Navy to Start Missile Intercept Exercises

Navy to Start Missile Intercept Exercises

The Navy will conduct regular missile exercises to prepare for threats posed by North Korean ballistic missiles like the Scud and Rodong. A military source said Thursday that exercises involving interception and submarine-to-surface missiles will be added to the Navy’s official training course now Korea has built its first home-grown Aegis destroyer King Sejong. The missile exercise plan has been promoted by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Song Young-moo. The King Sejong can detect North Korean ballistic missiles several hundred kilometers away with its Aegis radar system but lacks the missiles to intercept them. The military plans to introduce ballistic missiles for the Aegis vessel around 2015. The Navy has drawn up no detailed plans for the missile exercises. Since ballistic missile intercept drills will require the support and cooperation of the U.S. military, experts expect controversy over Korea’s participation in the U.S.-led missile defense system. To understand the background of North Korea’s ballistic missile launches, South Korea needs intelligence gathered by U.S. surveillance and early warning satellites. The South Korean government and military insist they want to build an air and missile defense system without participating in the U.S.-led missile defense system. The Navy will use the missile Chonryong, which is now under development and has a range of 500 km, for the planned submarine-to-surface missile exercises. (englishnews@chosun.com )