South Korea To Develop Own Missile Defense System For Seoul During Next 5 Years - Ministry

TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th August, 2020) South Korea will develop its own missile defense system, similar to Israel's Iron Dome, as part of the 2021-2025 defense program for the capital region, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry blueprint.

The new defense system will aim to intercept long-range artillery threats, emanating specifically from North Korea, to ensure the protection of Seoul's core infrastructure, South Korean defense ministry officials said, as cited by the national Yonhap news agency.

The new missile defense system is expected to be put in place in the late 2020s or early 2030s, defense ministry officials were cited as saying.

According to the reports, South Korea is also poised to develop long-range air-to-surface and air-to-ship guided missiles to equip fighter jets and submarines, both domestically-produced, as per the South Korean defense ministry's aspiration. If successful, this will make South Korea the 13th country to develop own fighter jets and enable it to replace what the media described as an outdated fleet of US-made F-4 and F-5 aircraft.

The blueprint estimates the defense program's budget for the next five years to reach 300.7 trillion won ($253 billion), an average 6.1 percent increase year-on-year.