South Korea president pledges strong defence to render north nukes useless

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday her country will build strong defense capabilities to deter threats from North Korea and render its nuclear weapons useless, Yonhap News Agency reported. Park made the remark during an Armed Forces Day ceremony, saying the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia is "very grave" as North Korea is persistently pursuing nuclear weapons development in an effort to build more sophisticated bombs. "We have to build strong deterrence against North Korea until the North abandons its nuclear program and makes the right choice for the people of North Korea and peace on the Korean Peninsula," Park was quoted as saying at an airbase in Seongnam, just south of Seoul. "While maintaining strong (South) Korea-US joint defense system, the government will secure anti-weapons of mass destruction capabilities, such as kill chain and the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system, at an early date to make North Korea realize on its own that its nuclear weapons and missiles are useless," she said. The kill chain system is designed to detect signs of impending missile or nuclear attacks and launch pre-emptive strikes. The KAMD calls for arming Seoul with the ability to track and shoot down the North's low-flying, short- and medium-range missiles. When Pyongyang raised tension with bellicose rhetoric in April, Seoul's defense ministry unveiled a new contingency plan that allows its military to launch a pre-emptive strike against North Korea if it shows signs of an imminent nuclear or missile attack on the South. South Korea currently operates 48 PAC-2 missiles imported from Germany, which have an interception rate of less than 40 percent. As part of a mid-term defense plan, the military plans to upgrade the current system to "hit-to-kill" PAC-3 developed by Lockheed Martin with improved guidance accuracy, and adopt military satellites and spy drones. In addition to the low-tier missile system, Seoul has been eyeing a high-altitude, long-range missile system, like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense also developed by Lockheed Martin, according to the report. North Korea's nuclear program has been a top security concern for the region. In February, the communist nation conducted its third nuclear test, two months after it successfully fired off a long-range rocket. The two tests worsened concern that Pyongyang is closer to building a nuclear-capable missile. North Korea is believed to have over 1,000 missiles with varying capabilities as well as multiple launchers that can shoot rockets, putting South Korea well within its missile range