8th Army commander ‘not concerned’ about NK artillery

The US Forces Korea is not concerned about North Korea striking its base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the Eighth Army Commander said Tuesday.

“I won’t get into specifics on what he has, or what we have to counter that. But what I will tell you is that long-range artillery is not our concern in (US military base in) Pyeongtaek,“ said Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal in a joint interview with local press. 

Although he refused the elaborate on specifics, the commander’s comment counters recent claims from North Korea on its new 300-milimeter-caliber multiple rocket launch system that supposedly has a maximum range of 200 kilometers.

If the North’s claims are held true, the rockets can theoretically strike the entire capital region including Seoul and Pyeongtaek, as well as Gyeryong military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province.

But Vandal specifically said that the Pyeongtaek base, where the main contingent of the USFK has relocated, is outside the range of the long-range artillery of North Korea.

“Primarily what he (North Korean leader Kim Jong-un) has is ballistic missiles within its range,” Vandal said.

With the ballistic missile defense capabilities, multiple-rocket-launch-system counter-fire capacities and strike aircrafts in Pyeongtaek, he said that the US military’s capacity is sufficient for whatever threat Pyongyang poses.

While the general did not elaborate on the US military’s assessment of North Korea’s military capacities, his comments indicate that the new MRLS is not as threatening or as close to actual deployment as initially believed.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo had said that Pyongyang may station the new weapon system for use as early as this year, however the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses said that its deployment may take place later in the year.

There has been concern that the new MRLS may be even more threatening as it is cheaper to manufacture and believed to be impossible to intercept with the missile defense systems.

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un regime has been stepping up efforts on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs this year, marked by two nuclear tests and over two dozen missile test-launches.

South Korea and the US recently decided to station a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here to counter the missile threats.

Vandal said that the threat has strengthened the alliance, saying that it is the “strongest ever since 1950.”

“(The development of the alliance) is two-fold. First, North Korean development has imposed a different threat than we’ve seen five years ago. Two is this partnership, maturing of a relationship is multi-generational. This is really an enduring commitment that the two countries have for each other,” he said.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)