South Korea has deployed a newly developed anti-aircraft missile system along the maritime border with North Korea in the Yellow Sea, a military official said Thursday.

"The surface-to-air guided missile system, Cheongung, was placed in the northwest islands area early this year to defend it from North Korean aircraft," the military official said, asking not to be named.

The system can intercept North Korean airplanes or other hostile aircraft penetrating into South Korean airspace with almost no warning, the official noted. 

The maritime border area, dotted with a group of South Korean-controlled islands, has witnessed several inter-Korean military clashes in the past decade. 

In November 2010, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island, killing four civilians and soldiers.

The deployed medium-range missile system was developed by South Korean weapons manufacturer LIG Nex 1 in 2011 and passed the military's operational requirement verification test in July last year. 

The 3-D radar-equipped system can intercept aircraft and missiles within a 40-kilometer range at an altitude lower than 40 km. 

"The system's multifunctional phased array radar can simultaneously detect and track up to dozens of enemy aircraft from all directions," the official added. (Yonhap)