Report: S. Korea working on pulse bomb

SEOUL, July 8 (UPI) -- South Korean military officials are developing an electromagnetic pulse bomb designed to incapacitate electronic equipment, a source says.

Citing an unnamed military source, Chosun Ilbo reported Wednesday Seoul's EMP bomb could be used to neutralize missile-guidance systems or other equipment within a 330-foot radius of its detonation. Scientists with the Agency for Defense Development are also working on a version that could be effective within a 3,300-foot radius.

The newspaper said the United States is developing an EMP bomb that could knock out electronic equipment within 4.2 miles of its impact point.

The South Korean agency is also working on a defense against EMP waves, which are unleashed in nuclear explosions.

The Chosun Ilbo said that effort, costing $56 million, is meant to shield equipment housed in South Korean military installations and strategic facilities should North Korea launch a nuclear attack.