On Wednesday, local media were given access to the Korea Air and Space Operations Center (KAOC), a highly secured command post located within Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60km south of Seoul.
From here, South Korean and US forces monitor and coordinate aerial responses across the Korean peninsula – a capability that has become increasingly vital as North Korea advances its missile and nuclear programmes.
South Korean officials are also concerned that the North’s weapons development may be receiving a technological boost from Russia, in exchange for Pyongyang’s reported support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine – a relationship that has triggered fresh unease in Washington and Tokyo.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s air defence identification zone has seen a growing number of incursions by Chinese and Russian military aircraft, adding to the operational strain on KAOC personnel.
