Dubbed a “monster missile” by South Korean media, the Hyunmoo-5 was a centrepiece of the parade, specifically designed to penetrate underground bunkers. The military introduced them as the “ultra high-power Hyunmoo ba­ll­i­stic missile”, set on two nine-axle transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) vehicles.

Eager citizens waved flags and aged veterans stood at attention as armor rumbled through central Seoul’s concrete canyons, while a line of Apache attack helicopters whirled overhead and formations of fighter jets thundered through the clouds.

South Korea has unveiled its most powerful ballistic missile that could target North Korea. It did so during an Armed Forces Day ceremony on Tuesday as the president warned that North Korea's regime will collapse if it attempts to use nuclear weapons.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) passes by a transporter erector launcher carrying the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile during a ceremony marking Armed Forces Day on Oct. 1, 2024, at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of the capital. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

On Armed Forces Day, South Korea will unveil the Hyunmoo-5 missile, featuring an 8-ton warhead and 3,000-kilometer range.

Dubbed a “monster missile” by South Korean media, the Hyunmoo-5 was a centrepiece of the parade, specifically designed to penetrate underground bunkers. The military introduced them as the “ultra high-power Hyunmoo ba­ll­i­stic missile”, set on two nine-axle transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) vehicles.

The North Korean regime must abandon the delusion that nuclear weapons will protect them,” its president said.

On Tuesday, South Korea publicly showcased its most powerful weapon, the Hyunmoo-5 missile, to mark Armed Forces Day for the first time ever. The exhibition, held at a military airfield in Seongnam, south of Seoul,