Canadian delegation tours Korean Air Force's air defense facilities: sources
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, center left, visits Hanwha's shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 3, in this unrelated photo. Courtesy of Hanwha Ocean
A delegation of Canadian defense ministry officials has toured key air defense facilities of the Korean Air Force in an effort to observe the air defense system, sources said Thursday.
The Canadian delegation toured the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) operations center at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday, a government source familiar with the matter told Yonhap News Agency.
The Canadian officials are also scheduled to visit Hanwha Aerospace's manufacturing facilities in the southeastern city of Changwon on Thursday.
The delegation visited the facilities of LIG Defense & Aerospace in Gumi, some 200 km southeast of Seoul on Monday.
The visit comes as Canada has been seeking to reinforce its integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) capabilities to better deter and defend against air and missile weapons in the face of a rapidly evolving strategic environment.
The move is part of Canada's broader efforts to modernize a binational military organization with the United States, dubbed the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to bolster its air defense capabilities.
Canada's defense ministry said the delegation's trip is an "industry visit" with a military-to-military component focused on Korea's air and missile defense system.
"The engagements will enable the Joint Office for IAMD to better understand the ROK approach to this challenge space, including associated capabilities employed and under development," the ministry said in the statement via the Canadian Embassy in Seoul, using the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.