Kim Minseok covers South Korean defense. He has worked as a journalist for South Korean military magazines Military Review and Defense Times. Mr Kim is also a research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, a think tank.
A new single-stage, liquid-propellant missile that North Korea tested on May 14 may fall only a little short of the conventional classification of an ICBM.
The Tactical Ship-to-Land Missile will supplement the larger Hyunmu 3 cruise missile already deployed on destroyers. Unlike Hyunmu 3, it will be entirely under the control of the navy.
A requirement to double the South Korean maritime patroller force is regarded as urgent as North Korea works on a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
