Seoul to Advance Deployment of Defence System

South Korea will speed up the planned deployment of advanced weapons by a couple of years to better counter nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea, military officials said Tuesday.

    The defense ministry is planning to advance the deployment of missiles and other weapons systems from the original schedule of the mid-2020s due to the North's continued provocations, a senior defense ministry official said in a press briefing.

    The Kill Chain and the KAMD are designed to detect and destroy incoming missiles in the shortest possible time. The KMPR is aimed at launching attacks on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the communist regime's military leadership if signs of the imminent use of nuclear weapons are detected.

    In a meeting held Tuesday, the government and the ruling Saenuri Party agreed to speed up the establishment of the three-pillar system in South Korea as the North looks set to continue with its nuclear and missile development programs despite international sanctions and condemnations. "It takes an extra budget of 200 billion won ($177 million) to 300 billion won to advance the project by one year," said Rep. Kim Gwang-lim, the chief policymaker of the party, adding that every effort will be made to reflect the increase in the budget. 

    The ministry official called on the ruling and opposition parties to "make concerted efforts to secure the extra budget given the urgency of security matters".

Source: QNA