Politics

South Korean president defends weapons development to ‘ensure peace’

Seoul, Oct 20 (EFE).- South Korean President Moon Jae-in defended Wednesday the need to develop weapons to “ensure peace” during his speech at a military technology fair a day after North Korea launched a missile again.

“The goal of a strong national defensive capability is always to ensure peace,” Moon said in a speech during his visit to the ADEX International Defense and Aerospace Industry Fair in Seoul.

“(South Korea) seeks to build a powerful and advanced armed forces based on the latest technologies,” he added.

Moon stressed the importance of new South Korean developments such as the FA-50 light fighter or the KF-21 Boramae, a fourth-generation fighter Seoul expects to have operational in 2026, and said South Korea was the sixth largest defense material global exporter last year.

He also highlighted the success of combustion tests for a solid-fuel rocket engine carried out in July, opening the door for the nation to start launching spacecraft of this type in 2024, which will allow it to improve its satellite network.

Moon said his country plans to launch the Nuri on Thursday, its first 100 percent domestic space rocket.

The president’s words come a day after South Korea tested a short-range ballistic missile for submarines, its fifth weapons test in just under five weeks.

In recent months, both neighbors, technically still at war, have staged the arms escalation that the region is experiencing with various tests and announcing plans to continue expanding their assets.

This situation occurs at a time when the dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang remains alive but without great progress, while the regime continues to reject Washington’s invitation to try to reactivate the dialogue on denuclearization, stalled since 2019. EFE

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