Seoul to Deploy New Guided Missiles Next Year

South Korea will station newly developed guided missiles on the western coast next year designed to attack North Korean hovercraft during a possible invasion.

The Agency for Defense Development said it took three years and W70 billion (US$1=W1,080) to develop the 70-mm guided missiles. "The missile successfully hit its target in a fourth test recently," an official at the agency said. "After more tests until August, we plan to deploy the missiles on Baeknyeong and Yeonpyeong islands" in the West Sea.

The missiles have a range of 5-8 km and the military says they are capable of crippling the 70 North Korean hovercraft that are stationed on the west coast. Each guided-missile platform can fire 20 rounds at once.

North Korea has increased training drills using the hovercraft to transport soldiers for an invasion of the South.