▲ L-SAM launch scene revealed by the Ministry of National Defense


Amidst the presidential candidates' unripe arguments such as "The domestic long-distance intercept system L-SAM will be deployed within two to three years" and "The long-range artillery interception system, a Korean-style iron dome, is suitable for defense of the metropolitan area" We announced the successful test launch of SAM and the Korean Iron Dome.

Next, the Ministry of National Defense released a video of the test launch of the L-SAM and the Korean Iron Dome under the pretext of relieving security concerns.



However, the L-SAM will be tested only next year, and the Korean Iron Dome is a weapon that has not even been developed.

Since it is a weapon that is in the intermediate or pre-development stage, with no guarantee of success in development, it is confidential in principle according to the Ministry of Defense public announcement rules.

In addition, the Ministry of National Defense should refrain from commenting on these weapons as they are at the center of the controversy over the method of missile defense against North Korea during the presidential election.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of National Defense secretly inserted video of unrelated U.S. weapons and released videos of L-SAM and Korean Iron Dome, causing controversy over interference in the election.



That shouldn't be the case, but realistically, the Ministry of National Defense is political.

Because it is an institution that commands the military under the guidance of the commander-in-chief and the Blue House, it is bound to be swayed by the political influence of the Blue House.

However, along with the military, defense science should not be in politics.

Developing good weapons should be a profession by researching honestly while looking only at security.

Since political and security interests are different, defense science should pursue only security interests.



However, the Defense Science Research Institute (ADD), the headquarters of defense science, intervened deeply in the release of the L-SAM and Korean iron dome video of the Ministry of National Defense, which caused controversy over election interference.

All videos provided by ADD.

ADD is in the position of "the Ministry of National Defense asked for it, so it was given", but there are many things that you can't understand if you look at the side of the video material.

A similar thing happened last year.

There are rumors in the defense industry that say, "We're developing a weapon, but we're developing a video."


Things that happened since the 23rd of last month and ADD



The targets of the Blue House announcement and the Ministry of Defense video release were the L-SAM and Korean Iron Dome tests conducted on the 23rd of last month at the ADD Anheung Test Center.

L-SAM checked the flight process of the interceptor missile, and the Korean Iron Dome verified the core technology.

L-SAM will start an interception test that will determine the success or failure of development from next year, and the Korean Iron Dome will only take the first step in development this fall.



However, Defense Minister Seo Wook, a high-ranking official at the Blue House, and ADD Director Park Jong-seung attended the visit.

While L-SAM and Korean-style iron dome were swept up in the presidential debate, ADD called the defense minister and high-ranking officials at the Blue House saying that they are conducting early-stage tests of L-SAM and Korean iron dome.

If the minister and high-ranking officials of the Blue House were to observe every exam like this, they would have to go to the Anheung exam center once or twice a week.



And on the 24th and 25th of last month, rumors circulated among the Ministry of National Defense officials and well-spoken reporters.

"The Blue House makes an announcement about L-SAM, and the Ministry of National Defense releases the video", "The president mentions a domestic intercept system at the 3rd Military Academy graduation ceremony, and a related message comes out at a meeting of all major commanders."

Rumors were 100% real with time lag.

A series of processes were conducted according to political formulas, with ADD and Director Park Jong-seung at the center.


Videos of 'Political Weapon' provided by ADD



The Ministry of National Defense distributed a video of our military's key weapons to the media on the 2nd.

There were cuts all over the video that raised doubts about the intention.

The L-SAM part of the video used the US Missile Defense Agency's GBI Pacific launch scene as an introduction to the L-SAM test launch.



The Korean-style iron dome was even worse.

If it goes according to plan, it will start exploration and development this fall, and development will be completed in 2035, 13 years later.

As a result of checking, it was a mock up.

In addition, the Korean surface-to-air missile Haegung was slightly modified and edited to look like a real test launch.

In the animation video, it was written as 'Test launch success' like the SNS of the Blue House senior public communication officer Park Soo-hyun.



The image of successful test-launch of L-SAM and Korean iron dome and completion of development has been planted in the public, who cannot even know the secrets.

Expectations were raised when L-SAM and Korean Iron Dome will be deployed.

However, at the moment, success is not optimistic, and the stage is like a thin piece of ice.

L-SAM requires three years and Korean iron dome more than ten years to complete development, let alone deployment, so the burden on ADD scientists only increased.



All these videos were produced by ADD and provided to the Ministry of National Defense.

A key ADD official said, "We only provided the videos after receiving a request from the Ministry of Defense."

Looking at what happened on the 23rd of last month, it was obvious why the Ministry of National Defense asked ADD for a video.

Did ADD hand over the video to the Ministry of National Defense without knowing that it would be released?

The videos were technically, scientifically, and politically inappropriate for public release.

ADD had to filter out political images and unripe images.


Last year, the exploration and development long-distance air-to-ground model was released.


When President Moon Jae-in visited ADD in September last year, ADD released videos of long-range air-to-surface missiles for the KF-21 along with SLBMs and high-power ballistic missiles.

Unlike other missiles, the long-range air-to-ground was an unfinished model without a penetrating warhead, satellite navigation system, or engine.

The video is a scene that is separated from the F-4 fighter and falls like a bomb.



In September of last year, the long-range air-to-ground missile was in the basic search and development stage.

The military authorities are at a standstill because they have not been able to decide on an agency in charge of full-scale system development, either then or now.

It is unclear whether the KF-21 can be developed in line with the mass production schedule.

If it is delayed, the competitiveness of the KF-21 will fall to the ground.

Nevertheless, in September last year, ADD packaged and released a long-range air-to-ground model as if it was a developed missile as if it was trying to match the assortment of three sets that shoot from the sea, land, and sky.



Disclosure of weapons in development or pre-development is uncommon.

It is a singularity that is found particularly frequently last year and this year, and it is highly likely to be interpreted as ADD's desire for external and political show.

We cannot but pay attention to Director Park Jong-seung, who took office as the general manager of ADD in April of last year.

He was the person who received the Blue House seal of approval by wiping tears in front of the president when he successfully test-fired a ballistic missile under the observation of the president in June 2017.

I hope you do not look outside and focus on the development of cutting-edge technology.

The video release is next.