S. Korea close to developing 'blackout bomb'

SEOUL - 9 October 2017: South Korea has secured technologies to build a non-lethal graphite bomb which can paralyze the North's power systems in case of war, Yonhap quoted military sources as saying on Sunday.

The so-called "blackout bomb" works by spreading chemically treated carbon graphite filaments over electric facilities to short-circuit and disrupt the power grid.

The weapon has been developed by the Agency for Defense Development as key part of South Korea's pre-emptive strike program called Kill Chain.

"All technologies for the development of a graphite bomb led by the ADD have been secured. It is in the stage where we can build the bombs anytime," a military official said.

The defense ministry had requested next year's budget include 500 million won (US$436,000) for the project but the finance ministry did not accept it, he added.

The bomb is often referred to as a "soft bomb" since it only affects targeted electrical power systems. It was first used by the US against Iraq in the 1990–1991 Gulf War and again by NATO against Serbia in 1999.