South Korea bets on home-grown missile defence system to replace US-made THAAD that angered China
South Korea successfully test-fired a long-range missile interceptor that could potentially replace an expensive US missile defence system installed in 2017 which triggered China's wrath.
The state-run Agency for Defence Development launched the long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) on Wednesday from a testing site in Taean, 150km southwest of Seoul, Yonhap reported.
The interceptor's development came amid a recent barrage of North Korean ballistic missile tests and call by South Korea's opposition presidential front runner Yoon Suk-yeol for further deployment of the US-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system near the Seoul metropolitan area to defend the capital from its nuclear-armed neighbour.
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China, which sees the THAAD as a direct threat to its own security, retaliated economically against South Korea when it deployed the missile shield in Seongju, some 180km southeast of Seoul, five years ago.
Yoon, the People Power Party's candidate, said he plans to "buy" the system from the US if elected to the top post in the March 9 election.
Each THAAD unit, containing six-nine launch vehicles and loaded with eight interceptors, reportedly costs an estimated US$3 billion.
"This is good news for South Korea as L-SAM may serve the same purpose as THAAD, which is intended to intercept middle and long-range missiles," said Kim Jung-sup, a defence expert at the Sejong Institute.
Kim said the new system, which can target incoming missiles at altitudes of around 50-60km, could be rolled out by 2028.
South Korea's defence ministry declined to confirm Wednesday's test launch.
"The costs to develop and deploy the new missile defence system will be much cheaper than the THAAD and it will take a lot less time to put them in place as well," Kim said, adding that procurement bottlenecks, including parliamentary screening and negotiations with the US provider, could delay the process which took eight years for the United Arab Emirates before it put the anti-missile battery in place in 2016.
Lee Jae-myung from the ruling Democratic Party shot down his rival Yoon's proposal, saying defending Seoul, which lies only 24km from the nearest point from the border with the North, using the THAAD system is "impractical."
Lee, who denied he is soft on Pyongyang, said the South has technology and resources to build its own missile defence that can deter the hermit kingdom.
Seoul will also seek technical cooperation from the US to assemble nuclear-powered submarines, he added.
The L-SAM is a "cutting-edge indigenous weapon system" currently under development to defend against missiles or other high-flying threats, according to South Korea's Agency for Defence Development.
The L-SAM is designed to be part of a "layered defence network" that already includes US-made Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles and locally produced Cheongung II KM-SAM medium-range weapons, capable of intercepting targets at varying altitudes and ranges.
Seoul plans to produce a US$2.6 billion artillery interception system, similar to Israel's "Iron Dome", designed to protect against North Korea's arsenal of long-range guns and rockets.
South Korea is looking as well into exporting some of its latest missile interceptors. It signed its largest defence sale ever in January with the export of KM-SAM to the UAE in a deal valued at around US$3.5 billion.
Additional reporting by Reuters
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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