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South Korea fires submarine-launched ballistic missile for first time as North prepares military parade
- South Korea has developed increasingly powerful missiles designed to target heavily fortified bunkers and tunnels in North Korea, while also seeking to reduce dependence on US
- Seoul on Monday allocated nearly 1.5 trillion won (US$1.3 billion) for defence technology research and development next year in a budget request submitted to parliament
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South Korea has successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) for the first time, becoming the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a capability, reports on Tuesday said.
A new Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine carried out the test last week, after similar tests were conducted from a submerged vessel last month, Yonhap reported, citing military sources. The defence ministry declined to comment on the report, citing security reasons.
SLBMs have been developed by seven other countries, including the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, India and North Korea.
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After further testing, South Korea’s SLBM will be mass-produced for deployment, Yonhap said. The missile is believed to be a variant of the country’s Hyunmoo-2B, with a range of about 500km. The missile, which has reportedly been code-named Hyunmoo 4-4, will be fitted with conventional warheads.
South Korea has developed increasingly powerful missiles designed to target heavily fortified bunkers and tunnels in North Korea, while also seeking to reduce its dependence on the US, which has deployed thousands of troops on the peninsula since the Korean war in the 1950s.
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Seoul on Monday allocated nearly 1.5 trillion won (US$1.3 billion) for defence technology research and development next year in a budget request submitted to parliament.
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