President Moon: "Cutting-edge strategic weapons, truly reassuring... We also make special efforts for security" (Comprehensive)

President Moon Inspects Development Status of Cutting-Edge Strategic Weapon 'Hyunmoo-4' and Encourages Researchers
Visit to ADD Marks First in 3 Years Since Inauguration in 2017

President Moon Jae-in is speaking on the 23rd before receiving a status report after inspecting advanced weapons and military equipment at the Agency for Defense Development located in Yuseong, Daejeon.
In front of President Moon, a model of 'Anasis 2,' Korea's first military dedicated communications satellite, is displayed.
The Agency for Defense Development is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year (August 6). 2020.7.23 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Yang Nak-gyu and Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in visited the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) on the 23rd and said, "I have personally witnessed the achievements of our defense science and technology," adding, "Seeing the state-of-the-art strategic weapons with world-class accuracy and powerful destructive capability is truly reassuring." He also reminded of the recent confidential information leak incident at ADD, urging, "Please make special efforts to protect and secure research achievements."

At 10:30 a.m. that day, President Moon visited the ADD research laboratory located in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, and inspected the state-of-the-art strategic weapons privately for about 40 minutes, followed by a briefing on the status of weapon system development from Director Nam Se-gyu. This was President Moon's first visit to ADD in about three years since June 2017, his first year in office.

At the event, President Moon said, "ADD is the foundation of an autonomous and strong defense capability," and praised the researchers, saying, "I am proud of all of you who have achieved world-class defense research and development, from high-power ballistic missiles to the development of core radars for advanced fighter jets. I highly commend Director Nam and the researchers, who are firmly united by the mission to protect our defense with the power of our science."

Established in 1970, ADD, which develops defense weapon systems and core technologies, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. In the status report, Director Nam stated, "We aim to contribute to realizing a strong defense with the power of our science and to leap from the current 9th place in the world in defense science and technology to the 6th place," adding, "We will strengthen advanced defense science and technology capabilities leading the 4th Industrial Revolution." He further added, "To respond to nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD), we will focus on strategic target strikes, Korean-style missile defense, wide-area real-time surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as research on concealed and non-beneficial weapons, and advanced defense technologies challenging space and the future."

It is known that President Moon privately inspected the development achievements of the new ballistic missile 'Hyunmoo-4' before the status report. President Moon emphasized, "Although we cannot show everything to the public due to confidentiality, I can confidently say that we have sufficient defense capabilities to block and deter any security threats."

President Moon conveyed several requests, saying, "The defense science field requires not only technological capability but also a sense of responsibility and pride in protecting the lives of the people." He emphasized the need to have higher defense science and technology capabilities to prepare for increasingly sophisticated security threats and stressed the realization of a 'digital strong military, smart defense.' He also asked for the transfer of such advanced technologies to the civilian sector to contribute to the development of civilian industry demand.

He also stressed the need to foster the defense industry as an export industry, saying, "Since domestic demand alone is insufficient, we must create export demand to establish a foundation for sustainable development." Lastly, he urged safety and technology security during the research process, saying, "Each researcher is a patriot who protects security and creates peace and a valuable strategic asset constituting the defense power of the Republic of Korea."

On this day, government officials including Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Administrator Wang Jeong-hong, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Strategic Planning Director Lee Seong-yong attended. From the Blue House, Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, National Security Office Director Suh Hoon, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Yu-geun, and Defense Reform Secretary Ahn Jun-seok were present.

President Moon Jae-in is listening to the remarks of the research team during an encouragement meeting after inspecting advanced weapons and military equipment at the Agency for Defense Development located in Yuseong, Daejeon on the 23rd. July 23, 2020.
Photo by Yonhap News

President Moon previously visited the Defense Science Research Institute's comprehensive test site in Taean, Chungnam, in 2017 to observe the test launch of the 'Hyunmoo-2' ballistic missile. The missile launched at that time flew the planned distance and accurately hit the target. Initially, the observation was scheduled for Lee Sang-chul, then First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, but after being briefed on the event the day before, President Moon expressed his intention to attend personally, leading to a sudden schedule change. This indicates President Moon's strong interest in ballistic missiles.

In September of the same year, President Moon held a Korea-US summit with then-US President Donald Trump and agreed to revise the Korea-US missile guidelines. The existing missile guidelines, which required reducing warhead weight as range increased?a 'trade-off' approach?were revised, opening the way to develop ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 800 km and a warhead weight of up to 2 tons. ADD soon began developing the new ballistic missile Hyunmoo-4.

The military and related circles view President Moon's recent visit as driven by high interest in Hyunmoo-4. In mid-March, ADD conducted the first test launch of the Hyunmoo-4 ballistic missile at the Anheung test site in Taean County, Chungnam, with Kim Yu-geun, First Deputy Director of the Blue House National Security Office, participating, but the launch failed. However, after three months of testing and evaluation, development is reportedly in its final stages.

The military expects that if Hyunmoo-4 receives combat suitability certification within this year and mass production begins next year, it will possess power comparable to tactical nuclear weapons. A warhead weight of 500 kg can destroy an airfield runway, but if the warhead weight increases to 2 tons, it will have at least three times the penetration power of the current strongest bunker buster, the GBU-57. It can penetrate reinforced concrete over 24 meters thick and general ground up to 180 meters, effectively possessing tactical nuclear-level power.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.