The US and South Korean militaries are discussing moving some of the American Patriot missile defence systems based in South Korea to be used in the war against Iran.
South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun on Friday was responding to a question at a parliamentary hearing and said the two nations were working closely together. The decision on the deployment of weapons and military personnel would be made on a case-by-case basis, he said.
Earlier reports said the US troops stationed in South Korea relocated their Patriot missile defence batteries to Osan Air Base from other US bases, in signs that US Forces Korea (USFK) could deploy part of its critical air-defence assets to the Middle East as the conflict escalates.
On Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 800 Patriot missiles have been used in just three days of fighting in the Middle East by the US forces. This, he said, is more than Ukraine has received from the US throughout the time of entire Russian invasion since February 2022.
"Ukraine has never had this many missiles to repel attacks. More than 800 have been used over the past three days alone," Zelensky said, in a sign that US air defences were operating at a high volume.
Zelensky added that Ukraine first faced Iranian Shahed drones in 2022 and used “everything it had” to fight these Russian drone attacks.
But added that "everyone understands that Patriot (missiles) are not enough”.
In July last year, president Donald Trump said the US would send an undisclosed number of Patriots to Kyiv, and that the European Union would pay for them.
Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for more defensive capabilities, among them Patriot systems and missiles, to fend off daily missile and drone attacks from Russia.
Here, The Independent looks at what Patriot missiles are, and why it is important to Ukraine:
What is the Patriot system?
The Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system developed by Raytheon Technologies.
It is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal, and it has been in service since the 1980s.
A typical battery includes radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers, and support vehicles.
The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.
The US batteries are regularly deployed around the world. Patriots are also operated or being purchased by the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan and Greece, among other countries.
How does the Patriot work?
The system has different capabilities depending on the type of interceptor used.
The earlier PAC-2 interceptor uses a blast-fragmentation warhead that detonates in the vicinity of a target, while the PAC-3 family of missiles uses more accurate technology that hits the target directly.
It is not clear what kind of Patriot systems have been donated to Ukraine, but it is likely that Kyiv has at least some of the newer PAC-3 CRI interceptors.
The system's radar has a range of over 150 km, according to Nato.
The Patriot was not originally designed to intercept hypersonic missiles, and its developer, Raytheon, has not yet confirmed if it can do so. But, in May 2023, the US confirmed Ukraine had used it to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal missile, which Moscow claims is hypersonic.
Since January 2015, the Patriot has intercepted more than 150 ballistic missiles in combat operations, Raytheon says on its website.
How much does it cost?
A newly produced single Patriot battery costs over $1bn (£746m), including $400m (£298m) for the system and $690m (£515m) for the missiles in a battery, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Patriot interceptors are estimated to cost around $4 million per missile, CSIS says.
Why does Ukraine want more Patriots?
Kyiv has frequently asked Western allies for more air defences to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks.
While effective at intercepting missiles and aircraft, Patriots are a costly way to shoot down low-budget drones.
Still, Ukrainian officials say they are essential to defending key targets from Russia's escalating long-range attacks.
Russia says it sees the supply of Patriots as a direct escalation. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this year that supplying more systems to Ukraine would delay the chances of peace.
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