South Korea to Develop Homegrown Missile Defence Instead of Adopting THAAD

摘要

Seoul: South Korea will develop its own missile Defence (MD) system to intercept missiles at a higher altitude instead of adopting the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), a report quoting a military source confirmed early June. Yonhap news agency reported earlier that the military decided to develop its indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM), which is compatible with the US-based Lockheed Martin's THAAD system based on a pilot study by the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA), the country's arms procurement agency. It is expected to take some seven years to develop the L-SAM system, and it will be deployed between 2023 and 2024. The news came as the US is adding pressures on South Korea to introduce the THAAD system. Chief of the US Forces Korea (USFK) said at a forum held in Seoul that the US was considering the deployment of the THAAD on the Korean Peninsula.