South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook called for a “firm” readiness posture during his visits to key Army units on Tuesday following a series of North Korean missile launches and a border defense failure.
Suh made the call when he met with troops at the Army’s 2nd Operations Command in Daegu, 302 kilometers south of Seoul, and a radar operation unit of the command’s 32nd Infantry Division in a central region, the defense ministry said.
His trip followed four rounds of weapons tests by North Korea, including Monday’s launch of what it calls tactical guided missiles, and a North Korean defector’s flight to the North across the inter-Korean border earlier this month.
“The minister called on the military to maintain a firm readiness posture and pay full attention to security operations led by field commanders,” the ministry said in a press release.
While in the command, Suh hosted a videoconference with senior defense officials and highlighted the importance of cooperation among the military, the Coast Guard and provincial governments for a “unified defense posture,” according to the ministry.
At the radar unit, the minister stressed high-tech security systems and troops’ “scrupulousness and tenacity” as “core elements” of coastal defense.
In recent years, the Army and other armed services have been employing cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and big data, to bolster defense.
Suh also reviewed the progress of a pilot-run of unmanned aerial vehicles and the planned launch of the Coastal Guard Battalion under the Army, set to be launched later this year.
Source: Yonhap News Agency