Korea to join US-led space security training event this month

 The U.S.-led Global Sentinel exercise is seen in this undated file photo. Courtesy of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff

The U.S.-led Global Sentinel exercise is seen in this undated file photo. Courtesy of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff

Korea will participate in a U.S.-led multinational training event on space security this month, the Air Force said Monday, amid Seoul's efforts to boost defense capabilities in the increasingly important domain.

Personnel from the Air Force, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute will take part in Global Sentinel 2024 hosted by the U.S. Space Command at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California from Monday (local time) to Feb. 16.

The event will involve some 250 personnel from 28 countries and focus on boosting cooperation in space domain awareness operations, such as those on satellite collisions and falling space debris.

Korea will form a joint team with counterparts from Australia, Japan and New Zealand to discuss and practice ways to respond to such situations, the Air Force said, adding that other Korean officials from the Army, the Navy and the Agency for Defense Development will attend the event as observers.

Korea, which has participated in Global Sentinel since 2014, has pushed to enhance its space-based defense capabilities, recently highlighted by the launch of its first military spy satellite last December.

The Air Force said it plans to further strengthen its operational capabilities in the domain this year by upgrading its Space Operations Squadron to a group-level unit and deploying a space weather prediction system. (Yonhap)

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