On August 21, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced it has concluded an review of a 2009 decision to deploy seven Cheolomae-II medium-range missile batteries by 2023. Cheolomae-II is a South Korean manufactured medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM). The Ministry considered reducing the number of deployed batteries in response to recent easing of tensions with North Korea but ultimately determined the interceptor systems remain critical to South Korea’s ability to counter North Korea’s short-range ballistic missiles and other aerial threats.