Hyunmoo-5: South Korea says will deploy ‘monster missiles’ as arms race with North intensifies

Amid the brewing tension in the Pacific region, South Korea said that it will begin deploying its largest ballistic missile yet at the end of the year. The projectile is known as the “monster missile” and will mark a significant upgrade of its conventional arsenal as tensions rise with nuclear-armed North Korea.

Earlier this week, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told South Korean News outlet Yonhap that the country must build a “considerable” number of Hyunmoo-5 missiles to “achieve a balance of terror” in the face of the threat posed by the North. He emphasised that the next generation of missiles with even greater power is the need of the hour.

While South Korea is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Hyunmoo-5 has been presented domestically as an answer to growing calls for a nuclear deterrent. So here’s all you need to know about the South Korean ‘monster missile’.

What is the Hyunmoo-5 ‘monster missile’?

The Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile weighs about 36 tonnes, which, according to some reports, can carry an eight-tonne warhead. It carries a “bunker buster” warhead, which has the potential to reach deep underground to destroy heavily fortified bunkers where the North Korean leader might shelter in a situation of conflict.

According to Yonhap, it is understood to be about 16 metres long and is designed as a surface-to-surface missile, capable of being launched from a mobile platform. Its range is set to vary from 600km to more than 5,000km, depending on payload.

An official at the South Korean Defence Ministry told The Guardian that the specific technical details and delivery timeline could not be confirmed for national security reasons.

The idea for the missile was first conceived following a series of deadly attacks by North Korea in 2010 – the sinking of the Cheonan warship and bombardment of Yeonpyeong island – which killed 50 South Koreans.

It is pertinent to note that South Korea relies on the US “nuclear umbrella” and hence does not possess nuclear weapons of its own. “We don’t have nuclear weapons, so the only defence we have is to develop the most powerful conventional weapons possible," Dr Yang Uk, a defence expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, told The Guardian.

Interestingly, the development of the monster missile was blocked by US restrictions on South Korean missile payloads until 2017, when US President Donald Trump, during his first term, lifted those limits. This happened shortly after North Korea’s hydrogen bomb test. The scheduled deployment of the Hyunmoo-5 comes as North Korea unveiled its own new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile at a recent military parade, which has the potential to strike the American mainland.

What does it mean for North Korea?

The upcoming deployment of missiles comes against a backdrop of strained ties between North and South Korea. Pyongyang has snubbed Seoul since the South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June. Even though Lee had been pushing for peace in the Korean peninsula.

In light of this, Lee has embraced self-reliant defence as a cornerstone of his presidency, reflecting South Korea’s broader strategic shift towards greater autonomy. He has criticised what he calls the “submissive mindset” of those who believe South Korea cannot defend itself without foreign military support, since the country maintains a security alliance with the US.

South Korea is estimated to spend 1.4 times North Korea’s entire GDP on defence annually and ranks fifth globally in military strength. Arms exports have become one of the country’s fastest-growing industries since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While addressing Seoul’s ADEX arms fair this week, Lee pledged “larger-than-expected” defence spending to make South Korea the world’s fourth-largest defence industry powerhouse.

However, the Hyunmoo-5 missile is expected to be used as a deterrent to any form of North Korean provocation or further escalation of regional tensions. North Korea is yet to react to the matter and is most likely to publicly dismiss conventional threats while asserting nuclear superiority.