South Korea to deploy powerful Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile by year-end amid tensions on Korean Peninsula

By Anadolu staff

South Korea will begin to deploy its powerful Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile by the end of this year as part of efforts to establish a “balance of terror” against North Korea’s growing nuclear threat, said Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back.

During an interview Thursday with Yonhap News Agency, Ahn said that mass production of the Hyunmoo-5 has already begun, with measures underway to boost output.

"As South Korea is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that cannot own nuclear arms, I firmly believe we should possess a considerable amount of Hyunmoo-5 monster missiles to achieve a balance of terror," Ahn said.

Nicknamed the “monster missile” for its size and destructive power, the Hyunmoo-5 is a ground-to-ground ballistic missile capable of carrying an eight-ton conventional warhead and destroying underground bunkers.

The missile was first unveiled during the Armed Forces Day ceremony last year.

Ahn’s latest remarks came after North Korea unveiled its new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time during a military parade last week.

Ahn claimed that North Korea may attempt to launch the new ICBM this year, citing movements detected near a missile launch pad.