South Korea salvages parts of Soviet-era North Korean missile

By: 2 years ago

Recent North Korean missile tests are pictured in this undated combination photo taken at undisclosed locations and released on November 7, 2022 by North Korea鈥檚 Korean Central 黑料社 Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS

SEOUL 鈥� Debris from a North Korean missile salvaged from South Korean waters were identified as parts of a Soviet-era SA-5 surface-to-air missile, South Korea鈥檚 defense ministry said on Tuesday.

Seoul鈥檚 Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Monday an underwater probe by a South Korean navy ship had recovered part of a North Korean short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) fired last week.

Military analysis, however, showed the piece, about 3 meters (3.3 yards) long and 2 meters wide, was a part of an SA-5 missile, the defense ministry said, citing its appearance and features.

The ministry strongly condemned the missile launch, calling it a breach of a 2018 inter-Korean military pact banning any activities stoking border tensions.

鈥淭his SA-5 missile launch was a clearly deliberate, intentional provocation,鈥� it said in a statement. 鈥淭he SA-5 also has characteristics of a surface-to-surface missile, and Russia has used similar missiles in Ukraine for surface-to-surface attacks.鈥�

The debris came after North Korea test-fired multiple missiles last week, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), protesting against joint air drills by South Korea and the United States.

It was the first time a North Korean ballistic missile had landed near South Korean waters.

North Korea鈥檚 military said the launches were simulated strikes on South Korea and the United States, criticizing their exercises as an 鈥渄angerous, aggressive war drill.鈥�

The SA-5 is an air defense missile originally designed by the Soviet Union, where it was designated the S-200, to shoot down strategic bombers and other high-altitude targets.

The missile was exported around the world, and is still in service in at least a dozen countries, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies鈥� Missile Defense Project.

North Korea took delivery of SA-5 systems in the mid-1980s, according to 鈥淭he Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun鈥�, a 2020 survey by Dutch researchers.

鈥淭wo sites equipped with these very long-ranged systems cover the entirety of North Korean airspace as well as a sizable chunk of that of the South,鈥� the researchers wrote.

鈥淗owever, having been designed to counter strategic aircraft, their use against modern fast jets such as the F-15 and F-16 is questionable to say the least.鈥�