South Korea’s push to strengthen defences could trigger reaction from North and Japan, say Chinese observers

Seoul successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile last week as part of an ongoing drive to boost its military strength

Nuclear-armed North Korea is the South’s biggest concern, but some analysts fear its efforts will have wider implications

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Artist’s illustration of an underwater missile launch, a capability South Korea said it has now acquired. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 12:00pm, 10 Jul 2021Updated: 9:53pm, 10 Jul 2021

South Korea’s push to develop its defensive capabilities saw it successfully test a submarine-launched ballistic missile last weekend, but some Chinese analysts have warned it risks a new arms race in east Asia.

Sunday’s launch from an underwater barge makes it the eighth country in the world to have mastered such a strategic capability, according to Yonhap television news, and it was one of many weapons Seoul has been developing amid a largely unnoticed arms race with North Korea.

In April, Korea Aerospace Industries unveiled the nation’s first prototype multirole fighter jet, the KF-X, which is being developed in partnership with Indonesia.

President Moon Jae-in said that the prototype “has opened a new era of self-defence and established a historic milestone for the development of the aviation industry”.

This year the country has also earmarked 3.2 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) to acquire dozens of new American combat helicopters and 24.3 billion won for Hanwha Group to develop a device that helps laser weapons target drones flying several kilometres away.

Last year the country’s Defence Minister Suh Wook told a launch ceremony for one of the country’s Dosan Ahn Chang-ho class submarines, which are designed to fire cruise and ballistic missiles, “as history tells us, peace is not just given for free. It should be made by ourselves based upon strong power.”