Domestic hypersonic missile revealed... Responding to North Korean landmines by demonstrating advanced power

The government's surprise disclosure on the 8th of the test launch of a hypersonic missile that the military authorities are secretly developing is analyzed as part of its response to the recent North Korean mine explosion incident in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The military authorities defined North Korea's landmine explosion as a 'provocation' and announced stern corresponding measures. They sent a message that they would suppress North Korea's provocations through the demonstration of South Korea's advanced military power, which has been managed secretly, such as hypersonic missiles and 'Hyunmoo-5'.

The Blue House announced on this day that the first test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), which is being researched and developed using Korean technology, was successfully conducted in the presence of President Lee Jae-myung.

HGV is a missile that uses propellant to accelerate to the upper atmosphere, then separates from the propellant and glides at a low altitude.

It flies at a speed of over Mach 5 and performs anomalous maneuvers that are different from the normal parabolic ballistic trajectory, making it very difficult to track and intercept, so it is also called a 'game changer'.

The Korean military has been secretly pursuing the development of HGVs, centered around the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), but on this day, it announced the first test launch and formalized the hypersonic missile development project.

It is reported that the launch on this day took place from a sea barge at the ADD Anheung Test Site in Taean, South Chungcheong Province.

The range is known to be hundreds of kilometers, but specific specifications have not been confirmed, and it is reported that it uses a surface-to-surface ballistic missile as a propellant.

The core of a hypersonic missile is its flight ability to accurately reach the target at high speed while drawing an irregular flight trajectory after performing a pull-up (descent and reascension) maneuver in the descent phase.

The Blue House said, “After the gliding aircraft separated, it descended to a low altitude and completed an irregular gliding flight that freely changed its trajectory vertically and horizontally, and accurately landed on the designated target point.” This means that we have succeeded in securing core hypersonic missile technology.

Hypersonic missiles are a cutting-edge power tool that not only South Korea but also North Korea are passionate about.

On the 3rd, North Korea launched a hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) in the presence of Chairman Kim Jong-un. Our military authorities announced that the range was over 700 km, but North Korea claimed that the range was 1,000 km, saying that South Korea failed to detect it.

The heads of state of South and North Korea observed hypersonic missile test launches at five-day intervals, revealing the competitive structure between North and South Korea over the development of hypersonic missiles.

However, considering Korea's world-class missile technology level, there are expectations that the Korean military will soon be able to secure hypersonic missile capabilities with this test launch.

Meanwhile, on this day, the Blue House also announced that President Lee inspected the 'Hyunmoo-5', a high-power missile owned by the military.

Hyunmoo-5 is a 'bunker buster' missile that destroys underground bunkers where North Korean command staff are hiding, and has a warhead weight of 8 tons, earning it the nickname 'monster missile'.

It is known that this is the first time that the government used the name 'Hyunmoo-5' in an official press release. Hyunmoo-5 is also one of the secret projects, and was called 'high-yield missile' instead of its official name.

It is known that the sudden demonstration of the South Korean military's cutting-edge military power, including hypersonic missiles and Hyunmoo-5, was in part a response to the recent North Korean mine explosion in the DMZ.

Our military authorities defined North Korea's actions of violating the armistice agreement, violating the MDL and laying minefields in our territory as a 'provocation'. The military demanded an apology for this and announced that it would take firm corresponding measures in the future.

It has been reported that as one of the follow-up measures, the government has been considering disclosing the South Korean military's cutting-edge military capabilities, which can demonstrate deterrence against North Korea and willingness to respond.

In a situation where criticism is being raised that the first measure, the removal of North Korean mines south of the MDL, was passive, it can also be interpreted that the level of response has been raised through the surprise disclosure of hypersonic missile test launches.

However, the Blue House did not directly mention North Korea in today's announcement. It is analyzed as an intention to maintain the policy of peaceful coexistence with North Korea while controlling the level of tension.