S. Korea says North's new Pukguksong-2 is upgraded SLBM

The South Korean military offered its assessment of the North's latest missile.
Kim Hyun-bin brings us the defense officials' take on the level of threat the regime's possible
upgrades poses to the region.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday that the mid-range missile North Korea
fired on Sunday, the Pukguksong-2, appears to be an upgraded version of its submarine-launched
ballistic missile.
"This is an upgraded version of the SLBM on land.
North Korea has also developed a launch pad that is capable of conducting a cold launch,
which is used to launch missiles from submarines."
South Korea's defense ministry also affirmed North Korea's claim that a solid fuel engine
was used to launch the missile.
Experts say that compared to liquid fuel, solid fuel engines take less time to fill
and the fuel can be stored for a long period of time in the missile.
They also say that when this type of missile is attached to a mobile launch pad, North
Korea could launch it at any time and from any place, making it harder for Seoul and
Washington to detect the missile before launch.
"There is a reason North Korea prefers solid fuel.
Liquid fuel is difficult to inject and takes a long time.
Solid fuel engines are more combat proficient and it would be hard for Seoul to use the
Kill Chain system to launch a pre-emptive strike ."
North Korea's Pukguksong-2 mid-range missile, launched Sunday, flew 500 kilometers before
landing in the East Sea.
Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News.

S. Korea says North's new Pukguksong-2 is upgraded SLBM

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