MILITARY TO DEVELOP A NEW AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM

[Anchor Lead]

The South Korean military has announced it will seek to develop an air defense system similar to Israel's Iron Dome, that can intercept short-range enemy missiles from the air. Plans to introduce a light aircraft carrier and a 4,000 ton range submarine that can be converted to a nuclear-powered submarine have also been finalized. The plan aims to foster a high-tech military and call for a 300 trillion won investment over the next 5 years.

[Pkg]

Rockets launched from Palestine's Gaza Strip explodes in mid air. It's shot down by an intercepting missile fired from Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. There has been discussions in South Korea on introducing a similar system to fend off North Korean artillery threats directed at the South's capital region. Now the military has officially announced it will independently develop a Korean version of Iron Dome. Development will begin as early as next year, aiming for deployment by 2030.

[Soundbite] SHIN JONG-WOO(KOREA DEFENSE & SECURITY FORUM) : "South Korea didn't have the means to intercept North Korea's long range artillery. The Iron Dome can make up for this shortfall, while also serving as a final defense if KAMD (Korea Air & Missile Defense system) were to fail."

Plans to introduce a 30-thousand ton light aircraft carrier have also been unveiled. It is expected to load amphibious helicopters and around 20 F35B vertical take off and landing stealth fighter jets. The military has also announced for the first time the planned construction of a 4,000 ton submarine. Design work will begin in 2025 while some experts speculate the sub may be nuclear powered. Such plans to foster state of the art military equipment will cost over 300 trillion won over the next 5 years. Under the current plans, the country's defense budget, which is about 50 trillion won this year, will surpass 60 trillion won from 2024.

[Soundbite] LEE YEONG-BIN(DEFENSE MINISTRY) : "The continuation of a tech-intensive military structure will help strengthen combat power even if troop levels decrease."

Wages will also rise for soldiers, with a sergeant's monthly pay, for example, going up to 963-thousand won by the year 2025. Civilians will also be employed for noncombat areas such as cleaning and weed control.