Could ICBM Development Be Possible Following Nuriho?

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As South Korea's first purely domestically produced launch vehicle, 'Nuriho' (KSLV-II), carrying the dream of becoming a space powerhouse, is scheduled to launch on the 21st, expectations are rising that our military might also be able to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). This is because the principles of satellite launch vehicles and ICBM launch vehicles are the same.

The first stage of Nuriho's launch vehicle consists of a cluster of four 75-ton liquid engines, totaling 300 tons, the second stage has one 75-ton liquid engine, and the third stage is composed of a 7-ton liquid engine.

In theory, the liquid-fueled launch vehicle of Nuriho can be adapted to launch an ICBM. However, fueling a liquid-propellant missile takes time, making it vulnerable to enemy surveillance, and if the missile is not launched within a certain time after fueling, the engine may corrode. This is why military missiles use solid fuel. The United States has restricted the use of solid fuel in launch vehicles for South Korea, knowing these issues.

However, with the revision of the Korea-US missile guidelines in July last year, our military is now able to develop solid fuel. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) also conducted a combustion test of a solid propulsion engine for space launch vehicles at the comprehensive test site last July. Our military developed a solid-fuel launch vehicle to launch a microsatellite from the Goheung launch site in Jeonnam by 2025. It is analyzed that if this solid-fuel launch vehicle is developed, it can be sufficiently adapted for ICBMs.

Some analysts suggest that the US revised the missile guidelines to allow our military to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs). This is seen as the US lifting missile restrictions to build a missile defense (MD) system against China.

A military official said, "So far, our military has no plans to possess ICBMs, but it is expected to help in the development of the Hyunmoo series missiles."