ROK(Republic of Korea) fielded 500km range ballistic missiles,Hyunmoo-2B, in 2009.

The Chosun Daily(not english) ^

[shutwho]

S. Korean newspaper,The Chosun Daily, reported yesterday that S. Korean Army fieled 500km range(500kg warhead) ballistic missile in 2009.

Agency for Defense Development,a government agency, started the development in 2007 and the Army filded them in late 2009.

this mobile-launcher type missile has about 950 submunitions inside warhead. its shape and size is similiar to Russian SS-21.

S. Korean Army has domestically developed Hyunmoo-1(ballistic, 180km range), Hyunmoo-2A(ballistic, 300km), Hyunmoo-2B(ballistic,500km ), Hyunmoo-3A(cruise, 500km), Hyunmoo-3B(cruise, 1,000km), Hyunmoo-3C(cruise, 1,500km). also has imported ATACMS(180km,300km)

S. Korean Navy has 500km range cruise misssiles, too. this missile is naval version of Hyunmoo-3A that launches from KVLS(Korean VLS). note that it's not LM Mk41 VLS.

and I must tell you this. there was agreement between ROK and US that restircts ballistic missile range to 180km, and warhead size less than 500kg in 1979.

we had this agreement to obtain missile technology from United States and this agreement also restricted development of peaceful space launch vehicle development.

this "ballistic" missile agreement revised in 2001 to have 300km range,500kg warhead and no restriction on space launch vehicle. so according to this revised ballistic missile agreement we can't field 500km range one. I assume that there was verbal agreement between ROK and US after N. Korea's long range missile crisis.

we developed 180km range missile,actually copy of US Nike Hercules missile, in 1979. after mysterous death of ex-president Park. General Jun took the power and lay offed almost all missile scientists in Agency for Defense Development. more than 600 personnels.

General Jun also cancelled nuclear program. I think General Jun did these mother f----n' behaviour to have approval of his coup from United States.

and this treacherous behavior set our ballistic missile development back 10 years...

Hyunmoo-2B

graphics by ADD

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Jet Jaguar]

Bump

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I like it. This is the type of warhead we need to stop a “swarm” attack by Iranian missile boats or missiles coming in from space.

It is the old “be-be” approach. Explode a warhead with thousands of metal pellets into an oncoming missile or swarm of missiles and mow them down like the “beehive” 105mm shells did the North Vietnamese.

I like the South Koreans. They have guts. I wish they could export some to the White House.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I was on duty as the hotline operator (early warning intelligence analyst) at I Corps (ROK/US) Group G-2 the night that ROK president Park Chung-Hee was assassinated by the KCIA director. We thought it was the North Koreans, since they had attacked the Blue House (ROK presidential mansion) before and killed his wife and others. That was the busiest time of my life. I doubt if the modern Army puts a PFC in charge of the critical sector of the DMZ, where he can tell the entire US 2nd Division and three ROK corps what to do and where to go.