Air Force chief to visit US for talks on NK threats, space security

South Korea’s Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho will visit the United States next week for talks on security cooperation following North Korea’s long-range missile launch last week, his office said Friday.

During his seven-day stay there starting Sunday, Park plans to meet key US military officials in Washington and Colorado to reinforce the bilateral alliance and space security cooperation, according to the Air Force.

In Washington on Wednesday, Park is set to meet his US counterpart, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., to discuss cooperation against potential North Korean provocations, the sharing of information on their operation of F-35A fighters and the expansion of the allies’ participation in multinational military exercises, the Air Force said.

“The two commanders plan to have in-depth dialogue about substantive cooperation on the sharing of intelligence in the Korean Peninsula theater and on the procurement of a space-based early warning system for the early detection of ballistic missiles,” the armed service said in a press release.

Park will also hold bilateral talks with Adm. Charles Richard, commander of the US Strategic Command, in Washington on Tuesday to discuss security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, and cooperation on a tailored deterrence strategy.

In Colorado on Thursday, Park plans to join a meeting of space commanders from 19 countries, including Britain, Australia and Canada.

He will then meet US chief of space operations Gen. John Raymond. They are expected to discuss the possibility of South Korea joining the Combined Space Operations Initiative, a multinational platform designed to address emerging space threats.

Park’s trip to the US was arranged at Raymond’s invitation. After visiting the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Park will return home on April 10. (Yonhap)