First Day of 5th Senate Election Campaign Runs SmoothlyS. Korea to begin development of shipborne missile interceptor this year

The first day of two-week-long campaign for the 5th Senate Election took place smoothly, without violence and with security, safety and social order. The note was made by the National Election Committee (NEC) in a press release issued this evening, lauding the good cooperation from the local and competent authorities. According to the release, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) launched the election campaign in all the eight regions, while the Khmer Will Party organised meetings and disseminated their political programme over loudspeaker at their party offices and at their members' houses. The other two participating political parties - the FUNCINPEC Party and the National Power Party - have not yet conducted any campaign activities, it added. The 5th Senate Election campaign will last until Feb. 23, and the election day will be on Feb. 25 with the participation of 11,747 eligible voters, including 125 members (17 female) of the National Assembly and 11,622 commune/Sangkat councillors (2,568 female). S ource:Agence Kampuchea Presse SEOUL, South Korea seeks to start developing an advanced ship-based missile interceptor this year, the state arms procurement agency has said, amid efforts to counter evolving North Korean military threats. Last year, the country's defense authorities approved a 690 billion-won (US$520 million) project set to run through 2030 to develop the "Ship-to-Air Missile-II" designed to shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it is pushing to begin research and development of the missile this year, aiming to equip it on the Navy's next-generation destroyer currently under development. The missile will be designed to have improved performance compared to the Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) currently used by the Navy, DAPA said, without providing details. The SM-2 interceptor, built by U.S. missile maker Raytheon, has a range of 90 nautical miles, or 166.7 kilometers. The project comes amid Pyongyang's push to develop new weapons systems, highlighted by its launc hes of purported "strategic" cruise missiles earlier this year. Source: Yonhap News Agency