South Korea’s ‘Monster Missile’ Sparks Tensions with North
South Korea is set to deploy its most powerful ballistic missile to date by the end of the year, a development that significantly bolsters its conventional military capabilities amid escalating tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea. Dubbed the “monster missile” by domestic media, the Hyunmoo-5 is reportedly capable of carrying an eight-tonne warhead.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back emphasized the strategic importance of the new missile, telling Yonhap News that South Korea needs to produce a “considerable” number of Hyunmoo-5s to establish a “balance of terror” against the threat from the North. He also indicated the necessity of developing even more potent next-generation missiles.
The Hyunmoo-5 is being presented domestically as a response to increasing demands for a nuclear deterrent. However, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, South Korea’s development is focused on conventional weaponry, with the Hyunmoo-5 being a conventional ballistic missile.
– David Miller (Miller.D@theseouljournal.com)
