South Korea To Boost Space Defense Capabilities After US Lifted Missile Limits

South Korea will strengthen its space defense capabilities and develop a system to combat growing space threats after Washington lifted curbs on its missile program that barred it from making long-distance rockets, Defense Minister Suh Wook said on Monday (June 21).

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden agreed during a meeting in Washington last month to scrap limits on the Asian nation’s missile development program, including the range and the weight of the warheads.

Final nail in the coffin: “South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced a joint decision Friday with the United States to terminate guidelines that have long restricted Seoul's development of missiles.” https://t.co/B4YiwJneZj

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) May 22, 2021

“On the basis of the termination of the missile guidelines, we will continue to beef up our space capabilities, including surveillance satellites, and set up a system for combined operations in space,” Suh said, as cited by the Yonhap news agency.

The minister also noted that Washington’s move was of “great significance” and opened new prospects for the country’s defense industry.

The South Korean Agency for Defense Development, in turn, has established a new research center dedicated to space technology “to come up with visible outcomes … in the satellite and projectile sectors,” the news agency added.