(2nd LD) Yoon, Biden to visit key Air Force operations center

(ATTN: UPDATES with U.S. plane operation in last para)

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, plan to jointly visit a key Air Force operations center south of Seoul during Biden's visit here, Yoon's office said Friday.

Yoon and Biden are set to visit the Korean Air and Space Operations Center (KAOC) located at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, on Sunday, the last day of Biden's three-day visit.

The joint event has been arranged as the allies are seeking to reinforce security coordination amid concerns about the possibilities of North Korean provocations, such as a long-range ballistic missile and nuclear test.

At the KAOC, Yoon and Biden will be briefed on its operations and encourage South Korean and U.S. service members, the presidential office said.

Earlier this week, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy chief of South Korea's presidential National Security Office, said that Yoon and Biden plan to conduct a joint schedule under the theme of economic security and security each day until Sunday.

The U.S. military's E-4B command and control aircraft flew over Japan ahead of Biden's arrival in Asia, according to media reports. The aircraft, called Doomsday Plane, is known to be meant to serve as a mobile command center in the event of a nuclear attack or other contingencies.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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