South Korea has successfully test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of delivering a payload of one ton to any part of North Korea, the country’s defense ministry said.
“We test-fired it and we succeeded,” Kim Min-seok,
spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry, is cited as
saying by Reuters.
Friday’s announcement is likely to add to the latest tensions on
the Korean Peninsula, as the new missile’s range of 500
kilometers sees a significant boost to the South’s strike
capability.
The rocket was developed in accordance with a 2012 agreement
between Seoul and Washington, which allows South Korea to make
800 kilometer-range missiles.
Previously, the South had voluntary accepted a 300-kilometer
limit on the range of its ballistic missiles in exchange for
guarantees of a nuclear “umbrella” from the US in case
of an atomic attack.
But Seoul kept arguing that the limits must be extended due to
the North’s nuclear-armed missile program.
The new missiles will enable strikes against the weapons and
military installations in the furthest parts of North Korea from
any location in the South if necessary, Kim stressed.
“And we’re going to make 800-kilometer missiles,” the
spokesman added, emphasizing Seoul’s intention to take maximum
advantage of the 2012 deal.
According to AFP, the test-launch was carried out on March 23,
just two days ahead of North Korea testing two medium-range
ballistic missiles capable of striking targets in Japan.
The military is expected to commission the new missile into
service next year, a defense ministry source told the Chosun Ilbo
newspaper.
The 500 kilometer range is still shorter than North Korea’s major
ballistic missiles, but the South’s rocket is a lot more
accurate.
Its hit radius is just a few dozen meters, while the Scud and
Rodong missiles recently tested by Pyongyang have an accuracy
ranging from several hundreds meters to a kilometer, the paper
stressed.
The thaw in relations between North and South, which saw the
sides holding rare high-level talks in February, appeared to be a
short one as both sides resumed missile tests.
On Monday, North Korea conducted a live-fire drill along the
disputed maritime border, sending over 100 shells into the
South’s waters. While South Korean forces responded by firing 300
rounds of its own into the North’s maritime belt.
Seoul is also investigating two Northern drones that crashed near
its border, with evidence suggesting that one of the unmanned
aircrafts flew directly over the South’s presidential palace.
The two Koreas technically remain at war after the 1950-53 Korean
War ended in a truce, rather than a peace treaty.