US Military Official Urges Closer Security Cooperation With Seoul in Space

MOSCOW, November 23 (Sputnik) - The United States must expand its space security cooperation with South Korea to better prepare against future threats, Gen. John Raymond, the chief of space operations at the US Space Force, has said.

In a video message to the 2020 Defence Space Power Development Symposium in Seoul, Raymond called space a growing source of national power and emphasised an increasing need for space security.

"In the future, the space force is committed to working with the Republic of Korea to improve our mutual capabilities to build capacity and resilience to emerging threats. Just like we have partnered on land, at sea and in the air, we must expand our cooperation in space", Raymond said as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

Two weeks ago, projected President-elect Joe Biden had his first phone call with South Korean President Moon jae-in. Moon expressed hope that the US-South Korea alliance would continue to serve as the linchpin of peace and prosperity for the Korean Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.

South Korea and the US have a history of military cooperation going back to the Korean War (1950-1953).

The US Space Force was established in 2019 to protect Washington's interests in space. On 22 November, Seoul's Air Force proposed setting up a regular consultative body between the South Korean Air Force and the US Space Force. Military officials in Seoul also proposed to expand the number of South Korean personnel taking part in US space education and training events.