$3 billion! 20 F-35As

Yonhap News Agency reported on July 15 that the South Korean government is expected to purchase 20 additional F-35A Lightning 2 fighter jets at a cost of about $3.15 billion from 2023 to 2028.
The South Korean military has conceived that the F-35A with stealth capabilities will be used to carry out preemptive strikes, which is expected to quickly counter the nuclear missile attack of the North Korean army and strengthen the core combat power of the kill chain, which belongs to South Korea's three-stage countermeasures. One of the systems is the operational concept of detecting and intercepting North Korean missiles. F-35A fighters have increased from the current 40 to about 60 after additional purchases as their key countermeasures. It is also reported that the South Korean Air Force announced on the 14th that it will cooperate with the US military stationed in South Korea. They dispatched their respective F-35As to hold the first joint stealth fighter air force exercise between the two militaries.