S. Korea not mulling maritime-based missile defense system

SEOUL - South Korea's Defense Ministry said Monday that it is not considering the adoption of the maritime- based missile defense system to intercept missiles launched from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told a routine press briefing that the military has never examined the concrete weapons system for the maritime-based missile defense though it has been mulling the enhancement of ship-based intercepting capabilities.

Some local media reported that the United States called on South Korea to adopt the ship-based missile defense system to intercept missiles fired by the DPRK in an ascending stage.

Kim said the South Korean military is targeting the missile defense shield that can intercept DPRK ballistic missiles in the descending stage, noting that the Standard Missile 3, or SM-3, weapons system of the United States goes beyond its target.

The spokesman said the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) will be an indigenous missile defense shield to be built separately from the US missile defense, but he noted the military will enhance interoperability with the US forces to detect DPRK missiles effectively.

South Korea planned to purchase the "hit-to-kill" type of PAC- missiles, developed by US-based Lockheed Martin, between 2016 and 2020 to improve its anti-ballistic missile capabilities.