S. Korea pushing for nearly 200 defense projects to counter N.K. threats

All News 15:12 August 01, 2022

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has been working on nearly 200 defense projects to beef up its military capabilities to cope with North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, its state arms procurement agency said Monday.

During a parliamentary session, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) outlined a total of 197 projects, including those related to Seoul's push to establish and firm up the "three-axis" defense system.

DAPA said it plans to advance the three-pronged system consisting of the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform; the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR); and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD).

For the Kill Chain portion, the administration listed projects to acquire five surveillance satellites and tactical ground-to-ground guided weapons.

Projects for the KAMD include those to procure a ballistic missile early warning radar system, the long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) interception system and the low altitude missile defense (LAMD) system.

For the KMPR portion, DAPA highlighted projects to secure a 230-mm multiple rocket launcher and upgrade C-130H transport aircraft.

At the session, DAPA also laid out its strategy for research and development. Under the strategy, 20 percent of its investment would go to areas related to "high-risk, high-level" technologies, while 60 percent would go to catch-up technological advancements, with the remainder going to technologies required for use at present.