Seoul is to deploy so-called bunker busters -- bombs designed to destroy underground nuclear facilities or missile bases -- ahead of schedule and set up a ballistic-missile early warning system to respond to the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

The Defense Ministry said Thursday the National Assembly's Defense Committee decided to increase the emergency budget to respond to Pyongyang’s arsenal by W39.2 billion (US$1=W921). The money is to buy bunker busters worth W2.3 billion and laser-guided bombs worth W7.5 billion, improved high altitude electromagnetic pulse (EMP) protection for ground facilities worth W700 million, ballistic-missile early warning radar worth W100 million, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) worth W100 million and radioactivity detection sets worth W500 million.

The GBU-28 ‘bunker buster’ bomb.

The ministry’s original budget did not include outlays for such weapons systems. The new plan increases the budget for joint direct attack munitions (JDAM) missiles, which are GPS-guided bombs, by W8 billion from W4.19 billion to W12.19 billion, and the budget for improving domestic ground-to-ground Hyunmoo missiles from W142.7 billion to W162.7 billion. The new plan is to introduce hundreds of the GBU-28 precision-guided bombs used in the Gulf War by 2012. The bunker busters could destroy North Korea's underground missile bases, nuclear facilities and command headquarters by penetrating concrete facilities up to 6 m thick and ordinary ground surfaces up to 30 m thick. The budget for an early-warning radar system was appropriated for the first time due to Pyongyang's test-launch of a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile in July this year. The ballistic-missile early-warning radar is much more efficient than radars that detect airplanes and will be imported by 2012. Seoul also wants to introduce Global Hawk spy drones from the U.S. a year earlier, in 2008. The Hyunmoo and JDAM missiles would be capable of destroying North Korean nuclear facilities and missile bases above ground.

An official with the National Assembly’s Defense Committee said the increased budget will be a starting point for us to significantly improve our military's independent precision-attack capabilities to deal a blow to Pyongyang's nuclear facilities or missile bases in an emergency.

(englishnews@chosun.com )