Anchor: South Korean military authorities plan to boost the country’s missile capability to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat by investing an additional two-point-five trillion won. Jang Souie has more on this report.

Report: The Defense Ministry has requested an increase in its budget to drastically boost its missile arsenal in response to North Korean threats. During a national fiscal strategy meeting held on April 28th, the Defense Ministry asked for an annual 500-billion won for the next five years.

A ministry official explained that following Pyongyang’s long-range rocket launch on April 13th, the ministry studied the amount of budget it needs to strengthen its military power to respond to North Korea’s provocations.

Once the two-point-five trillion won budget is secured, the military plans to purchase Hyunmu-3 cruise missiles with a range of 500 to one-thousand-500 kilometers unveiled last month. It will also secure more Hyunmu-2 ballistic missiles with a range of 300 kilometers and Korean GPS-Guided Bombs with ranges between 70 and 100 kilometers.

These will serve as South Korea's core weapons to neutralize North Korea's artillery batteries and missile bases in the northwestern coastal border areas that threaten South Korea’s Baengnyeong and Yeongpyeong islands.

The ministry official said South Korea has been gearing up with missiles and precision guided munitions as North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats have become a reality. He said it is urgent to bolster Seoul’s military capability by allocating more budgets.

The Defense Ministry plans to push for the budget increase through inter-agency budget consultations.

Jang Souie, KBS World Radio News.