GLCM - Hyunmoo III
ALCM - Boramae
SLCM - Chonryong / Cheon Ryong / Ch’onnyong
In the final quarter of 2006, Korean sources reported that Seoul was developing a land-attack cruise missile designated Cheon Ryong (Sky Dragon) or Hyunmoo. The first test firing of this weapon took place on 25 October 2006. Its range is thought to be 800 nautical miles (1,500 km) In October 2006 a government source revealed that the ground-to-ground Hyunmoo III has a range of 1,000 km and the Hyunmoo IIIA a range of 1,500 km, the air-to-ground Boramae (Falcon) a range of more than 500 km, and the ship-to-surface and submarine-to-surface Chonryong a range of more than 500 km. It was the first time these details were made public.
The military and the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) succeeded in developing the Hyunmoo III and were already deploying some at an unnamed base. “We have made significant progress in developing the Hyunmoo IIIA which extends the Hyunmoo III’s range to 1,500 km,” he added. That means it would be capable of hitting anywhere in North Korea as well as a significant number of major targets in neighboring countries, including Tokyo and Beijing, improving the country’s strategic strike capability.
Hyunmoo III is a new cruise missile that is to be fielded with the military of Republic of Korea. It is designed by Agency for Defense Development. The name Hyunmoo comes from a mythical beast described as the "Guardian of the Northern Sky". Hyunmoo III bears no resemblance to the previous Hyunmoo SSM, which were improved versions of Nike Hercules surface-to-air missiles that were converted into short-range high-speed surface-to-surface ballistic missiles in response to North Korea's Scud-B and Nodong-1 missile threats.
Hyunmoo IIIA, which was nicknamed "Eagle-1" during the testing, has a range of 500 km, while Hyunmoo IIIB, nicknamed "Eagle-2", has a range of 1,000 km. Hyunmoo IIIC, or "Eagle-3", will be capable of striking its target up to 1,500 km away.
On 07 July 2006, Defense Minister Yun Kwang-ung said that South Korea had “tested cruise missiles probably more than ten times over the last three years.” The latest test apparently was conducted in December 2005. Yun also said the United States had been aware of ROK’s cruise missile development program. The new Ch’onnyong (“sky dragon”) cruise missile was reported to have a range of 500 kilometers and to have a circular error probable of three meters. South Korean planned to increase the missile’s range to 1,000 kilometers by 2007. In late 2007 it was reported that South Korea had developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,000 kilometers that can reach as far as Beijing and Tokyo, as well as hit any target in North Korea. The Army's missile command possessed the cruise missile with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers. In 2006 a government official revealed that the military successfully tested the cruise missile. The missile can hit targets with a margin of error of plus or minus five meters aided by a Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) system. The ROK military already had an advanced ship-to-surface Chonryong cruise missile with a range of 500 kilometers.
The 1000 km cruise missile can not be interpreted as a defensive weapon simply against the North, but now encompasses Japan, China and Russia. The 1500 km cruise missile under development makes this attempt to ddevelop an offensive capability unmistakable.
The 1,000 kilometer range cruise missile was said to be an upgraded variant of the Hyunmoo missile, but this is clearly in error. The Hyunmoo is a ballistic missile, developed by the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD), with a range of 180-300 kilometers.
South Korea joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2001. The MTCR regulates international transfers of ballistic and cruise missiles able to carry a 500 kilogram payload to a range of over 300 kilometers. The MTCR does not prohibit members from producing such missiles.
The agreement with the US prior to the 2001 prevented the ROK from developing such missiles, but the ROK proceeded regardless of the agreement. The US never agreed to the development of these long-range missiles. The US policy had generally been to not provide the ROK with offensive weapons.
The KDX-III vessel has 128 missiles on its vertical launch system, 32 more than the Burke of the US or the Atago of Japan. More than 30 of "King Sejong the Great's" missiles will be ship-to-surface cruise missiles called "Chonryong" or "sky dragon" and have a range of more than 500 kilometers. Ten "Hongsango" or "red shark" anti-submarine missiles will cover at least 19 kilometers.
