South Korea has begun deployment of the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile to its frontline units, strengthening the country’s deterrence against North Korean threats.
With a warhead weighing eight to nine tons, the Hyunmoo‑5 is also known as a “monster missile” and is reportedly strong enough to target underground facilities more than 100 meters (328 feet) deep.
The Hyunmoo-5 began development around 2016 and was completed in 2023. It was unveiled in public for the first time at Seoul’s 76th Annual Armed Forces Day parade in October 2024.
Deployment began in late 2025, with completion expected by 2030.
‘Monster Missile’
The “monster missile” is a key asset of South Korea’s three-axis defense system, a military strategy to counter North Korea’s security threats.
While most of the missile’s features remain classified and its striking power often highlighted, Korea Defense Network’s Director Lee Il-woo cautioned against overstating the Hyunmoo-5’s ability against Pyongyang, which has several military installations buried deep, typically underneath granite bedrock.
“Even the most advanced conventional bunker-buster weapons struggle in granite terrain,” Korea Times quoted Lee as saying.
He highlighted how even the US military’s GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrator, with a reported ability to burrow up to 197 feet (60 meters) in softer rocky terrain, struggled to completely penetrate Iran’s underground facilities in June 2025.
“North Korea’s facilities are deeper — often 100 to 150 meters — and built under much harder geological conditions,” Lee said, adding that complete penetration is not feasible without the use of nuclear weapons.
Since South Korea is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and cannot possess nuclear weapons, it is focusing on strengthening its conventional strike capabilities, including programs like the Hyunmoo‑5.
