The state-run Agency for Defense Development plans to test-launch a new “high-power” ballistic missile known as Hyunmoo-5 at its Anheung test site in Taean, 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul later this week, in a move to bolster deterrence against growing North Korean nuclear and missile threats. The missile is known to be capable of carrying a warhead weighing 8-9 kilograms with a thrust of 75 ton-force, and of descending at a speed of Mach 10 after reaching an apogee. A navigational warning has been issued for areas spanning from the test site to waters some 300 km away for Friday and Saturday.
Its maximum range remains unknown, but some source said that it may be able to fly 3,000 kilometers or farther a distance covered by an intermediate-range missile. The missile is expected to serve as a centerpiece of Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict. KMPR is a pillar of the three-axis deterrence structure that includes the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike platform and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system. The concept envisions responding to damage caused by a North Korean nuclear weapon by targeting the North Korean leadership, including its military headquarters.
Hyunmoo (literally “Black Tortoise” of Asian mythology, which stands for “Guardian of the Northern Sky”) is a series of strategic missiles developed by South Korea. The Hyunmoo includes the only ballistic missile reverse engineered by South Korea that was actually deployed. This missile improved the first stage propelling device that was a problem in the previous Baekgom missile. The first test-launch of the Hyunmoo was successful in 1982; the domestic political situation of South Korea delayed the second test-launch until September 1985. The flight test was conducted by the Defense Systems Test Center (DSTC).
Hyunmoo-5 (V) ballistic missile is capable of carrying the “largest warhead in the world” weighing 8 to 9 tons with a thrust of 75 ton-force and can descend at a speed of Mach 10. While the missile’s maximum range is officially unknown, military experts predict that the Hyunmoo-5 (V) may travel at a maximum range of 3,000 kilometers or more. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense unveiled the ‘monster missile’ that used the “cold start” technology and can annihilate North Korea on the Day of the Armed Forces of South Korea on October 1, 2022. the South Korean Defense Ministry may put Hyunmoo-5 into combat service.