South Korea has officially begun deploying its most powerful conventional ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5, to frontline military units, marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to bolster deterrence against North Korea, military officials confirmed Sunday.
According to defense sources, the Hyunmoo-5 began entering frontline units in late 2025 and is expected to reach full operational capability before the current administration leaves office in 2030. The missile can carry a conventional warhead weighing up to eight tons, the heaviest payload ever fielded on a South Korean missile system.
The Hyunmoo-5, a surface-to-surface ballistic missile, is designed primarily for bunker-buster missions aimed at striking deeply buried underground facilities. While officially classified as a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), its technical specifications and operational potential have led some analysts to categorize it as a medium-range or even intermediate-range system.
South Korean defense officials said the missile completed its final development and testing in 2023. That same year, it was publicly displayed during Armed Forces Day celebrations and a rare military parade through central Seoul. The missile was mounted on a transporter-erector-launcher and concealed within a container, signaling a deliberate show of force. The unveiling came two years after the lifting of U.S.–South Korea missile range restrictions, allowing Seoul to pursue longer-range ballistic systems without treaty constraints.
The Hyunmoo-5 is intended to target hardened command bunkers and strategic facilities used by North Korea’s leadership and missile forces. Its large conventional warhead is designed to destroy or disable underground structures that are otherwise difficult to reach with air-delivered munitions.
Lee Il-woo, director of the Korea Defense Network, described the Hyunmoo-5 as the most powerful missile in South Korea’s Hyunmoo series. “The Hyunmoo-5 carries an extremely high-yield conventional warhead. By reducing its payload, its range could theoretically extend to around 3,000 kilometers, prompting some comparisons to intercontinental-class missiles,” Lee said. “In terms of sheer destructive power and strategic signaling, it is the strongest missile South Korea has ever deployed.”
From North Korea’s perspective, Lee said, the missile presents a formidable challenge due to limited interception capabilities. “The likelihood of North Korea successfully intercepting the Hyunmoo-5 appears very low,” he said, citing the mixed real-world performance of Russian-made S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, which are similar to those operated by Pyongyang.
However, Lee cautioned that even the Hyunmoo-5 has physical limits when targeting deeply buried facilities. Many of North Korea’s strategic sites lie more than 100 meters underground beneath granite bedrock, complicating penetration by conventional weapons. “Even the most advanced conventional bunker-buster weapons struggle in granite terrain,” he said, referencing the U.S. GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrator, which can penetrate around 60 meters in softer rock like sandstone. “North Korea’s facilities are often 100 to 150 meters deep and built under much harder geological conditions. Without nuclear weapons, complete destruction is unrealistic.”
The Hyunmoo-5 has been integrated into South Korea’s Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) doctrine, which forms one of three pillars of the country’s deterrence strategy, alongside the Kill Chain preemptive strike system and the Korea Air and Missile Defense program. The missile provides a conventional retaliatory option against high-value targets in the event of conflict.
Looking ahead, South Korea is reportedly developing follow-on systems, informally known as the Hyunmoo-6 and Hyunmoo-7. These are expected to focus on extended range and improved penetration capabilities, although no official details have been released.
The deployment of the Hyunmoo-5 underscores Seoul’s commitment to enhancing its conventional strike capabilities amid persistent tensions on the Korean Peninsula, sending a clear signal to Pyongyang about the costs of potential aggression.
