South Korea has revealed its most powerful conventional missile to date, the Hyunmoo‑5, nicknamed the “monster missile.” The weapon represents a major leap in Seoul’s strategic deterrence framework, built to counter North Korea’s expanding nuclear and missile capabilities through devastating conventional force.

Weighing roughly 36 tonnes and measuring about 16 metres in length, the Hyunmoo‑5 is a road‑mobile, ground‑to‑ground ballistic missile optimised for deep‑penetration and bunker‑busting missions. Its reported payload capacity of up to eight tonnes allows it to deliver massive kinetic energy capable of destroying hardened underground command centres and missile silos across the Korean Peninsula.

Depending on the warhead weight, the missile offers flexible engagement ranges — approximately 600 kilometres with the heaviest payload, and extended reach when equipped with lighter warheads. This range‐adjustable architecture provides Seoul with scalable conventional options for pre‑emptive or retaliatory precision strikes.

Defence Minister Ahn Gyu‑back confirmed that mass production of the Hyunmoo‑5 has begun, with operational deployment expected before the year ends. He described the missile as central to achieving a “balance of terror” through powerful non‑nuclear means, signalling South Korea’s intention to offset North Korea’s nuclear coercion with overwhelming conventional capability.

The Hyunmoo‑5 embodies a turning point in South Korea’s missile development strategy following the 2017 lifting of US‑imposed payload restrictions. It underscores Seoul’s pursuit of greater self‑reliance in strategic armaments and contributes to the broader Kill Chain and Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) doctrines that define its counter‑strike posture against Pyongyang’s threat spectrum.

Agencies