South Korea in January 2026: the most important developments in security
South Korea in January 2026 dealt mainly with missile activity and a drone dispute involving North Korea. North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on 3 January, and leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a hypersonic missile test, described by North Korea as taking place amid a "geopolitical crisis". On 27 January the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the North fired another projectile toward the East Sea.
North Korea also claimed that South Korean drones had violated its airspace. On 12 January a joint military-police task force was formed to investigate the claims, and the government considered a proposal for a joint probe with North Korea. On 20 January President Lee Jae-myung suggested that a civilian had flown drones into the North and urged that such incidents be prevented.
On defence, South Korea fielded the Hyunmoo-5 missile as the North's nuclear threat grows, and the ground component of the South Korea-US joint command became a standing unit on 9 January. South Korean and US forces held security training after an update to gate access procedures at Osan Air Base. Norway picked Hanwha to supply rocket artillery in a deal of about $2 billion. Separately, Cambodian and South Korean police arrested 26 people over alleged scams and sex crimes, and police raided the homes and offices of a lawmaker and a Seoul city councilor in a bribery investigation.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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