The state auditing agency has begun an inspection of the military's research of weapons systems in a bid to ensure its transparency, officials said Sunday.

The inspection by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) covers research and development projects carried out by the Ministry of National Defense, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and its affiliates, including the Agency for Defense Development, on weapons systems used by the army, navy and air force, according to the officials at the BAI and the defense ministry.

The inspection, which began on Oct. 6, comes amid allegations of corruption in the defense industry.

One major scandal involving the defense industry centers on allegations that officials at the state procurement agency fabricated a document for the sonar system of the 3,500-ton Navy salvage ship Tongyeong and paid far more than what it was worth.

In a budget speech to the National Assembly last week, President Park Geun-hye denounced corrupt dealings in defense acquisition programs as "actions serving the interests of the enemy" and vowed to give "exemplary punishment" to root them out.

"There hasn't been an overall inspection of research and development on weapons systems since 2008, and the Tongyeong issue is related to research and development, so (the inspection) is aimed at examining the country's weapons system in detail from the R&D stage," a BAI official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The inspection will focus on determining the appropriate use of research funds, the necessity of the research projects and the quality of the weapons systems developed through the projects.

The BAI plans to wrap up the inspection later this month and decide whether to unveil the results once they are out, officials said. (Yonhap)