S. Korea looks to spend more than US$ 260 bil. over next 5 years to strengthen defense capabilities

5년간 국방비 349조원 투입 북핵대응 '3축 체계' 집중 투자 Amid growing concerns following North Korea's recent launch of a military spy satellite, South Korea is seeking to spend more than 260 billion dollars on defense, over the next five years, --with a focus on bolstering its three-axis deterrence system. Bae Eun-ji explains more. The Ministry of National Defense is looking to spend nearly 350 trillion Korean won, or 266-billion U.S. dollars over the next five years, to bolster the military's defense capabilities. It aims to increase the country's annual defense budget by 7-percent each year, so that the money available, yearly --which stood at about 43 billion dollars this year --could reach 60 billion dollars by 2028. The spending plan is subject to National Assembly approval. The country aims to especially focus on strengthening the military's “three-axis“ deterrence system against North Korea's military threats. Announcing the mid-term defense blueprint for the 2024 to 2028 period, the ministry said it will secure defense capabilities to swiftly detect signs of North Korean provocations through spy satellites and reconnaissance aircraft, and quickly analyze captured images. It plans to operate a total of five military reconnaissance satellites by 2025, and also use “medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles“ to boost surveillance on key targets. By 2028, the ministry also aims to complete the deployment of tactical surface-to-surface missiles designed to destroy hostile tunnel targets, and deploy more stealth fighters and 3,000-ton submarines equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles. As part of efforts to better defend the capital area and the country's key facilities, it plans to use various missile systems including the Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile and a long-range surface-to-air missile. It also plans to develop improved versions of medium-range and long-range missiles over the next five years, to create a multi-layered missile defense system. Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News. #SouthKorea #Ministry_of_National_Defense #Defense_budget #NorthKorea #대한민국 #국방부 #국방비 #북한 #북핵대응 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-12-12, 18:00 (KST)