April 6 (UPI) — South Korea’s military recently test-launched a 500-mile range cruise missile that can potentially strike all areas of North Korea, according to South Korean media.
Sources in the defense ministry told Yonhap news agency on Thursday, local time, a “Hyunmoo-type ballistic missile” was successfully tested at the Anheung test site of the Agency for Defense Development.
The cruise missile is capable of reaching the northernmost city of Sinuiju in North Korea, when fired from the South’s southernmost Jeju Island, according to sources.
The projectile could play a key role in the South Korean plan known as Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, or KMPR, which could target the North Korean leadership in the event of a nuclear attack.
Seoul’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo observed the launch and Yonhap’s source said the missile met the important requirements of launch, flight and target strike.
The military reduced the flight distance of the rocket for safety purposes and focused on checking performance measures and accuracy, according to the report.
More cruise missile tests are expected and when a final performance evaluation is completed the missile is to be deployed before the end of 2017.
South Korea has developed the Hyunmoo-2A ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-2B and the Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile.
The Hyunmoo-2A has a range of more than 180 miles, the Hyunmoo-2B can cover a distance of more then 300 miles, and the Hyunmoo-3 can reach a distance of about 600 miles.
In June 2015, Seoul said it successfully tested the Hyunmoo-2B.
The missile launched this week appears to be a new type of missile in the Hyunmoo category, according to the report.
The missile could cover a full range of targets in North Korea if deployed from the southeastern city of Pohang.
A South Korean military official said that “As long as North Korea does not give up its nuclear and missile development despite the constant warnings of the international community, [Seoul] will acquire the capability to suppress North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats in order to complete the KMPR system.”
