South Korea says it can intercept North Korean missiles

South Korean officials said the country is able to intercept the missiles that North Korea has launched over the past couple weeks but that the developing nuclear program is still a threat. 

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Moon Hong-sik, the acting spokesperson for the South Korean defense ministry, told reporters that the country’s missile defense system can detect and intercept the weapons systems that North Korea has said it has mobilized in its drills. But Moon also said nuclear threats from Pyongyang are “very grave and serious.” 

Moon said South Korea is looking to introduce spy satellites, surveillance drones and sea-based reconnaissance to better observe North Korea. 

The AP reported that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters in his office that North Korea’s weapons demonstrations show that the nuclear threat is getting “more serious every day.” He said he intends to strengthen the country’s defense in working with the United States and Japan. 

North Korea has conducted a succession of missile tests over the past two weeks. The country fired its most recent round of missiles on Saturday after the U.S. and South Korea conducted joint military drills in response to an earlier round of missiles the North sent off. 

Some analysts have said that North Korea’s newer weapons might beat U.S. and South Korean defenses, and if North Korea launches multiple missiles from different locations, the U.S. and its allies will have more difficulty stopping them, the AP reported.