January 28, 2008 :: Defense News :: News
In an apparent reversal of a long-standing policy, the new South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has voiced a strong desire to participate in the U.S. global missile defense initiatives. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has recommended the country provide missile launch sites for the U.S. military and buy Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) systems and Standard Missile ship-to-air interceptors to increase interoperability with the U.S. ballistic missile defense network. A senior official within the South Korean JCS said, "The bottom line is that we will go in a direction toward developing our low-altitude intercept shield into an extended missile defense system." Last year, South Korea launched its first of three planned 7,600-ton KDX-III destroyers, the Sejong the Great, equipped with the Aegis combat system and anti-air, land-attack and anti-submarine missiles. Two more ships will be commissioned in 2010 and 2012. However, policy makers warn that such active participation by South Korea may provoke a backlash from regional powers such as China, Russia and North Korea.
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