South Korea has begun frontline deployment of its Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, a major step in reinforcing deterrence against North Korean military threats. Nicknamed the “monster missile,” the system reportedly carries an exceptionally heavy warhead weighing between eight and nine tons, designed to strike hardened underground targets at depths exceeding 100 meters. Development of the Hyunmoo-5 began around 2016 and concluded in 2023, with the missile publicly unveiled during Seoul’s 76th Armed Forces Day parade in October 2024. Operational deployment started in late 2025 and is expected to continue through 2030. The missile plays a central role in South Korea’s three-axis defense system, which integrates preemptive strike, missile defense, and retaliation capabilities. Despite its impressive specifications, defense analysts urge caution in assessing its effectiveness. Korea Defense Network Director Lee Il-woo has noted that North Korea’s key military facilities are often buried deep beneath granite bedrock, making them extremely difficult targets for conventional weapons. He pointed to US experience with the GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrator, which reportedly struggled to fully penetrate Iran’s underground facilities in mid-2025, despite being optimized for bunker-busting. Lee argued that North Korean sites are even deeper and reinforced by tougher geology, making complete destruction unlikely without nuclear weapons. As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, South Korea continues to invest in advanced conventional strike systems like the Hyunmoo-5 to offset these constraints.
