Breaking news
South Korea increases 2017 military budget by 4% 20609161.
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Defence & Security News - South Korea
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South Korea increases 2017 military budget by 4%
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South Korea has increased its defense budget for next year by 4 percent as it moves to beef up missile defense capabilities amid growing threats from North Korea, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The government has allocated a total of $36.5 billion to bolstering the country's defensive capabilities in 2017, up from $34 billion set for this year, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
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"To counter the North's asymmetrical threats coming from its weapons of mass destruction, the country badly needs to build a Korea Air and Missile Defense system and 'kill chain' to detect, identify and intercept incoming missiles in the shortest possible time," a ministry official said.
Of the total budget, $11 billion will be spent to improve the country's existing aircraft and anti-missile capabilities and the remaining $25.2 billion will be injected as operating costs for troops and armaments, the statement said. Starting with its fourth underground nuclear test in January, North Korea has escalated its saber-rattling this year by firing off numerous ballistic missiles, including those launched from a submarine. Most recently, the isolated communist regime test-fired three ballistic missiles into the East Sea in a new show of force days ahead of the 68th anniversary of its government's establishment which falls on Friday. The missiles -- determined to be upgraded mid-range Rodong missiles -- all flew about 1,000 kilometers and landed in waters some 400 km inside Japan's air defense identification zone in the East Sea. There was no prior warning issued by Pyongyang. |
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