Seoul, Feb 4 South Korea's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday called for the military to push ahead with defence reform in the face of security and demographic challenges, including North Korea's nuclear threats and a fall in the country's population.
Ahn made the remarks during a seminar on defence innovation aimed at discussing ways to build a "strong, smart military" amid a rapidly changing security environment and a decline in the number of troops, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"Our (ability) to fight back against challenges facing us, including North Korea's advancement of nuclear threats, achieving the transfer of wartime command (from the United States), artificial intelligence technology and a declining population, will determine the destiny of South Korea in the future," Ahn said.
The defence chief also stressed achieving the transition of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul within South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's term ending in 2030 to "take the lead" in shaping the destiny of the Korean Peninsula.
The ministry plans to further develop the basic plan for defence innovation scheduled for completion by 2026 based on Wednesday's seminar.
On Monday, Ahn Gyu-back visited the command in charge of defending the capital area to inspect military readiness for air-defence, counterterrorism and other contingencies, the defence ministry said.
Ahn made the visit to the Capital Defence Command in southern Seoul, where he urged the command to focus on its “innate mission” in order to restore public trust, according to the ministry.
“Now is the time to move beyond the scars of the December 3 insurrection and, with a spirit of self-reliance, devote ourselves to the core mission of defending the capital,” he said.
The defence chief also visited the Joint Air Defence Operations Center to inspect the air defence posture following the recent relocation of the presidential office.
Ahn also paid a visit to an anti-terrorism unit under the command and urged it to maintain a readiness posture against terror threats.
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