KN-01 Anti-Ship Cruise Missile

By the early 1990s North Korea had four types of land- and ship-based anti-ship cruise missiles. Since the 1980s, North Korea had produced two variants with ranges of about 100 kilometers based on Soviet and Chinese technology. It was developing a longer-range anti-ship cruise missile, flight-tested in 1994. According to the ROK Ministry of National Defense, North Korea conducted “10 test launches of its KN-01 anti-ship cruise missile between February 2003 and June 2007.”

The KN-01 and 02 are surface-to-surface missiles with a horizontal range of 120 km. The North had not launched any short-range missiles since it test-fired five KN-02 missiles over the East Sea in October 2009. The KN-06 missile is said to be a more accurate version of the KN-01 and 02.

The KN-01 anti-ship cruise missile is a new version of the SS-N-1- Styx which had its range upgraded. On 10 March 2003 the North conducted a missile test, likely the KN-01. The missile was fired from Sinsang-ri and flew for 110 kilometers before falling into Sea of Japan. It was the second KN-01 test in two weeks - the first came hours before the inauguration of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on 24 February 2003. This earlier test was deemed a failure after the missile appeared to explode in mid-air.