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South Korea is ready to deploy its ‘monster missile’ Hyunmoo 5 at the end of the year marking a significant conventional arsenal upgrade against its northern counterpart in the Korean peninsula. In a rare acknowledgment of the high-power missile, South Korea’s defence minister Ahn Gyu-back said that South Korea needs to possess a “considerable amount” of Hyunmoo 5 to achieve a “balance of terror” to face the threat posed by North Korea.Adding to it, the defence minister also confirmed the mass production of the missile to significantly increase the output. As reported by Guardian, the specific technical details and delivery timeline could not be confirmed due to national security reasons.South Korea, being a signatory of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), cannot possess nuclear powers and depends on the US nuclear umbrella for defence against the nuclear-armed North Korea. However, noting the provocations by the North Korea, it is needed for South Korea to develop next generational, more powerful conventional missiles amidst the growing threats.
Why is Hyunmoo 5 important?
The high-powered ground-to-ground ballistic missile, which has been dubbed as the “monster missile” for its size, Hyunmoo 5 weighs around 36 tonnes. It is capable of carrying eight-tonne bunker buster warheads which can also penetrate underground fortified bunkers. The missile is about 16 metres long and has a range that can vary from 600km to 5,000km.First unveiled in October 2024 during the Armed Force Day ceremony, the idea of Hyunmoo 5 was conceived way back in 2010 after a series of deadly attacks by North Korea. However, the developments were blocked by the US restrictions on South Korean missile payloads to deescalate the tensions in the Korean peninsula, until 2017.In 2017, North Korea tested its hydrogen bombs stating it had tested a thermonuclear weapon. Following this, US under Donald Trump’s presidency, lifted those limitations off South Korea.
Aims for military autonomy
North Korea has been executing different tactics to reaffirm its dedication to be recognised as a nuclear-armed state, which has essentially strained its ties with South Korea. On Wednesday morning it also fired several short-ranged missiles in the Sea of Japan ahead of the APEC summit being hosted by South Korea. China, US and other world leaders are scheduled to be attending the event later this month.South Korea president Lee Jae Myung has been emphasising the need for South Korea to gain military autonomy and reduce dependency on its security alliance with the US. He slammed the “submissive mindset” that the nation cannot defend itself without the American troops.Speaking at the ADEX arm fair, President Lee Jae Myung announced the increase in country’s defence budget to $47.1 billion, which accounts to 1.4 times of North Korea’s annual GDP, aiming to make South Korea the world’s fourth-largest defence industry powerhouse.Hyunmoo 5 can be a strong move from South Korea towards nuclear deterrence against North Korea. However, it remains to be seen whether it minimizes the tensions or escalates them further.
