TOKYO, Aug 14 (KUNA) -- South Korea said on Wednesday it plans to add two more ground-based anti-missile warning radars and build three Aegis-equipped destroyers within the next five years to better detect incoming missiles from North Korea.
The plan was one of the key projects that the Defense Ministry unveiled in its five-year defense blueprint for 2020-2024, amid heightened concerns about North Korea's missile capabilities in the wake of a series of test-firings of what Pyongyang claimed were new weapons, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The five-year plan calls for spending USD 240 billion, a 7.1 percent on-year hike on average over the next five years, the ministry said, describing the measure as an effort to "secure strategic deterrent capabilities" against threats from nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction.
"We will secure ample interception capabilities against new types of ballistic missiles North Korea has recently test-fired," the ministry added, saying the military plans to expand its detection coverage of ballistic missiles by securing two early warning radars and building three more Aegis-equipped destroyers with an advanced radar system. With a goal to boost its "strategic target strike" capabilities against nuclear and missile facilities, the ministry vowed to secure more precision-guided missiles to be launched from the ground, sea, submarines and fighter jets. Other plans include the construction of an indigenous arsenal ship equipped with precision-guided weapons for ground targets and the introduction of the Standard Missile-3 surface-to-air missile. "South Korea is superior to North Korea in short-range ballistic missiles qualitatively and quantitatively, it said, citing " ample interception capabilities against new types of ballistic missiles North Korea has recently test-fired." North Korea has test-fired short-range ballistic missiles five times over the past three weeks, with the latest one taking place Saturday. (end) mk.nam