hankyoreh

South Korea plans to spend 270 billion won (US$285 million) until 2010 to produce 100 ship-to-ship cruise missiles, the country's Defense Ministry said Sunday.

The ship-to-ship cruise missile Haeseong, or Sea Star, will be mounted on patrol combat corvettes and battle ships, according to the ministry.

The country has already launched a project to produce 30 ship-to-ship cruise missiles by 2007. The missile can precisely hit targets located up to 150 kilometers away.

In addition, according to the ministry, about 3 trillion won will be spent until 2017 to build six next-generation submarines.

South Korea picked the German firm HDW's 214-type (1,800-ton-class) subs as its next-generation submarines, which will replace the existing 209-type subs.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the country's leading shipbuilder, will import blueprints and technology from the German firm but build the submarines at home in a step toward full domestic production, according to the ministry.

Seoul, Oct. 1 (Yonhap News)