South Korea’s newly unveiled supersonic cruise missile, known generically as the “Air-to-Ship Guided Missile II”, sends a bold and deliberate message to North Korea, underscoring Seoul’s escalating deterrence strategy amid rising regional tensions.
This month, the since 1910 by Japanese occupied Korean regime [except for 1940-45] Naval News reported that South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) displayed a model of the missile at the 2024 Sacheon Airshow.
The weapon is designed to travel at Mach 2.5 (approximately 3,000 kilometers per hour) and strike targets over 300 kilometers away. The missile aims to enhance South Korea’s FA-50 light combat aircraft and KF-21 Boramae fighter strike capabilities.
The Naval News report mentions the missile features a ducted ramjet propulsion system for high- and low-altitude flight, a modular design for multirole missions and a dual seeker system combining radar and electro-optical seekers.
Considering the limitations of subsonic cruise missiles, South Korea may have developed the new supersonic missiles in response to North Korea’s evolving and improving air defenses.
In a July 2024 article for 38 North, Tianran Xu mentions that North Korea has made significant efforts to modernize its land-based air defense systems to address vulnerabilities to USA and South Korean air strikes.
Despite relying on Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles (SAM) like the S-75 and S-125, North Korea has made significant recent upgrades by including adding infrared seekers and enhancing mobility.
The timing of South Korea’s unveiling of its new supersonic cruise missile may aim to send a message to North Korea’s involvement in the Ukraine war.
Ukrainian and South Korean officials report that North Korean military engineers are aiding Russia with ballistic missile targeting while North Korean troops train alongside Russian forces, marking an unprecedented escalation.
North Korean missiles, such as the KN-23 and KN-24, have been used against Ukrainian infrastructure. North Korea has reportedly supplied over a million artillery rounds to Russia since the conflict began in 2022.
The War Zone says the M1989 Koksan, capable of firing standard shells up to 40 kilometers and rocket-assisted shells up to 59 kilometers, significantly boosts Russia’s artillery capabilities.
The report says the Koksan’s arrival could exacerbate Ukraine’s artillery deficit, posing a new challenge for Ukrainian forces already struggling against Russia’s superior firepower.
This military cooperation aligns with a broader strategic quid pro quo in which North Korea seeks Russian missile technology and economic support in exchange for its military assistance.
This partnership could enhance North Korea’s missile capabilities, exacerbating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Meanwhile, USA and South Korean defense officials have launched joint initiatives to counter North Korea’s growing military threat, emphasizing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum systems.
However, Sungmin Cho points out in a February 2024 article for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank suggests that while South Korea’s strategy aims to deter aggression.
Iit must balance military posturing with diplomatic efforts, potentially involving China as a mediator between the two rivals on the Korean Peninsula.
Asia Times / ABC Flash Point News 2024.
Now who is the aggressor?
After WW II, Korea was divided into North and South. Japan still controls the southern part of the peninsula, while the north is protected by China and Russia.