A South Korean agency has successfully conducted quality certification tests for a locally developed mid-range surface-to-air missile system, paving the way for possible mass production. 

The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality said on Wednesday that several of the mass production model of the M-SAM system, also known as Cheongung-2, performed up to standard and hit their targets, similar to its success in tests held during its development stage. 

With the success of the latest round of tests, the locally developed missile is ready to enter the mass production stage, the agency said. 

Developed in 2017, Cheongung-2, also dubbed as Korea's version of the Patriot missile, is a mid-range, medium altitude ground-to-air interceptor system. In June 2017, a Cheongung missile flew around 40 kilometers and accurately hit a mock target in a live-fire test.