Defense posture against NK threats bolstered under Yoon administration: ministry

South Korean military drones fly during joint drills with the United States at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, May. 23. AP-Yonhap

South Korea's military has significantly bolstered its defense posture against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats during the incumbent administration, the defense ministry said Monday, citing an increase in the deployment of U.S. strategic assets and field training exercises.

The assessment came in a midterm review of the Yoon Suk Yeol government's defense policy, characterized by a hard-line stance against North Korea's provocations, such as the launch of advanced missiles, spy satellites and continued sending of trash balloons across the border.

Compared with the January 2018-May 2022 period, when U.S. strategic assets were absent on the Korean Peninsula, Washington deployed its nuclear assets to and around the peninsula more than 30 times between May 2022 and November this year, according to the ministry.

The number of brigade-level field training, as well as ground and maritime artillery drills in the border area, was also conducted 18 times and 22 times, respectively, this year following the suspension of a now-defunct 2018 military tension reduction agreement.

In June, South Korea fully suspended the Comprehensive Military Agreement in response to the North's trash-carrying balloon campaign and GPS jamming attacks.

The suspension enabled the military to resume such drills that were banned due to buffer zones set up in the area. No-fly zones had also been designated near the border to prevent accidental aircraft clashes.

"Following the suspension, the military has been deterring North Korean threats by normalizing operations and training and guaranteeing the circumstances to operate combined surveillance assets of South Korea and the United States," the ministry said.

Going forward, the ministry said it plans to launch its third military surveillance satellite from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the third week of December.

Under a plan to establish a network of five military spy satellites to better monitor North Korea, South Korea launched its first spy satellite in December last year and the second one in April.

South Korea will also continue to work to advance its high-power Hyunmoo-5 missile, first showcased during the Armed Forces Day ceremony last month, the ministry said, without providing further details.

As part of efforts to make up for the country's declining population, an issue for a nation that mandates military service for all able-bodied men, the ministry said it plans to continue to allocate more budget for the development of unmanned assets.

The plan also includes introducing suicide drones and bomb disposal robots and testing artificial intelligence-based equipment, such as multipurpose unmanned vehicles and quadruped legged robots, at front-line units starting next year.

The ministry will also push to raise the basic wage for elementary-level officers by 6.6 percent next year. (Yonhap)