S. KOREA TO PURCHASE PATRIOT MISSILES FOR DEPLOYMENT BY 2008.

WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea plans to purchase a surface-to-air missile system from a U.S. manufacturer for deployment by as early as 2008, South Korean and U.S. officials said Friday.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement that the U.S. manufacturer, Raytheon Co., has decided to sell a Patriot missile system worth about US$1.5 billion to South Korea.

The missile system would include an unidentified number of Patriot missiles, transporters, tools and test equipment, as well as personnel training, according to the statement.

An official at the South Korean Embassy in Washington confirmed the statement.

"The purchase of Patriot missiles is part of our country's long-term defense improvement plan," the embassy official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"To reduce our costs, the government plans to purchase used missiles launchers from Germany and buy Patriot missiles and others to maintain the missile system and train our personnel with Raytheon Co.," the official added.

The purchase, if made, is expected to significantly improve South Korea's defense capabilities against North Korea, which fired seven ballistic missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, on July 5.