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Seoul Decides To Participate in U.S. TMD

Seoul CHOSON ILBO
6 Feb 95 p 1
by Yim Tong-myong and Yu Yong-won

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[FBIS Translated Text] It has been learned that the government has decided to participate in the U.S. program to develop a TMD (theater missile defense) system, the program aimed at developing a system of intercepting, in the air, an enemy's strategic and tactical ballistic missiles.

On 5 February, one high-ranking Ministry of National Defense [MND] official stated: "We have decided to participate in this program in view of our friendly relationship with the United States. The United States has asked us to take part in the TMD development program, and about the possibility of our obtaining ultramodern technology and information. If we should earnestly participate in the TMD development program, which will cost a lot, it is feared we will have to bear too big a share of the development cost. We are going to participate, therefore, only in the primary-level stage of research, which will cost relatively little."

It has been learned that the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), which has studied the feasibility of ROK's participation in the TMD development program at the request of the MND, reported to Kim Tong-chin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS], in late January as follows: "At the primary-level stage of research, we will be able to attain many gains from a relatively small expenditure of less than 10 billion won."

Defense experts oppose the idea of participating in a full-dress stage of the TMD development program -- not in the primary-level stage of the program -- because TMD's efficiency is too low in view of the short distance between South and North Korea, and of the short time available to intercept North Korea's Scud and Nodong No. 1 missiles due to the topographical characteristics of the Korean peninsula.

Since 1993 the United States has asked the ROK on several occasions to take part in the TMD development program. Last month, three colonels from the U.S. Department of Army, who are responsible for the TMD development program, visited the ROK. They actively pushed the idea of jointly developing the TMD program by briefing MND and JCS officials concerned on the details of the TMD program.

Japan, another country which the United States has asked to participate in the TMD development program, has been showing an active movement to participate in the program by establishing a TMD office at the Japan Defense Agency at the end of last year.

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