ADD "North Cruise Missile, Only Sent Farther by Enlarging Fuel Tank, Low Level"

"Our Side's 'Supersonic Cruise Missile' Operational Deployment Not Far Off"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Park Jong-seung, director of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), stated that regarding the long-range cruise missile launched by North Korea, "It seems they extended the fuel tank to increase the range, but the engine itself cannot be considered significantly advanced."

Director Park made this comment on the 13th during the National Assembly National Defense Committee's audit of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, in response to a question from Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, about "the level of technological advancement of North Korea's long-range cruise missiles."

He said, "North Korea began developing cruise missiles about five years ago after recognizing the necessity," and emphasized, "South Korea holds an absolute technological advantage over North Korea in cruise missiles."

North Korean media reported that the day before, under the observation of State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, a test launch of a long-range strategic cruise missile deployed to a tactical nuclear unit was conducted, hitting a target 2,000 km away.

In response, the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "North Korea launched two cruise missiles toward the West Sea from the area around Kaechon, South Pyongan Province, starting around 2 a.m. yesterday," and added, "The military was monitoring the situation in real time."

On the same day, the ADD also provided information about South Korea's supersonic cruise missiles.

In response to Kim Byung-joo's question, "Did you successfully develop a supersonic cruise missile faster than the Hyunmoo-3 (cruise missile) last year?" Director Park replied, "Yes." When asked, "Is it possible to operationalize the supersonic cruise missile within one to two years?" he answered, "As you speculate, it will not be long."

The supersonic cruise missile, whose development was completed at the end of 2020, travels faster than existing missiles, enhancing both survivability and destructive power. It is known to be approximately 2.5 to 3 times faster than the long-range cruise missile tested by North Korea.

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