S. Korea boosts defense spending, warns of first-strike capability

In a reversal of the usual pattern, South Korea is now warning North Korea that it is developing a first-strike capacity against the communist country.

In the wake of a recent nuclear bomb test by North Korea, South Korea is ratcheting up its war of words against its northern neighbor, announcing plans to accelerate the deployment of defense systems.

A South Korean defense reform plan, reported on by the Korea Times, describes the country’s plans for a defense network that would link surveillance satellites, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and early-warning radar in an effort “to remove North Korea’s asymmetrical military threat of nuclear and missile programs.”

The paper quoted an official in South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff who said that “in the case of an emergency, the military could conduct pre-emptive strikes against nuclear and missile facilities.”

“Once signs of unusual movement, such as missile and nuclear tests, are detected, F-15K and other advanced aircraft are to conduct surgical strikes against the relevant facilities,” the paper says.

For its part, North Korea today lashed out at Japan on Saturday, threatening to shoot down any Japanese aircraft that attempt to spy on the isolated Stalinist state. AP reports that the North Korean government has instituted a two-week-long “no-sail zone” off its east coast, “raising concerns that it might test-fire short- or mid-range missiles in the coming days, in violation of a UN resolution.”

Tensions between North Korea and its neighbors have been on the rise since North Korea tested a nuclear bomb last month, despite years of efforts by successive U.S. administrations, Japan, China and others to bring the country into the international community. North Korea’s tests were roundly condemned by governments around the world, and led to a fresh round of sanctions against the country.

Even North Korea’s traditional protector, China, has exhibited frustration with the country’s nuclear program and aggressive language.