hankyoreh

The Ministry of National Defense has announced plans to build a Korean-model missile defense system. The reason given is the need to protect densely populated regions and major facilities from short- and mid-range missiles with a firing range of around 1,000 km, of which North Korea is known to possess between 800 and 1,000. According to the ministry's announcement a few days ago, it has signed a agreement for joint research with the United States, which possesses MD technology and experience.
One can certainly understand the intent to move our defense system forward in response to new weapons of attack. But experts are said to question whether a Korean MD system is even technically possible at the current stage. The concept behind the U.S.’s MD involves bringing down an intercontinental ballistic missile during a flight of twenty to thirty minutes by intercepting it with a missile. The U.S. has poured the equivalent of more than 100 trillion won into this plan and continues to meet with repeated failure. But a North Korean missile would be more difficult to intercept because it flies only a short distance of three to four minutes. The Korean model of missile defense is facing a substantial number of technical problems.
Based on what has been reported, it could easily cost upwards of several trillion won to build the first stage of the Korean-model MD system by 2015. It is also difficult to agree with the notion of pouring such a massive amount of money into a project whose realistic feasibility has yet to be demonstrated. Indeed, it could actually result in weak areas in fighting strength due to the failure to apply the budget to other areas that actually need it.
Experts are also saying that it is difficult for the Korean MD to independently pinpoint the movements of North Korean missile launches and that it will receive satellite intelligence from the United States. In other words, the Korean MD will end up being just a subordinate system to U.S.-led MD. If this happens, there is a possibility of immediate objections from China, regarding it as South Korean participation in U.S. efforts to encircle it. Solid national security for South Korea necessarily requires not only a deterrent against North Korea but also cooperation with surrounding countries, including China. It is not at all a wise decision to create a situation that prompts an outcry from a neighboring country.
The best way of managing the North Korea threat is to reduce the potential for conflict through dialogue and cooperation while adjusting our military readiness posture. This can also be observed from the fact that national security anxieties have only worsened since the current administration took office as inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation have been cut off and military confrontation ratcheted up. Rather than fixating on a highly unrealistic vision of Korean missile defense, we hope government authorities will reflect once again on their misguided foreign affairs and national security policy.

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