SEOUL, May 12 (Xinhua) — South Korea's military is planning to deploy some 100 additional units of the locally built K2 Black Panther tanks to strengthen frontline defense against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Yonhap quoted a military official as saying on Thursday.

"The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) submitted the request citing the need for 100 or so more K2 tanks in October and the Ministry of National Defense is carrying out a verification of the demand," the military official said.

The additional production plan, if accepted, would increase the number of the South Korean military's fleet to more than 300 tanks. The K2s augment the K1 battle tanks that are in widespread service among the country's military.

The move is in response to the DPRK increasing its tank numbers starting in 2005, said the official. Currently, the DPRK is believed to have some 4,500 tanks in its inventory, roughly twice the number of South Korea's main battle tank (MBT) force.

K2 has been produced since 2013 and has been reaching frontline units starting in 2014, with a total of 206 K2 tanks having been deployed or in the process of being delivered.

The K2 has a 120-millimeter smoothbore gun with 40 rounds as its main armament, has a maximum speed of 70 km per hour as well as the ability to cross a river as deep as 4 meters.