President Lee Myung-bak instructed the defense ministry Tuesday to speed up the development of longer-range missiles and deploy them as early as possible now that a new deal with the United States has extended South Korea's ballistic missile range to reach all of North Korea.
Under the new "missile guideline" announced Sunday, the maximum range of South Korean ballistic missiles was extended from 300 kilometers to 800 km. It also allows Seoul to load its ballistic missiles with warheads heavier than the current limit of 500 kilograms, on the condition their range decreases in proportion to the payload.
The maximum load weight for a South Korean unmanned aerial vehicle was also increased to 2.5 tons from the current 500 kilograms under the deal. That is also considered significant because unmanned aircraft can be loaded with weapons for attack purposes.
"The defense ministry should make haste with technology development so actual deployment will be done as early as possible and, if this requires budgetary reflection, the finance ministry should render active cooperation," Lee said during a Cabinet meeting, according to spokesman Park Jeong-ha.
On Monday, military officials said Seoul plans to complete the deployment of new ballistic missiles with ranges of 550 and 800 kilometers within five years, saying the necessary budget has already been reflected in the defense ministry's spending plan for the next five years. (Yonhap)