News Story: JCS chief nominee expects air superiority to be secured in 3 days in peninsula contingency

Jeong Kyeong-doo (Image: Wiki Commons)

SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- Jeong Kyeong-doo, the nominee for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) chairman, said Friday that South Korea can secure air superiority within three days in case of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula, highlighting its war fighting capabilities amid heightened cross-border tensions.

During his parliamentary confirmation hearing, the Air Force general also dismissed growing calls for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear arms, stressing Seoul's adherence to its long-held denuclearization principle.

"It is hard to straightforwardly explain this, but I believe air superiority can be secured within at least three days in the event of a contingency on the peninsula," Jeong said, apparently referring to the aerial power of the South Korea-U.S. security alliance.

The reclusive state has recently escalated tensions by test-firing long-range missiles last month and hardening its warlike rhetoric against Seoul and Washington. The provocations triggered fiery remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump, which stoked fears about a potential armed conflict on the peninsula.

Jeong apparently hinted that the allies' combined forces can neutralize the North's air defense system within a short span of time with their overwhelming conventional aerial combat assets such as high-end fighters and precision-guided missiles.

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