South Korea plans to spend $441 million until 2027 to counter N.Korean drones

South Korea's defence ministry said on Wednesday that it has plans to spend $441.26 million (560 billion won) until 2027 to counter North Korean drones. The plan has been included in the country's midterm defence blueprint for 2023-27.

A report by news agency Reuters on Wednesday said the defence ministry has earmarked funds for four projects aimed at bolstering South Korea's counter-drone capabilities, including an airborne laser to destroy drones and a jammer to neutralise smaller devices. The defence blueprint would also include a plan to add another drone unit to the army.

Speaking to Reuters, a defence ministry official said the laser programme is in a testing phase and expected to begin deployment in 2027.

Wednesday's development comes two days after the South Korean military failed to shoot down five North Korean drones that crossed the shared border, the first such intrusion in five years. A report by news agency AFP said that all five drones appeared to have returned to North Korea despite a five-hour-long operation to hunt them down.

The South Korean military apologised for failing to shoot down the drones. "Yesterday (Monday), five enemy drones invaded South Korean airspace, and our military detected and tracked them, but we apologise for not being able to shoot them down," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement on Tuesday.

At a cabinet meeting during the day, President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday's incident showed the military's readiness was "greatly lacking".

(With inputs from agencies)

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