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South Korea to Develop New Arms in Response to North Korean Nuclear Program

© Fotobank.ru/Getty Images / Chung Sung-JunBalloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets
Balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets - Sputnik International
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South Korea plans modernization of its armed forces in response to the growing nuclear potential of its northern neigbour.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye - Sputnik International
South Korea Attaches No Preconditions to Summit With North: Seoul
TOKYO, January 19 (Sputnik) — South Korea plans to modernize its armed forces and to develop new arms in response to the growing nuclear potential of North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported Monday.

Defense minister Han Min-koo presented the plan on the armed forces' modernization to President Park Geun-hye on Monday.

According to the plan, by 2020s, South Korea will develop a laser weapons system, high-power microwave (HPM) bombs and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) warheads, which will cost $28 million.

After 2020, the laser weapons system will be put into service on South Korean warships.

South Korea will spend almost $19 million to develop drone watercraft able to undertake military operations in the Yellow Sea.

The plan also pays attention to the armed forces' use of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the minister said.

China Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei - Sputnik International
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Reinforcement of the country’s defense capacity will create a basis for the reunification of North and South Korea and will help elaborate the defense policy of the new country, according to Han’s report. However, the minister did not specify in detail how the two Koreas are to be unified.

North and South Korea are technically in a state of war as a peace treaty has not been signed following the end of the Korean War in 1953. North Korea has recently been building up its military defense. Pyongyang most recently held nuclear tests in 2013, while in 2014, the country conducted 108 missile launches.

In January 2014, North Korea's plan to occupy South Korea within seven days by using nonconventional arms, including nuclear weapons, in case of a war was revealed. South Korean authorities stated they were aware of the plan and were intending to develop countermeasures.

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