Israel's air defense network, which is known to have intercepted 99% of Iran's missile attacks last April, is recently showing signs of being penetrated. Iran has mixed the use of drones, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic missiles, and it has not been able to intercept all of them. There are calls for South Korea to strengthen its air defense system in preparation for the threat from North Korea, which possesses many conventional missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles, similar to Iran.
Israel possesses its own air defense network, similar to South Korea, while also deploying the U.S. Patriot defense system and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). It has the Iron Dome (70 km) to intercept short-range missiles, an American-made air defense network (10-40 km), David's Sling for intercepting missiles at an altitude of 300 km, and Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems to intercept ballistic missiles at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000 km.
Iranian missiles have penetrated Israel's multi-layered air defense network and struck the Israeli mainland, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Israeli citizens and injuries to hundreds.
Evaluations of Israel's air defense system are mixed. Some military experts believe that Israel's Iron Dome was not designed to intercept all missiles, so its performance was commendable, while others argue that it failed to intercept despite the attack being anticipated and not being a large-scale assault involving over 1,000 missiles.
The Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system is similar in form to Israel's. It includes Cheongung I, which intercepts missiles at altitudes of 5-20 km, Cheongung II for 15-30 km, Patriot missiles for intercepting at altitudes of 15-35 km, and the fleet air defense missile SM-2, which can intercept missiles up to 24 km from EGIS ships. The U.S. THAAD stationed in South Korea is responsible for upper-layer defense at altitudes of 40-150 km.
The Korea Air and Missile Defense system does not defend the entire airspace but focuses on protecting key facilities. A military official who requested anonymity noted, "Protecting key areas and facilities is KAMD's primary goal," adding that "deploying an air defense system across the entire country is financially infeasible."
The Korea Air and Missile Defense system, including Cheongung, is receiving positive assessments globally, but there are voices urging for an increase in interceptor missiles to effectively counter North Korean attacks in emergencies. According to the U.S. Institute for the Study of War, North Korea is estimated to possess hundreds of ballistic missiles and thousands of multiple rocket launchers. If South Korea faces a mixed attack of drones and missiles like Israel, it could result in cracks in its air defense network.
An official from the defense industry stated, "Once the L-SAM (Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile), which has entered mass production, and the L-SAM II, which has started development, are operational, South Korea will have a very dense air defense network." However, he acknowledged that deploying multiple interceptor systems is difficult, and securing a large quantity of interceptor missiles could be a viable alternative. A military contact also commented, "The war between Israel and Iran resembles a missile attrition war."
The military's weapon system acquisition project begins with the establishment of military needs. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is said to be closely monitoring and analyzing the conflict between Israel and Iran.