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S Korea alleged to possess 1,000km-range cruise missile

South Korea possesses at least one surface-to-surface cruise missile capable of reaching all of North Korea and even as far as the Chinese capital, a media report said yesterday.

Quoting an unnamed military source, Yonhap news agency said the South Korean army's guided missile command "possess a cruise missile with a range of 1,000km" though it's not known whether the rocket has already been deployed.

It was unclear from the report how many such missiles exist.

The weapon, equipped with terrain contour matching navigation system, is an upgraded version of the domestically built missile "Hyunmu" which has a range of up to 300km, Yonhap said. Hyunmu is the name of a mythic animal with characteristics of a turtle and snake.

South Korea's army flatly denied the Yonhap report, saying it doesn't have such a missile.

"No, that is not true," said an army official on condition of anonymity.

The new missile, if confirmed, would be the longest-range rocket in South Korea's arsenal. The country has long put limits on missile range under an accord with the US, which has cited concerns over a possible regional arms race.

In 2001, the two allies revised the guideline to allow South Korea to extend the allowable range for ballistic missiles to 300km with a 500kg payload, from the previous 180m.

The amendment, however, applied only to ballistic rockets, meaning South Korea can develop cruise missiles with longer ranges if the payload is closely restricted.

Local media reports have reported the South Korea missile command has been developing a submarine-launched cruise missile with a range of 500km, dubbed "Cheonryong," which means flying dragon.
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