Islam Times - South Korea to parade cruise missile capable of hitting North leaders

Islam Times - South Korea says it will unveil a cruise missile in a military parade next month that is capable of hitting the office of North Korea’s leaders.

The military parade will be held on October 1 to mark the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the country’s armed forces, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

A ministry official said that some 11,000 soldiers will participate in the parade along with picks from the military arsenals such as a fly-over involving air force helicopters and jet fighters, tanks, artillery and rockets.

An indigenously developed cruise missile, the Hyeonmu 3, will also be displayed.

Seoul released a video presentation of the Hyeonmu's capabilities on February 14, two days after Pyongyang carried out its third nuclear test.

"It is a precision-guided weapon that can identify and strike the office window of the North's command headquarters," Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said at the time.

Pyongyang’s nuclear test sparked two months of military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea blocked access to Kaesong and withdrew its 53,000 employees in April amid rising tensions with Seoul.

South Korea insisted that the closure was a unilateral move by the North. However, Pyongyang argued that antagonistic measures and threats by South Korea, particularly a series of joint military exercises with the US, has led to the closure of Kaesong.

The tensions have since eased and the neighboring countries agree to restart a number of suspended projects.