SEOUL - THE South Korean air force said on Friday it had taken delivery of a first shipment of US-made Patriot missiles, designed to protect against any attack by North Korea.

They were bought second-hand from Germany and will replace the current ageing Nike air defence missiles, the air force said in a statement.

The first shipment arrived in the country in August but has been undergoing a series of performance tests before Seoul officially took delivery.

The air force plans to spend a total of 1.05 trillion won (S$1.07 billion) to deploy two battalions of Patriot missiles within two years.

The air force did not say how many Patriots it had taken delivery of. South Korea previously announced plans to buy a total of 48 second-hand PAC-2 Patriots.

The announcement came amid worsening ties between the two Koreas. In protest at what it calls Seoul's confrontational policy, North Korea has announced strict curbs on cross-border movements from December 1.

The US and its allies regard the North's missile development as a major threat to regional security, on top of its nuclear ambitions.

Despite being a longtime US ally, South Korea has not joined the United States and Japan in efforts to develop a joint missile defence system. -- AFP