercises off the west coast of Korea, in international waters.

This sort of thing has been a favorite communist diplomatic ploy for over half a century.

It goes like this, the communists concentrate on building up their military forces, but keep details secret and insist they are all for peace. But at the same time, democracies, which have a free media, are criticized for the size and disposition of their armed forces, and for holding training exercises (which the communist nations cannot afford as many of).

If the democracies make the same accusations, the communist states deny everything and insist that it's none of your business. As absurd as this sounds, it's what's been going on for decades. This drill has become part of the media landscape and isn't really noticed. But occasionally it gets violent.

In the 1950s and 60s, Russia and North Korea would attack American intelligence ships and aircraft outside their air space or coastal waters (as recognized by international law) for "spying." As recently as 2001, a U.S. Navy recon aircraft was hit, and damaged, over international waters, by a Chinese fighter. China has more recently ordered state owned fishing vessels to deliberately get in the way of American and Japanese warships who were getting too close to China, despite being in international waters. It's the old "what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable" ploy taken to a deadly extreme.

What the North Koreans are saying to South Korea is "give us more food and oil or we will keep attacking you in the name of self-defense". North Korea is starving again, and the leadership (representing about ten percent of the population that are well fed) need help and don't want to risk their control of North Korea to get it. Meanwhile, South Korea and Japan are fed up with over a decade of North Korean extortion and are no longer willing to provide free food to North Korea unless the nuclear weapons program is shut down. North Korea refuses to consider this, and has come up with a new tactic; fatal warning shots. Over half of South Korea's population (and more than a third of its GDP) is within range of thousands of North Korean 170mm guns (range of 50 kilometers) and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers (range of 45 kilometers).

Actually, North Korea has hundreds of ballistic missiles capable of hitting anywhere in South Korea. What if North Korea demands that free food and oil shipments resume, or more South Korea towns (or neighborhoods in cities) will be hit? What's South Korea going to do, when North Korea threatens to launch a major offensive if the south fights back and tries to destroy North Korea guns, rockets and ballistic missiles?

Because North Korea has the ability to do major damage to the southern capital (where half the population and a quarter of the GDP are), the South Koreans have more to lose than the northerners. Sprawling Seoul is 40-50 kilometers from the North Korea border. The city alone is 600 square kilometers, and the suburbs even larger. There are over 17,000 people per square kilometer (45,000 per square mile) in the city. The southerners know the north has nothing to lose, are desperate and heavily armed. What do you do?

Last March, a North Korean submarine torpedoed and sank a South Korean corvette (killing 46 sailors), in South Korean waters. North Korea denied that it was responsible (although the attacks was played in the north as very much a North Korean military operation). The north noted that the south did not retaliate.

Many South Koreans are now demanding a military response, but the majority of southerners will do almost anything to avoid a major war. Over the last decade, southerners have become less tolerant of northern extortion tactics, and have cut off most aid. So the north has done what any criminal gang would do, it has sent a message. The question is, do you call in the cops, or give in?

In this case, it's uncertain if the "cops" (U.S. and South Korea armed forces) can do anything that will work. Military commanders point out that the North Korean military is not invincible, and is vulnerable. Nearly two decades of food shortages, and economic collapse up north have had an effect on the military. North Korean troops, who grew up during the first rounds of famine in the 1990s, are noticeably shorter than the previous generation. There's not enough money to train, or maintain the vast North Korea arsenal of vehicles, weapons and other equipment. There's lots of evidence of this, from satellite photos, electronic chatter, and the thousands of North Korean refugees who have made it to South Korea in the last few years (and many more who made it to China, and can be reached by journalists, and intelligence agencies.)

But the North Korean leadership knows this as well. Without massive aid, the northern military will continue to rot, and the North Korean people will become more unruly. Already, anti-government graffiti is showing up in the north. This was unheard of until recently. The security agencies up there are becoming corrupt, as a result of the shortages, and the creation of a limited market economy to try and prevent more widespread starvation and privation. Many in the north, especially in the ruling Kim family, would rather go out with a bang, rather than a whimper (or a firing squad). The U.S. says it will not reward bad behavior, but South Korea and Japan, being within range of North Korean weapons, are not so sure of that approach.

The South Korean military has a third fewer troops in uniform than the north, but they are better armed and trained. However, North Korea has not been at war since 1953, and South Korea since the late 1960s (when they had troops in Vietnam). Armed forces tend to get stiff and inefficient in peacetime. But both nations have most of their troops lined up along the mountainous border (the DMZ, or demilitarized zone). There are plenty of fortifications, and plans for the south to keep the northerners out.

The basic drill has always been that the north would try to invade again (as it did in 1950), with the southerners and their American allies defending. Based on historical experience, the north could do a lot of damage, but not win. The north has chemical weapons, and it is feared they would use them. The north also, technically, has nuclear weapons. But based on two tests of their nukes, it is not believed they have a weapon that could be delivered. The north could make the big push, but the southerners and their American allies would eventually prevail. The invasion is a threat, not a solution.

Artillery firing was again heard on Yeonpyeong Island today, but this time, no shells or rockets fell on the island. North Korean artillery was practicing again, within its own territory. You'll be hearing a lot more North Korean artillery practice, because they have large stocks of aging munitions that must either be fired or disposed of because the stuff is too dangerous to use.

After a few decades, the chemical components of rockets and artillery shells decompose and become unreliable. But North Korea can't fire all this stuff, since each time you fire a shell it damages the barrel, which must be replaced, in some cases, after only a few hundred shells are fired. It's similar for rocket launchers, with heat of the rockets causing some damage to the launch tubes and the launcher (or launch vehicle) in general. The north cannot afford replacements. North Korea's poverty since 1991 has meant it could not afford to replace its older munitions like it used to in the past, and there's a lot more old stuff to worry about. Fuel shortages mean that the old munitions can't even be trucked to coast and dumped at sea, or buried on land (to provide a hazard for over a century). So a lot of these increasingly unstable ammo just rots in storage bunkers.

From GEN Walter L. Sharp, UNC/CFC/USFK Commander

"We have and will continue to closely monitor the situation following the firing into the Northwest Islands.  There have been no additional North Korean attacks overnight. Please continue with your normal activities. I will periodically update you throughout the upcoming days. 

I am proud of the ROK military for their prompt response in protecting their citizens on Yeongpyeong-Do and have full confidence in the ROK and U.S. military forces who stand ready to deter aggression and defend the Republic of Korea."

-- GEN Walter L. Sharp, UNC/CFC/USFK Commander

Its Tuesday: North Korean Artillery Attack a South Korean Island

North Korea and South Korea have traded artillery fire across the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea to the west of the peninsula. 

Though details are still sketchy, South Korean news reports indicate that around 2.34pm local time (7.34am GMT), North Korean artillery shells began landing in the waters around Yeonpyeongdo, one of the South Korean-controlled islands just south of the NLL. 
 

North Korea has reportedly fired as many as 200 rounds, some of which struck the island, Two South Korean marines were killed and 17 others injured, as well as three civilians, damaging buildings and setting fire to a mountainside.

South Korea responded by firing some 80 shells of its own toward North Korea, dispatching F-16 fighter jets to the area and raising the military alert to its highest level.

The islands were the scene of three skirmishes between the navies of North and South Korea in 1999, 2002 and most recently in 2009 when a North Korean patrol ship was set on fire by South Korean gunfire.

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak has convened an emergency Cabinet meeting, and Seoul is determining whether to evacuate South Koreans working at inter-Korean facilities in North Korea. 

The barrage from North Korea was continuing at 4 p.m. Military activity appears to be ongoing at this point, and the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff are meeting on the issue. No doubt North Korea’s leadership is also convening.

The North Korean attack comes as South Korea’s annual Hoguk military exercises are under way. The exercises — set to last nine days and including as many as 70,000 personnel from all branches of the South Korean military — span from sites in the Yellow Sea including Yeonpyeongdo to Seoul and other areas on the peninsula itself.

Low-level border skirmishes across the demilitarized zone and particularly the NLL are not uncommon even at the scale of artillery fire. 

 
In March, the South Korean naval corvette ChonAn was sunk in the area by what is broadly suspected to have been a North Korean torpedo, taking tensions to a peak in recent years. 
 
Nov. 22 also saw South Korean rhetoric about accepting the return of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to the peninsula, though the United States said it has no plans at present to support such a redeployment. 


While the South Korean reprisals, both artillery fire in response by self-propelled K-9 artillery and the scrambling of aircraft, thus far appear perfectly consistent with South Korean standard operating procedures, the sustained shelling of a populated island by North Korea would mark a deliberate and noteworthy escalation.

The incident comes amid renewed talk of North Korea’s nuclear program, including revelations of an active uranium-enrichment program, and amid rumors of North Korean preparations for another nuclear test. 

 
With the ongoing leadership transition in North Korea, there have been rumors of discontent within the military, and the current actions may reflect miscommunications or worse within the North’s command-and-control structure, or disagreements within the North Korean leadership.

Nutty North Korea Unveils New Battle Tank

USFK Intelligence authorities are analyzing footage of a new battle tank shown on North Korean state TV over the weekend. So far the existence of the "Pokpung" (Storm) had only been a rumor.

A USFK source on Monday said the Pokpung appears to be an improved version of the North Korean Army's previous model "Chonma" (Flying Horse) in terms of firepower and maneuverability.

The Pokpung tank is also known as the M-2002, as it is presumed to have been rolled out in 2002.
Armed with a 125 mm gun, the Pokpung appears to be a drastically improved version of the former Soviet Union's T-90 tank.

It seems to be more heavily armed with a 14.5 mm KPV anti-aircraft machine gun, which is more powerful than the 12.7 mm machine gun mounted on older tanks. Also equipped with a laser range finder and an infrared searchlight, the tank is presumed to have a higher accuracy as it has a more modern fire control system than earlier models.
The Pokpung has a welded hull and turret. Turret has a large wedge-shaped armor module, bolted onto the front for improved protection. A large turret bustle is built at the rear, which possibly contains crew gear or additional ammunition. This MBT possibly might be fitted with explosive reactive armor kit. However this tank looses in term of protection to most current MBTs.

This tank is powered by a turbocharged diesel engine, developing ~ 750 hp. The road wheels and drive sprockets appears to be T-90 components.

Vehicle can be fitted with additional fuel tanks for expended range.

It is believed that this tank has a crew of 4, including commander, gunner, loader and driver.

The North Korean tank was developed by Ryu Kyong-su Tank Factory in Shinhung, South Hamgyong province. The tank's performance tests were learned to have taken place near Pyongyang on February 16 in commemoration of Kim Jong-il's 60th birthday.

The designation of the latest North Korean tank has yet to be confirmed. Since Pyongyang named the tank it developed in 1985 "M-1985", some experts speculate that it may designate the latest one T-2002.

North Korea would not be the first Asian country to have a variant of the T-90. As of mid-2000 India planned to acquire T-90 tanks, based on field trials that had already been completed. Russia had agreed to expedite the delivery at India's request.

There had been previous signs that North Korea was working to develop this tank. Last August, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, during a trip to Russia, visited Omsk, about 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, regarded as the center of Russia's defense manufacturing industry. There he toured the giant TransMash defense plant, which produces T-80 and T-90 tanks. It was reported then that North Korea wanted to purchase an upgraded model of a T-90 tank recently developed by the company as part of its efforts to modernize its conventional weapons.

North Korea succeeded in developing a new main battle tank, the capabilities of which are nearly identical to those of the T-90 tank Russia developed in the early 1990s

North Korea's development of the tank is consistent with its emphasis on expanding ground-force mobility. North Korea's army now has nearly 4,000 tanks, including one it developed based on the Russian T-80, a sample of which it brought in from Afghanistan in the early 1990s, the most advanced type at that time. Among the country's tanks are some 800 T-62s, 275 T-59s, -55s and -54s, and 250 T-34s.

This is hardly the first time that North Korea has used Russia as a role model in terms of weapons production. Beginning in the late 1970s, North Korea began to produce a modified version of the 115mm-gunned T-62 tank, which was the Soviet army's main battle tank in the 1960s.

Over the years it has become clear that North Korea has made considerable modifications to the basic Soviet and Chinese designs in its own production.

While the Russians have developed export variants of the T-90, the T-90S (or "C" in Cyrillic) and the T-90SK command variant, it is unclear whether either of them was made available to North Korea as it developed its model.

The Russian T-90 has a 125mm main gun. It can also fire a laser-guided missile with a hollow-charge warhead that is effective against both armored targets and low-flying helicopters. The missile gives the T-90 the ability to engage other vehicles and helicopters before they can engage the T-90. The computerized fire control system and laser rangefinder, coupled with a gunner's thermal sight, permits the T-90 to engage targets while on the move at speeds of 45-65km/h, and at night.

The T-90 compares favorably to its Western counterparts such as the US M1 Abrams, German Leopard-2, British Challenger-2, and French LeClerc. It weights less, its main gun is bigger, it carries a guided weapon, the range of its night sight is longer, and it has jammers that disrupt the targeting systems of anti-tank missiles. However, as this is a first-generation system it is probably not as capable as comparable Western systems.

The tank is fitted with precision laying equipment and an automatic loader to guarantee a high rate of gunfire. Secondary armament includes a coaxial 7.62mm PKT machine gun and 12.7mm machine-gun mount for air and ground targets. It also features a new generation of armor on its hull and turret.

The North Korean Army has about 3,900 tanks, much more than the South Korean Army's 2,300, but they are believed to perform much more poorly.

Entered service late 1990s
Crew 4 men
Dimensions and weight
Weight ~ 44 t
Length (gun forward) ?
Hull length ?
Width ?
Height ?
Armament
Main gun 115-mm smoothbore
Machine guns 1 x 14.5-mm, 1 x 7.62-mm
Elevation range ?
Traverse range 360 degrees
Ammunition load
Main gun ~ 40 rounds
Machine guns 300 x 14.5, 1 500 x 7.62
Mobility
Engine diesel
Engine power ~ 750 hp
Maximum road speed 50 ~ 60 km/h
Range 400 ~ 500 km
Maneuverability
Gradient 60%
Side slope 40%
Vertical step ~ 0.9 m
Trench ~ 2.8 m
Fording ~ 1.4 m
Fording (with preparation) 5 m

South Korea To Launch Theater Command by '09

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) will become an independent theater war-fighting command with initial operational capability next year as Seoul moves to assume wartime control of its troops in 2012.

Lt. Gen. Lee Sung-chool, chief director of strategic planning for the JCS, said two separate war-fighting commands of South Korea and the United States will reach their full operational capabilities by 2011 to replace the current Combined Forces Command (CFC). A series of cooperation centers will be established to smooth the transition.

"Two separate theater commands of the South Korean and U.S. militaries will reach their full operational capabilities by late 2011 following several rehearsal training exercises for the transition of wartime operational control," Lee said in an exclusive interview with Defense News at the JCS headquarters here March 10.

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will begin preparting to launch its own theater war-fighting command in 2010, the three-star Army general said.

Beginning this year, South Korean and U.S. forces are scheduled to conduct two sets of joint drills each year until 2011. The exercises will focus on transforming the U.S.-led combined forces structure on the Korean Peninsula to a South Korean-led "joint defense system."

The Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercises in spring will be led by the U.S. military. The Korean military will take the lead in the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises in fall, Lee said.

A final exercise unilaterally conducted by South Korean forces will take place in March 2012, he said.

"That is, 2011 is the de facto year of inaugurating two separate but complementary theater operations commands - a joint military command of South Korea and the U.S. Korea Command - as the organization of the commands and establishment of required infrastructure, including the C4I digital command systems, will be completed by that time," Lee said.

The JCS chairman will concurrently serve as commanding general of the envisaged Korean theater command, he said. A chain of command for the U.S. command has not yet been decided, he added.

The four-star U.S. commander of the CFC concurrently serves as chief of the USFK and United Nations Command (UNC), and he has the authority to command both South Korean and U.S. troops in case of an emergency.

The six-decade-long U.S.-led combined-forces mechanism is to undergo major changes under a landmark pact on command rearrangement plans reached early last year. The two militaries are on track to put a South Korean-led "joint defense system" in place on the Korean Peninsula by 2012.

South Korean commanders will execute independent operational control (OPCON) of their troops during war beginning April 17, 2012, with the U.S military shifting to a supporting role under the agreement. The CFC is to be deactivated.

South Korea voluntarily handed over both peacetime and wartime operational controls to the U.S.-led UNC at the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. The command authority was later transferred to the CFC. Seoul took over peacetime control in 1994.

To help facilitate joint operations and strategic planning between the two war-fighting commands, they plan to establish an Alliance Military Cooperation Center (AMCC) under the Military Committee between the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the two militaries, and six other cooperation centers in 2009, Lee said.

The AMCC, led by one- or two-star generals from the two militaries, will be the backbone for strategic operations management, cooperation and coordination between the two commands, he said. Other cooperation centers include a joint operations center, joint intelligence center and combined/joint logistics cooperation center.

In addition, several agencies will help coordinate operations between South Korea's operations commands of each service and U.S. component commands, such as an "integrated aerial operations center" between South Korea's Air Force Operations Command and the U.S. air component command, Lee said.

The general is confident the separate command system will work.

"South Korea and the U.S. formulated the joint defense system after years of close discussions and consultations. There is no doubt that it will be one of the strongest and most exemplary defense systems in the world," he said.

He also dismissed calls by conservatives for delaying the transfer.

"I believe the OPCON transfer should be implemented on schedule not only because the agreement was made on the basis of consensus, but also, there have been no changes in the security conditions," he said.

If the timetable for the command transfer needs to be rescheduled, the two governments would be able to readjust the transfer agreement, including the timing, Lee said.

South Korean conservative forces regard the command changes as a U.S. move to reduce its security commitment to South Korea, arguing the smaller role of the U.S. military amid lingering threats posed by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs could tip the military balance on the peninsula.

Lee said Seoul will have difficulty securing enough strategic weapons before 2012, but the U.S. military's provision of overwhelming "bridging capability," including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, will help deter possible North Korean aggression and maintain stability on the peninsula.

He anticipated, however, U.S. reinforcements of ground troops in the event of war would be restricted by the U.S. military's worldwide operations, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Even after the transition of OPCON, the UNC will remain intact to oversee the armistice on the peninsula and provide troops to South Korea in case of war, the general said. This situation will remain in place at least until a peace regime is established to replace the truce signed among the U.S.-led UNC, North Korea and China at the end of the Korean War. A permanent peace treaty has never replaced the armistice, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.

The South Korean military, however, gradually will take over a large part of UNC's roles and missions, he said. Working groups of the two sides have been scrutinizing an "authority-to-responsibility mismatch" for the UNC after the transition.

The UNC is a 16-nation organization overseeing the armistice. The command has a small number of officers from the member countries and supervises two transportation corridors that run through the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, just 50 kilometers north of Seoul.

In the event of an emergency, the UNC is supposed to provide forces and logistical support to South Korean and U.S. troops via seven bases in Japan.

Lee downplayed concerns over a possible security vacuum from the U.S. "strategic flexibility" scheme, which allows the United States to dispatch, withdraw or move its forces to and from host nations to swiftly respond to conflicts in other parts of the world.

"The strategic flexibility involves both concepts of 'flow-out' and 'flow-in.' In terms of flow-out, I don't think the U.S. will deploy large parts of USFK to other regions, given Washington holds the strategic value of the Korean Peninsula in great account and will not ignore the security conditions on the peninsula facing North Korea's threats," Lee said. "Flow-in means the U.S. will dispatch its troops around the globe to the peninsula faster than ever before in case of an emergency, so that deterrence against North Korea will be further improved."

Lee was cautious about Seoul's joining the U.S. ballistic missile defense network, citing financial constraints, technology level, the close proximity of South and North Korea, and public sentiment.

He said the priority of South Korea's missile defense system was to build a low-tier missile shield to intercept incoming missiles from North Korea. He called the North's ballistic missile programs a grave threat to the security of the South.

The low-altitude missile defense system, dubbed the Korea air and missile defense network, will consist of Patriot Advanced Capability-2 interceptors and Aegis ship-based air defense systems with the tactical Standard Missile-2.

The terminal-phase defense is designed to take down low-flying, short- and medium-range missiles. North Korea is believed to have deployed near the border more than 600 Scud missiles with a range of 320 to 500 kilometers, and 200 Rodong missiles that can hit Japan.

The network is to reach full operational capabilities by 2012, when the state-funded Agency for Defense Development plans to complete development of a semi-indigenous ballistic missile early warning radar built with technological support from foreign countries. Three KDX-III Aegis-equipped destroyers also will enter service in 2012.