South Korea is considering test-launching a ballistic missile with a range of 800 kilometers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday. The JCS unveiled the plan to test the missile the military is developing to guard against North Korea's increasing missile threats.
“We are reviewing the plan to launch the missile into international waters south of the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) off the submerged rock of Ieodo,” Maj. Gen. Yang Byung-hee of the JCS said during a parliamentary audit in response to a query from Rep. Kim Kwang-Jin of the New Politics for Democracy party, who asked the general: “Do we have space to launch an 800 km-range missile?”
This is the first time the military has ever requested to test-launch a ballistic missile, which it has been developing to cope with North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile capacities.
The request indicates the military is close to completing its development of a ballistic missile.