[Yonhap Photo]
[Yonhap Photo]
In a televised military event supervised by President Moon Jae-in, South Korea showed off an allay of new ballistic missiles and other strategic weapons, demonstrating its ability to launch a precise attack on North Korean missile and nuclear bases.
TV footage showed Moon inspecting weapons and troops at a naval base in the southwestern port of Pyeongtaek in a ceremony to celebrate Armed Forces Day which falls on October 1.
On display were Hyunmoo missiles, the Taurus air-launched cruise missile, Patriot PAC-II air defense missiles and ATACMS ground-to-ground missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles), M-SAM surface-to-air missiles, and SLAM-ER air-to-ground missiles.
"Our goal is clear. We should deter North Korean provocations and let them give up nuclear weapons under any circumstances," Moon said in his speech before invited guests including U.S. military officials.
[Yonhap Photo]
[Yonhap Photo]
"We will strongly retaliate against reckless provocations," he said, stressing South Korean troops are equipped with weapons capable of overwhelming North Korea's. He promised to beef up South Korea's military power in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
It was the first time South Korea has made public its new Hyunmoo missiles: the Hyunmoo-2A with a range of 300 km, the Hyunmoo-2B that can fly over 500 km, the Hyunmoo-2C with a range of 800 km, and the Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile with a range of 1,000 km.
On September 13, South Korea claimed to have successfully staged the first live-fire exercise for Taurus that enables jet fighters to make a precise and powerful attack on North Korea's underground missile and nuclear facilities.
Taurus incorporates stealth characteristics and has a range of more than 500 km. South Korea has agreed to bring in the Taurus KEPD 350K, an enhanced version of the Taurus KEPD 350 fielded by Germany and Spain.
[Yonhap Photo]
[Yonhap Photo]
According to Jane's 360, the Taurus KEPD 350 was designed for use against hardened and buried targets with its penetrator warhead and intelligent fuzing system. Once launched, it flies at extremely low altitudes at the speed of up to Mach 0.9.
[Yonhap Photo]
Dozens of Taurus missiles mounted with military GPS receivers were brought into South Korea in October last year. Initially, South Korea agreed to deploy 170 Taurus missiles, but it would buy more in response to North Korea's strong push for missile and nuclear development.
On September 15, South Korea's military fired a Hyunmoo-2A missile into waters off the east coast in a simulated strike on the origin of North Korea's missile launch. The Hyunmoo-2A was fired six minutes after the North launched an intermediate range ballistic missile called Hwasong-12 that flew about 3,700 km over the territory of Japan.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
