Worried South Korea speeds up building missile defence system over North Korea WW3 fears – Daily Star

SOUTH Korea is desperate to speed up its defensive weapons programme in the wake of Kim Jong-un's latest missile launch.

AFP//REUTERS/EPA

Nuke-mad Kim urned up the heat on brewing World War 3 tensions as he launched an IRBM missile over the weekend.

Now South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered his military to get marching on national security preparations.

Newly inaugurated Moon brought forward deadlines on the Korean Air and Missile Defence (KAMD) in response to the test-fire.

North Korean missiles are a threat to the region and very destabilizing

Moon called an emergency Security meeting after North Korea launched its Hwasong-12 on May 14 and then told his army to get a move on.

President Moon called the intermediate-range missile launch a grave challenge, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

But the US is clearly confident that South Korea is up to the task, as a Pentagon spokesman confirmed that its missile defence system THAAD can zap nukes from the North.

Kim Jong-un used the annual "Day of the Sun" parade in Pyongyang to make a chilling display of the country's burgeoning nuclear power and military might

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Military vehicles carrying missiles believed to be North Korean KN-08 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles

Capt Jeff Davis said: This system [THAAD] has the ability to defeat North Korean missiles.

North Korean missiles are a threat to the region and very destabilizing,"

Mr Davis confirmed that the recently-installed THAAD defence system has an initial ability but not the full operational seamless capability that we want.

Joint US and South Korean forces have flexed their muscles in an aggressive display of military power, sure to heighten tensions on the Korean border to unbearable levels

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South Korean K1A2 tanks fire live rounds

In April, South Korea announced it would spent $3 billion on defence gadgets, including spy satellites rented from other countries.

South Korea is developing a three-tier programme to tackle the missile threat from its northern neighbour: Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation Plan (KMPR), the Kill Chain pre-emptive strikes, and KAMD.

Weapons experts told Yonhap news that North Korea is still years away from developing an ICBM.

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Worried South Korea speeds up building missile defence system over North Korea WW3 fears - Daily Star