Early Deployment of K-Iron Dome... Strengthening the 3-Axis Defense System

Various fighter jets, including the F-35A, are on display at 'Seoul ADEX 2021' held at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 19th.
Seongnam=Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] South Korea will expedite the deployment of a ‘Korean-style Iron Dome’ to protect the Seoul metropolitan area from North Korea’s long-range artillery.

On the 22nd, President Yoon Suk-yeol received a briefing from the Ministry of National Defense containing this plan. That morning, President Yoon held a series of one-on-one meetings with Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop at the Yongsan Presidential Office building.

There are also plans to accelerate the expansion of the ‘Korean 3-Axis System’ to respond to the increasingly sophisticated North Korean nuclear and missile threats. The Korean 3-Axis System is a concept designed to counter North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile capabilities, consisting of the ‘Kill Chain’ to detect, track, and strike North Korean missiles; the Korean Missile Defense (KAMD) to intercept North Korea’s ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM); and the Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) to annihilate enemy command facilities.

To this end, the military plans to secure ‘Kill Chain’ capabilities through early operationalization of reconnaissance satellites and the F-X (next-generation fighter) second phase project to acquire F-35A class aircraft. Additionally, a multi-layered missile defense system will be established early using medium-range surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM) Cheongung-II and long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM).

Furthermore, the quantity of high-power, ultra-precision missiles will be increased, and the infiltration and strike capabilities of special forces units will be strengthened.

In particular, to counter North Korea’s long-range artillery threatening the Seoul metropolitan area, the ‘Long-Range Artillery Missile Defense System (LAMD)’ will be operationalized early. The LAMD forms an air defense network with multiple intercept missiles to block incoming enemy long-range artillery, similar in concept to Israel’s ‘Iron Dome,’ and is thus called the Korean-style Iron Dome or ‘K-Iron Dome.’

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced plans to complete the development of the long-range artillery missile defense system by 2029. However, President Yoon had previously pledged to operationalize the Korean-style Iron Dome by 2026, so the deployment timeline is expected to be accelerated by 3 to 4 years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.