Abrams Mentions Possibility of Only Exterior Changes to North Korea's New Tank Model

Robert Abrams, Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (also Commander of the United Nations Command and Commander of United States Forces Korea) Photo by ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command

[Ministry of National Defense Joint Press Corps · Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] When asked if there were any signs of North Korean military movements, including missile launches, Commander Abrams said, "There are no indications that North Korea's (missile) tests are imminent."

In an interview with domestic and foreign media on the occasion of his 2nd anniversary in office, Commander Abrams addressed the speculation that North Korea might provoke in line with the Biden administration's inauguration in January next year, saying, "We need to be more patient and wait. We need to gather more information before speculating," adding, "But there are no signs that (missile tests) are imminent."

When asked about North Korea's large-scale military parade last September, Commander Abrams said, "Some of the missiles that appeared in the parade have been tested, and some do not seem to be operational yet," evaluating that "North Korea has improved range, accuracy, and solid fuel in 17 missile tests since 2019."

The North Korean version of the Stryker armored vehicle, which appeared for the first time in this parade, attracted attention due to its resemblance to the U.S. military's Stryker. Until now, North Korea had imitated Chinese and Russian armored vehicles, but the armored vehicle unveiled this time was equipped with '4 axles and 8 wheels (8 units),' similar to the U.S. military's armored vehicle. A new tank equipped with a 115mm tank gun and the anti-tank missile 'Bulsse' also appeared for the first time. It was analyzed as a new tank completely different in appearance from the old Soviet T-52/55, T-62 tanks copied as Cheonmaho, Pokpungho, and Seongunho tanks.

Commander Abrams mentioned the possibility that systems such as the new tanks revealed at the parade might have only changed in appearance, saying, "Intelligence agencies are continuing to analyze." Regarding North Korea's weapon systems other than missiles, he also said, "Nothing worries me."

As the commander of the United Nations Command as well, he addressed the prospect that the UN Command might be converted into an independent combat command in the future, emphasizing, "The UN Command is not a combat command. It transferred authority to the Combined Forces Command in 1978," and added, "People keep doubting, but there is no secret plan for the UN Command to acquire combat command functions in the future."

The UN Command transferred operational and combat execution missions to the Combined Forces Command with the establishment of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command in 1978. Since then, the role of the UN Command has been reduced to maintaining and implementing the armistice agreement. However, recently, there have been observations that the U.S. is trying to readjust the role of the UN Command in preparation for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), the dissolution of the Combined Forces Command, and the establishment of a future ROK-U.S. Combined Military Command. Recently, claims have even been made that the UN Command is considering a role as an 'independent combat command' capable of conducting separate operations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.