South Korea to introduce anti-drone defence system at key military, government facilities

South Korea plans to introduce an integrated defence system to counter hostile unmanned aircraft at key military and government facilities for the first time, officials said on July 6.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) recently put up a notice for the 48.5 billion-won (US$37.2 million) project on its procurement website as Seoul has sought to bolster anti-drone capabilities after North Korea's drone incursions late last year, Yonhap News Agency reports.

Under the project, DAPA seeks to purchase the counter-drone system to be operated by the Army, the Navy and the Air Force from local companies. It will accept bids through Aug. 8.

The system is expected to be able to detect small-sized drones and neutralize them by jamming their signals.

"In order to prepare against various North Korean unmanned assets and drones, DAPA is enhancing substantive response capabilities," DAPA spokesperson Col. Choi Kyung-ho told a regular press briefing. "We will make efforts so that the project for the integrated anti-drone system for key areas can be carried out in a timely way."

Last December, five North Korean drones intruded across the inter-Korean border, with one of them having penetrated a no-fly zone close to Seoul's presidential office.

South Korea has since made efforts to beef up anti-drone measures, with the military planning to launch a drone operations command tasked with various missions utilizing the unmanned assets, including surveillance, reconnaissance and strike operations, later this year.

The military is currently considering various locations for the envisioned unit, although it is pushing for its establishment in the northern city of Pocheon, Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in the briefing.