South Korea seeks Iron Dome-like system as Trump touts friendship with Kim Jong-un

Seoul is aiming to build the US$330 million defence system to intercept rockets fired by North Korea

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An interceptor missile is fired by a launcher as part of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. Photo: dpa

Published: 9:00am, 22 Jan 2025Updated: 9:31am, 22 Jan 2025

South Korea has unveiled a plan to build a US$330 million defence system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome to intercept rockets fired by the North – as newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump called the hermit state a “nuclear power” and touted his friendship with its leader Kim Jong-un.

Officials said the ground-based shield, expected to become operational by 2028, could protect vital military and civilian infrastructure in the Seoul metropolitan area from North Korea’s rockets.

Seoul’s state-run Agency for Defence Development and South Korean weapons makers would be involved in developing the system, which could potentially neutralise a large number of artillery shells fired simultaneously.

“The launch of this project signifies our capability to independently secure a robust air defence system to protect critical facilities and the lives of our citizens from North Korea’s long-range artillery threats,” an official from the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration said on Monday following a meeting with military and arms industry representatives.

The official added Seoul would boost measures to accelerate the deployment of the new system, The Korea Herald reported.

Israel’s Iron Dome is a surface-to-air defence system that uses radars to detect incoming short-range rockets and fire interceptor missiles. The system has destroyed thousands of projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip since its launch in 2011.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea. Photo: AP