
Seoul is aiming to build the US$330 million defence system to intercept rockets fired by North Korea
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST | Published January 22, 2025
South Korea has unveiled a plan to build a US$330 million defence system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome to intercept rockets fired by the North – as newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump called the hermit state a “nuclear power” and touted his friendship with its leader Kim Jong-un.
Officials said the ground-based shield, expected to become operational by 2028, could protect vital military and civilian infrastructure in the Seoul metropolitan area from North Korea’s rockets.
Seoul’s state-run Agency for Defence Development and South Korean weapons makers would be involved in developing the system, which could potentially neutralise a large number of artillery shells fired simultaneously.
“The launch of this project signifies our capability to independently secure a robust air defence system to protect critical facilities and the lives of our citizens from North Korea’s long-range artillery threats,” an official from the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration said on Monday following a meeting with military and arms industry representatives.
The official added Seoul would boost measures to accelerate the deployment of the new system, The Korea Herald reported.
Israel’s Iron Dome is a surface-to-air defence system that uses radars to detect incoming short-range rockets and fire interceptor missiles. The system has destroyed thousands of projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip since its launch in 2011.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea. Photo: AP
South Korea currently has a mix of locally produced and US-made surface-to-air defence systems to counter aerial threats from the North, which launched what it said was a new hypersonic missile and short-range ballistic missiles in recent weeks in violation of United Nations sanctions.
Seoul’s move to fortify its air defences came as Trump sent overtures to Kim, saying the North Korean leader would be “happy” to see him return to the White House.
“I was very friendly with him. He liked me. I liked him. We got along very well,” Trump told reporters after taking office on Monday. “He is a nuclear power. We got along. I think he’ll be happy to see I’m coming back.”
The president also held virtual talks with American troops stationed in South Korea, telling them that although he developed a “pretty good” relationship with Kim, he was a “tough cookie”, Yonhap news agency reported.
Trump previously mocked Kim as “Rocket Man” before meeting the North Korean leader three times during his first term in a bid to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.
Last week, US defence secretary nominee Pete Hegseth described North Korea as a “nuclear power”, unsettling Seoul, an ally of Washington.
South Korea rejected that description, saying the North’s status as a nuclear power “cannot be recognised” under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Pyongyang pulled out of in 2003.
Meanwhile, acting South Korean president Choi Sang-mok has congratulated Trump and pledged to make the partnership with the US “great again”.
“The Republic of Korea looks forward to Making the Alliance Great Again in the 47th presidency, as we have during the 45th,” Choi said in a social media post on Tuesday.
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SOURCE: www.scmp.com
RELATED: South Korea Plans Land-Based Missile Defense System to Counter North Korean Threats
The Close-In Weapons System (CIWS-II) (Image courtesy of LIG Nex1
THE KOREA BIZWIRE | Published January 22, 2025
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is planning to develop a land-based version of its advanced Close-In Weapons System (CIWS-II), transforming a naval defense technology into a crucial last line of defense against North Korean artillery and drones.
The system, which can fire thousands of rounds per minute to intercept incoming missiles that have penetrated other air defense systems, is being adapted from its maritime version currently under development, according to Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party, citing DAPA sources on January 19.
The naval CIWS-II, scheduled for completion by 2027, features an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and a 30mm gun system, offering improved range and response time compared to its predecessor. Known as the “goalkeeper” for its role as the last line of defense, the system is currently deployed on naval destroyers.
The land-based adaptation is expected to counter various North Korean threats, including long-range artillery, close-range ballistic missiles (CRBM), super-large multiple rocket launchers, short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), and low-flying cruise missiles. It would also provide defense against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), addressing a capability gap exposed when North Korean drones penetrated Seoul’s airspace in late 2022.
During that drone incursion, existing ground-based air defense systems, including the Biho hybrid system, proved inadequate due to limited detection and tracking capabilities. The new land-based CIWS is expected to offer superior detection and tracking capabilities through its AESA radar and electro-optical tracking equipment.
Military planners are considering cost-saving modifications for the land version, including replacing the naval system’s four-sided fixed AESA radar with a single-faced rotating radar, as ground installations primarily need to monitor threats from the north.
The system may also incorporate Advanced Hit Efficiency And Destruction (AHEAD) ammunition, currently under development, which explodes near targets and disperses fragments, making it particularly effective against drones and artillery shells.
“North Korea has recently unveiled new kamikaze drones and continues to threaten Seoul and the metropolitan area with missiles and long-range artillery,” Yoo said. “As the threat of mass drone swarm and missile attacks becomes more real, we need to deploy the ground-based CIWS as the final shield for protecting the capital region.”
The development follows a similar path taken by the United States, which adapted its naval Phalanx CIWS into the land-based Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) system.
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SOURCE: www.koreabizwire.com
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