South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated on November 3 that it has possessed precision strike capabilities and related weapon systems that surpass North Korea's claimed technology for 20 years. This response came after North Korea asserted it conducted tests of cruise missiles equipped with cluster munitions.
During a regular briefing at the Ministry of National Defense, JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young emphasized that the military maintains a constant operational posture in response to North Korea's series of cluster munitions tests.
Jang noted, "Our military is closely monitoring North Korea's relevant activities and is currently conducting precise analyses with the United States. We maintain the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation from North Korea."
The JCS also explained the rationale behind not publicly announcing every missile launch by North Korea in real-time. Jang stated, "Confirming the detection of specific projectiles one by one would expose our surveillance capabilities to North Korea, which is inappropriate."
He further emphasized that not disclosing the detailed specifications of the military's response capabilities and assets is a strategic and military decision to avoid revealing weaknesses to North Korea. The decision to announce launch events or detection status is also made with consideration for the protection of military intelligence and operational necessities.
The JCS has been promptly notifying the media of North Korea's ballistic missile launches, which violate United Nations Security Council sanctions. However, there are instances where launches of other projectiles, such as cruise missiles, are not announced in real-time.
Regarding the detection characteristics of cruise missiles, Jang explained, "They have a slow speed and low altitude, which allows them to maneuver around terrain. If North Korea launches from distant northern regions, detection may be limited due to the curvature of the Earth."
He added, "If North Korea were to launch cruise missiles toward us, we would be fully capable of detection and response. Our military currently has a solid state of military readiness for this."
Earlier, the Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korea's missile authority conducted power evaluation tests of the 'cluster warhead' for strategic cruise missiles and vertical strike flight characteristics the previous day. This follows a test of the cluster warhead for tactical ballistic missiles just two days prior on October 31.
The cluster warhead refers to a type of munition that disperses multiple submunitions over a wide area. North Korea claimed that this test confirmed the ability to strike target areas of approximately 5 to 6 hectares with the cluster munitions mounted on cruise missiles and that it has completed vertical strike capabilities by improving maneuverability in the terminal phase of flight.
Photos released by North Korea depicted missiles dispersing submunitions at sea and striking targets resembling military facilities almost vertically. However, the specific performance claims made by North Korea are currently under precise analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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