South Korean Military to Deploy 'Artillery Killer' Missiles for Increased Strike Capabilities Against the North

South Korea's ground forces are set to deploy a new surface to surface missile platforms to increase its strike capabilities against northern installations. The missiles, dubbed "artillery killers," are designed to penetrate fortified sites including bunkers and tunnels with a high payload. Their development comes as a result of North Korea's longstanding deployment of vast artillery systems on its territory which make use of tunnels and bunkers to shelter from retaliatory strikes, thus making them highly survivable against conventional attacks. 70% of the country's artillery forces are reportedly deployed near the demilitarised zone, allowing them to strike deeply into South Korea. With one of the largest artillery forces in the world, North Korean firepower can prove lethal against southern and U.S. targets and destroying such systems remains a critical priority for the South Korean military should war break out on the peninsula.

The plan to deploy new missiles has reportedly been approved by South Korea's Ministry of National Defence, and the platforms are set to officially enter service in October 2018 as part of a new counter artillery brigade. An unnamed South Korean military source stated in regards to the deployment and its purpose: "The plan is to be reported to President Moon Jae In next month as part of the ‘Defense Reform 2.0' policy... (the) brigade's mission is fairly focused on destroying North Korea's long-range guns more rapidly and effectively, should conflict arise." The short range missiles will be able to strike targets up to 120 km away, with an extremely high degree of accuracy allowing them to strike targets to within two meters. Missiles are guided by GPS, and their precision and penetrative capabilities are the key assets which make them so valuable to the South Korean military.

The development of short range precision strike missiles with penetrative capabilities was competed in 2017 by the Hanwha Corporation in partnership with the Agency for Defense Development. The platforms were designed to operate from a fixed launch pad, with each pad able to launch four missiles simultaneously. Hanwha has in recent years become a leading arms developer for the South Korean military, and has sought to develop advanced surface to air missiles, multiple rocket launchers, helicopter based air to surface missiles and a number of drones and robots. The 'artillery killer' missiles are set to be a major success for the defence corporation.