This file photo, taken on Sept. 21, 2022, shows South Korean weapons systems on display at the Defense Expo Korea 2022 at the KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang, northwest of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Army said Thursday it is pushing to acquire an advanced interception system to defend against evolving missile and artillery threats from North Korea.
It unveiled the plan for the acquisition of the low altitude missile defense-II (LAMD-II) system that is intended to shoot down North Korea’s new ballistic missiles, such as the KN-23 and the KN-24, and its super-large artillery rockets in a report for an annual parliamentary audit.
LAMD-II will be an improved version of the LAMD system that Seoul seeks to develop by 2029.
The Army added that it is also planning for the early development of the Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile-II (KTSSM-II) as part of efforts to bolster the military’s Kill Chain preemptive strike platform against the nuclear-armed North.
It aims to develop the KTSSM-II by 2030, earlier than its initial target year of 2034.
It is also seeking to establish the Combat Capability Development Command by reorganizing the existing Army Research Center for Future & Innovation into a specialized research organization.
The Army’s push to develop new defense systems comes as Pyongyang has recently ratcheted up regional tensions with continued provocations, including the firing of hundreds of artillery shots into maritime buffer zones earlier this week.
(Yonhap)
