S. Korea to test-launch new 'high-power' Hyunmoo ballistic missile this week: source

SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to test-launch a new "high-power" ballistic missile later this week, an informed source said Wednesday, in a move to bolster deterrence against growing North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The state-run Agency for Defense Development is scheduled to conduct the test of the missile, known as Hyunmoo-5, at its Anheung test site in Taean, 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on Friday, according to the source.

A navigational warning has been issued for areas spanning from the test site to waters some 300 km away for Friday and Saturday.

The missile is known to be capable of carrying a warhead weighing 8-9 kilograms with a thrust of 75 ton-force, and of descending at a speed of Mach 10 after reaching an apogee.

Its maximum range remains unknown, but observers said that it may be able to fly 3,000 kilometers or farther -- a distance covered by an intermediate-range missile.

The missile, if fielded, is expected to serve as a centerpiece of Seoul's Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict.

KMPR is a pillar of the three-axis deterrence structure that includes the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike platform and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)