[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The Latest Missiles Presented by North and South Korea

As both South and North Korea significantly strengthen their missile capabilities, a missile competition is underway. North Korea has established an independent military branch called the Strategic Rocket Forces to bolster its capabilities, while the South Korean military has also created a Missile Command to enhance its missile forces.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

July 3rd marks the anniversary of the establishment of North Korea’s Strategic Forces, which oversee missile operations. Strategic Forces Day commemorates the founding of the Strategic Rocket Forces by then National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il on July 3, 1999, to strengthen self-defensive nuclear deterrence.

North Korea officially designated Strategic Forces Day on June 24, 2016, through a decree by the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly. According to North Korean explanations, the decree was issued in the context of the Korean War, when the desire for retaliation against the “iron-willed enemy, the U.S. imperialists” was at its peak. Since then, Chairman Kim Jong-un has reportedly strengthened the Strategic Forces into a powerful military branch equipped with miniaturized and precision nuclear strike capabilities. The Strategic Forces are organized as a separate fourth branch distinct from the army, navy, and air force, comprising 13 missile brigades. In North Korea, nuclear development is managed by the Military Industry Department, while missile operations are handled by the Strategic Forces. The current commander of the Strategic Forces is General Kim Jong-gil (three-star).

North Korea Developing Solid-Fuel ICBM ‘Hwasong-18’
South Korea to Begin Full-Scale Production of Hyunmoo-5 Ballistic Missile This Year

The Strategic Forces originated from the Missile Guidance Bureau. Initially established at the corps level during Kim Jong-il’s rule, the Missile Guidance Bureau was expanded and reorganized into the Strategic Rocket Forces under Kim Jong-un’s leadership, becoming a military branch equal in status to the army, navy, and air force by early 2014. The creation and systematization of the Strategic Forces is analyzed as an effort to unify command by integrating missile units, similar to China’s “Second Artillery Corps.”

The establishment of Strategic Forces Day was announced the day after North Korea successfully test-fired the Hwasong-10, a ground-to-ground medium-to-long-range strategic ballistic missile. Since then, North Korea has achieved successive successes in test launches of new medium-to-long-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) such as the Hwasong-12, medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) like the Pukguksong-2, and ground-to-ship cruise missiles. On the 12th, North Korea set a “new record” during the second test launch of the solid-fuel-based new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ‘Hwasong-18.’ The ‘Hwasong-18’ launched this time reached more than twice the peak altitude compared to its first test launch in April, and its flight time exceeded 70 minutes, marking the longest flight time among all North Korean ICBM launches. According to North Korean announcements, both the flight time and peak altitude are the highest since North Korea began ICBM launches in 2017.

To respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, the South Korean military plans to expand the existing Joint Chiefs of Staff’s ‘Nuclear and WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) Response Center’ into a ‘Nuclear and WMD Response Headquarters’ and establish a Strategic Command in 2024. The Strategic Command will use the ‘Nuclear and WMD Response Headquarters’ to verify its organizational plans. A master plan has been developed to strengthen the three-axis system capabilities, and the related budget has been significantly increased. The three-axis system consists of the Kill Chain, which preemptively strikes when North Korea attempts to launch nuclear or missile attacks; the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), which intercepts North Korean missiles in the air; and the Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), which retaliates if North Korea attacks with nuclear or missile weapons. Going forward, the process of building the Korean three-axis system will be regularly reviewed, with budget allocations for timely operational readiness and legal and institutional improvements to simplify the acquisition of related weapon systems.

For KMPR, the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, known as the ‘monster missile,’ will enter full-scale production starting this year. The Hyunmoo-5 can carry the heaviest warhead in the world (8 to 9 tons) and is considered a strategic weapon capable of responding to North Korean provocations.

Earlier, President Yoon Suk-yeol hinted at the deployment of the Hyunmoo-5 in an April interview with foreign media, mentioning North Korea’s ‘ultra-high-performance and ultra-powerful weapons.’ The military plans to deploy up to 200 Hyunmoo-5 missiles to units under the Missile Command. The Hyunmoo-5 is expected to be stationed in units such as the 1200th Battalion, a ballistic missile battalion under the Missile Command.

The military also plans to equip the Hyunmoo-5 on the Joint Firepower Ship, which the navy is scheduled to acquire. Hanwha Ocean (formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) unveiled a model of the Joint Firepower Ship for the first time at the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX 2023) held at BEXCO in Busan on the 7th of last month. The Joint Firepower Ship is about the size of a large Aegis destroyer, with a displacement of 8,000 tons, a length of 150 meters, and a width of about 20 meters.

The Hyunmoo-5 is a representative means of the Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) system, one of the Korean three-axis systems. It was developed to strike key targets such as the war command centers where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials gather, as well as nuclear and missile bases in case of emergency. The Hyunmoo-5 is a heavy missile designed to deliver destruction comparable to nuclear weapons without actually having nuclear warheads. It can destroy targets such as tunnels or bunkers located more than 100 meters underground.

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