Successful Testing, South Korea Becomes The First Country Without Nuclear Weapons Capable Of Produce And Launch SLBM

South Korea's Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine. (Source: Republic of Korea Armed Forces/CC via Seaforces.org)

JAKARTA - South Korea is said to have successfully conducted a test launch of a submarine-based ballistic missile (SLBM), from the Navy's newest submarine, making South Korea the eighth country to possess this weapon.

The Defense Development Agency (ADD) conducted an underwater test launch of the SLBM from the Dosan Ahn Changho submarine last week, following a successful launch from an underwater barge last month, according to military sources.

The locally developed 3,000-tonne submarine is equipped with six vertical launch tubes. The SLBM is also made locally in the Ginseng Country.

"After additional tests, the SLBM will be mass-produced to enter service", the source quoted Yonhap as saying, Tuesday, September 7.

The launched SLBM is believed to be a variant of the country's Hyunmoo-2B ballistic missile, with a flight range of about 500 kilometers, and will be equipped with a conventional warhead, according to the sources. The missile has reportedly been codenamed, Hyunmoo 4-4.

With the success of this test launch, South Korea became the eighth country in the world to develop an SLBM after the United States, Russia, Britain, France, India, China, and North Korea.

Unlike conventional land missiles, SLBMs are more difficult to detect because they are launched from submarines for surprise attacks. That's why these missiles are often called game-changers. The new missile is expected to serve as a key deterrent for South Korea, which faces consistent threats by North Korea.

The communist nation has showcased several new types of SLBMs recently and is working to build a new submarine, believed to be 3,000 tonnes capable of carrying SLBMs.

The defense ministry in Seoul declined to officially confirm the development.

"Our military secures high-strength advanced military assets to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula, by building a strong military capability, and plans to continue developing it", the ministry said in a release.

Meanwhile, according to Reuters, last week the Ministry of Defense released a defense blueprint for 2022-2026, which calls for the development of a new missile with significantly increased destructive power.

This success also makes South Korea the first country capable of launching this type of missile, without having nuclear weapons.

South Korea is known to have developed increasingly powerful missiles designed to target North Korea's heavily fortified bunkers and tunnels, as well as a way to reduce its military dependence on the United States, which has thousands of troops on the peninsula.