Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo met with the commander of the U.S. Space Command on Monday to discuss ways to bolster their joint capabilities in space to fend off evolving North Korean threats. The meeting with SPACECOM commander Gen. Stephen Whiting came amid speculation that North Korea could be readying for the launch of its second spy satellite, following the first one in November. The two sides discussed ways to closely coordinate space policy and operations to counter rising threats posed by North Korea's spaced-based surveillance and deepening military ties with Russia, the JCS said. They also agreed to develop combined space operations, establish a military space consultative body and push for a tabletop exercise on space domains to strengthen their combined space capabilities, it said. Whiting's two-day trip to Seoul marks the first visit by the U.S. space commander to the nation since assuming office in January. Seoul and Washington have been exploring avenues to expan d their coordination in the realm of space, which was demonstrated by the launch of the U.S. Space Forces Korea, a component unit under the U.S. Forces Korea, in December 2022. Source: Yonhap News Agency