In this photo provided by Korea Defense Ministry, Koreas second military spy satellite lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sunday, April 7, 2024. AP-Yonhap

South Korea plans to launch two more military spy satellites this year to complete its deployment of five such satellites to enhance surveillance of North Korean threats, the defense ministry said Thursday.

The ministry outlined the plan as part of its policy goals for 2025 after South Korea successfully launched its third spy satellite last month as part of a program to place five military satellites into orbit by this year.

The satellite program is expected to help reduce South Korea's reliance on U.S. satellite imagery on North Korea and boost Seoul's independent surveillance capabilities.

South Korea launched its first spy satellite in December 2023 and the second one last April. Once all five satellites are placed in orbit, the country is expected to be able to monitor North Korea every two hours.

The ministry said it also seeks to better counter North Korean missile threats by beginning mass production of the Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM) system in the first quarter of the year after completing its development last year.

The L-SAM is designed to intercept incoming aerial targets at altitudes of 50-60 kilometers to complement the South's missile defense system that also consists of the M-SAM system and the U.S.-supplied Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system.

Meanwhile, the ministry said it also plans to nearly double the number of combined brigade-level exercises with the United States to 18 during their annual spring exercise period this year. Last year, the allies carried out such drills on 10 occasions.

Regarding the allies' Nuclear Consultative Group, the ministry said it would also push to set up a communication system to share sensitive information and establish consultative procedures for nuclear operations on the Korean Peninsula.

It also vowed efforts to integrate South Korea's conventional capabilities with U.S. nuclear assets and expand table-top exercises that simulate a North Korean nuclear attack.

The consultative body was created in 2023 as part of efforts to strengthen the credibility of the U.S. commitment to defending South Korea with all of its military capabilities, including nuclear. South Korea relies on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for its security as it does not have nuclear weapons.

The ministry also pledged more cooperation between the allies under the incoming Donald Trump administration, such as maintenance, repair and overhaul projects for U.S. warships. (Yonhap)