Seoul to increase defense R&D spending to counter N.K. threats

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Friday it will raise its funding for
defense research programs by nearly one third over the next half decade to help
counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The share of research and development investment in the annual defense budget
will rise from 5.6 percent this year to 7.4 percent in 2014, the Ministry of
National Defense said in a statement.
The mid-term National Defense Plan for fiscal 2010-2014 "prioritizes the
procurement of defense capabilities against the nuclear and missile threat of
North Korea," it said.
Last week, South Korea unveiled a 599.3 trillion won (US$469 billion) program
aimed at obtaining the ability to monitor every North Korean nuclear and missile
base independently by 2020 and bomb it if necessary.
The program, which was a revision of a 2005 defense reform plan, came after North
Korea conducted its second nuclear test on May 25 following its first test nearly
three years earlier.
North Korea has also test-fired a series of short-range missiles since the latest
underground atomic explosion, including four off the east coast on Thursday. It
is believed to have moved an intercontinental ballistic missile to a base on its
west coast for a potential test-flight.
"The areas in which defense capacity will be improved" include the ability to
quickly strike enemy targets to take the lead should a war break out on the
Korean Peninsula, the South Korean ministry said.
The plan has won the approval of President Lee Myung-bak, ministry officials said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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