S. Korea to deploy fighter jets, warship for historic rocket launch

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said it will deploy a fighter
squadron and an Aegis-class warship to watch over the country's first rocket
launch planned on the southern coast on Wednesday.

The squadron, made of four F-15K and KF-16 fighters jets, will fly in the
vicinity of Naro Space Center where the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 is set to be
launched, a defense ministry spokesman said.
"The mission is to ward off any civilian and military aircraft that could
accidentally approach the site," Won Tae-jae said.
The flight will begin three hours ahead of the scheduled blast-off while South
Korea's only Aegis combat destroyer, Sejong the Great, will be stationed in
nearby waters to monitor the launch.
"The launch will mainly serve as a training opportunity for the ship that is
still undergoing steps to reach its full operational capacity," Won said.
Sejong the Great operated in the East Sea in April when North Korea launched a
long-range rocket despite international warnings. The 2008-commissioned ship
joined forces with the U.S. Navy to track the rocket, which Pyongyang alone
claims put a satellite into orbit.
On Tuesday, South Korea's Korea Aerospace Research Institute moved its rocket
onto the launch pad at the center 485km south of Seoul. Wednesday's blast-off is
set to take place at 4:40 p.m. but could be delayed by more than an hour
depending on weather conditions.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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