What is South Korea's monster missile', and what does it mean for relations with the North?

"The Hyunmoo-5 is a ballistic missile weighing about 36 tonnes that can reportedly carry an eight-tonne warhead. It carries a bunker buster warhead, potentially able to reach deep underground to destroy heavily fortified bunkers where North Korean leaders might shelter in a conflict. It is understood to be about 16 metres long, and is designed as a surface-to-surface missile, capable of being launched from a mobile platform."

"South Korea has said it will begin deploying its largest ballistic missile yet at the end of the year a projectile known as the monster missile by local media marking a significant upgrade of its conventional arsenal as tensions rise with nuclear-armed North Korea. Its range is said to vary from 600km to more than 5,000km, depending on payload. An official at the defence ministry told the Guardian that specific technical details and delivery timeline could not be confirmed for national security reasons."

South Korea will begin deploying the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile at the end of the year to bolster conventional deterrence against North Korea. Defence minister Ahn Gyu-back said the country must build a considerable number of Hyunmoo-5 missiles to achieve a balance of terror and is pursuing a next-generation missile with greater power. The Hyunmoo-5 is conventional and consistent with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations while South Korea remains under the US nuclear umbrella. The missile weighs about 36 tonnes, can carry an eight-tonne bunker-buster warhead, is roughly 16 metres long, launches from mobile platforms, and has a reported range between 600km and over 5,000km depending on payload.

Read at www.theguardian.com