The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is developing a new-type of rocket artillery that can penetrate the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and hit Seoul, according to a report by South Korean newspaper The Dong-A Ilbo.
Citing information provided by South Korean military personnel on Wednesday, the report said South Korean and American intelligence agencies detected new rocket artillery on the move near a weapons research institute in Pyongyang from late January to early February.
The institute successfully developed the Kwangmyongsong-4, long-range rocket which was launched by the DPRK in February last year.
The DPRK test-fired a rocket on March 22, 2016. /VCG Photo
South Korea and the United States have named the new rocket artillery "KN-16," and intensified their monitoring of it.
The South Korean military personnel said KN-16 was not displayed during the DPRK's military parade on April 15, adding that it could be a strategic weapon being produced as part of a secret research and development project.
The report claimed that KN-16 would pose a serious threat to areas around Seoul and the headquarters of South Korea's army, navy and air forces in Gyeryong-si, Chungcheongnam-do, a province in the west of the country.
The DPRK has about 5,500 rockets which cannot be intercepted by THAAD or Patriot missile defense systems. They would impose huge losses on South Korea if fired in large numbers, the report said.
Protesters shout slogans during a rally near the golf course where the THAAD system will be deployed in Seongju, South Korea on March 15, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
China is resolutely against the deployment of THAAD in South Korea, stressing it will harm the strategic balance in the region and further destabilize the Korean Peninsula.
The THAAD deployment has also caused controversy in South Korea, with hundreds of residents holding rallies recently near a golf course in Seongju that will host the American missile defense system.
Related stories:
