South Korean President Moon Jae-in Friday oversaw a missile test, which his office said was "aimed at sending a clear warning against North Korea's repeated provocations". It took place at a test site of its state developer, the Agency for Defense Development, in Anheung, located some 200 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
The Hyunmoo-2 is South Korea's indigenously developed ballistic missile with a range of 800 km.
In addition to developing its own missiles, South Korea is now protected from a North Korean missile strike by a U.S. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile battery, which was brought into the country in March and deployed in the southeast.
It's a twist on the typical pattern on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korean state media frequently issue reports about leader Kim Jong Un observing missile tests that it says are needed to combat South Korean and US hostility.
Moon's office quoted him as saying Friday that the launch was important for the South to maintain military capability that could "dominate" the North in order to maintain peace on the peninsula and for future engagement policies with the North to be effective.
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"Our people will feel proud and safe after seeing that our missile capability doesn't trail North Korea's", Moon said, according to his spokesman, Park Soo-hyun.
In the event of a North Korean nuclear attack (or even signs of preparations for one), KMPR specifically calls for surgical strikes against key leadership figures of the communist regime and military infrastructure with the missiles part of a so-called kill chain consisting of integrated information, surveillance, and strike systems, as well as the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system.It also conducted two nuclear tests a year ago as it pursues development of a long-range nuclear missile that could reach the US mainland.
This is the new Hyunmoo-2 missile with a range of up to 800 kilometers - that's enough to hit any part of North Korea even from the southernmost part of the peninsula - developed exclusively with South Korea's indigenous technology.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff also said the military is keeping a close watch on the North amid reports that Pyongyang has conducted a further rocket engine test geared towards a possible launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US mainland. South Korea began producing the Hyunmoo-3C with a range of up to 1,500 kilometers in 2010.
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