South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Wednesday that the country has no plan to purchase the U.S.-developed interceptor missiles, but he indicated no objection to the U.S. deployment of its missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim said during the parliamentary interpellation session that " we made it clear for us to have no plan to buy and deploy" the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) developed by the U.S.- based enterprise Lockheed Martin.

A week earlier, the country's arms procurement agency announced a plan to develop its own interceptor instead of adopting the THAAD, designed to intercept ballistic missiles at an altitude of 40-150 km.

The minister, however, hinted at no objection to the THAAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula by the United States, saying that if the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) deploys the THAAD, it will make possible a multi-layered missile defense together with Patriot missiles.

Kim, who was named as top presidential security advisor, is now doubling as the defense minister as new minister nominee has yet to pass through the parliamentary confirmation hearing.

Given the limited range of the THAAD interceptors, the THAAD's operational reach will be restricted to the Korean peninsula, Kim said, noting that the system can shoot down Scud missiles as well as Rodong missiles possibly fired by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Asked whether he will not object to the THAAD deployment by the U.S., Kim said there has been no request from the U.S. for reviewing the deployment, adding that the issued has been purportedly under discussions within the U.S.

Vice-chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff James Winnefeld said on May 28 that the U.S. military was mulling an additional deployment of interceptor missiles in the Asia-Pacific region to prepare for what he called the DPRK threats.

Kim noted that South Korea had asked for materials about the THAAD to consult those when establishing the country's missile defense system.

South Korea has pushed for the Korea Air and Missile Defense ( KAMD), or its own missile defense system which focuses on a terminal-phase, low-altitude missile defense. It means intercepting missiles at an altitude of less than 100 km.

Seoul will upgrade its PAC-2 missiles to Lockheed Martin's Pac- 3 to intercept missiles at an altitude of less than 40 km. The medium-range surface-to-air (M-SAM) missiles will help PAC-3 shoot down missiles at such altitudes.

The long-range SAM, which South Korea planned to develop with its own technology, will intercept missiles at an altitude of 40 km or above.

It will improve the multi-layered missile defense, which South Korea has been targeting. The multi-layered system means the failure of the first-stage interceptors leads to the second-stage interception at different altitudes. Endi

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