[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence photo] The Site of US-ROK Missile Launch Countermeasure

ATACMS possessed by the US Forces Korea

ATACMS possessed by the United States Forces Korea

ATACMS possessed by the US Forces Korea

Launch scene of the Hyunmoo-2 missile possessed by our military

Launch scene of Hyunmoo-2 possessed by our military

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] North Korea launched a total of three ballistic missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), into the East Sea.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 25th, "Our military detected one ballistic missile each launched from the Pyongyang Sunan area toward the East Sea at approximately 06:00, 06:37, and 06:42 this morning."

In response to these missile launches, the military has conducted shows of force since yesterday and carried out missile firing drills as a countermeasure after the launches. In most cases, our military detects launch signs in advance.

At around 10:20 a.m. on the 25th, the South Korea-U.S. missile units conducted shows of force by firing one Hyunmoo-II and one ATACMS missile each into the East Sea. The ATACMS, possessed by the South Korean Army and U.S. Forces Korea, is a surface-to-surface missile equipped with 950 submunitions capable of devastating an area equivalent to 3 to 4 soccer fields with a single missile.

The South Korean Army introduced the 227mm large-caliber multiple rocket launcher in 1998 and simultaneously deployed the ATACMS (MGM-140A) with a range of 165 km in 1999. Subsequently, on January 4, 2000, the Ministry of National Defense announced the introduction of ATACMS with a 300 km range. By 2004, 110 units had been introduced, covering attack ranges up to North Korea’s Sinuiju and Kangye.

Our military also possesses the Hyunmoo-2. The development of Hyunmoo-2 was enabled by the revision of the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines in October 2012, allowing ballistic missile ranges to be extended up to 800 km. Our military has already developed ballistic missiles with ranges over 500 km (Hyunmoo-2B) and successfully conducted a test launch in early June 2015. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) indicated shortly after President Park Geun-hye’s inauguration in 2013 that the then 300 km ballistic missile range would be extended to 800 km by 2017, reflecting this goal in the five-year development plan established after the current administration took office.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff evaluated, "We demonstrated the rapid strike capability of combined forces to deter additional provocations by North Korea," adding, "We have shown our determination to respond firmly to any provocation and that our military possesses the overwhelming power, capability, and readiness to precisely strike the origin of provocations."