S. Korea Developing New Prototype Of Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile

[Zarvan]

Model of Jangbogo-III attack submarine.
Korea Joongang Daily. “The installation of a vertical launching pad indicates that the SLBM is already under development”.

The South Korean Navy’s arsenal currently includes the submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM).

The SLBM is being developed by the Agency of Defense Development (ADD) and is expected to be completed by 2020. If the development of SLBMs finishes as scheduled, South Korean military authorities plan to equip the Jangbogo-III submarine with SLBMs, as this submarine which will have been turned over to the Navy by 2020.

However, the official did not name the SLBM prototype. The Diplomat reports that it is highly likely that the missile in question is a variant of the Hyunmoo-2B or its predecessor the Hyunmoo-2A, given that it can be also launched from submarines with vertical launching pads.

Meanwhile, military authorities have decided to upgrade the second version of the Jangbogo-III submarine from 3,000 tons to 3,400 tons.

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/16...arine_Launched_Ballistic_Missile#.V0_wMtR95kg

 

[Penguin]

On a submarine, a VLS is not necessarily used for ICBM. If the VLS on the image is located jsut left of the green triangle, then they appear to be similar to VLSs used by e.g. US for cruise missile launch and those marketed by Russia for e.g. Klub and Yakhont/Brahmos. They do not look like your typical SLBM launcher hatches.
Therefor to conclude on the basis of that image that RoK is developing SLBMs is a bridge too far.

Still even Janes has joined, quoting a high-ranking South Korean military official cited in Korea JoongAng Daily on 30 May
http://www.janes.com/article/60927/south-korea-developing-slbms-for-kss-iii-attack-submarines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyunmoo

Hyunmoo-II is an ATACMS-like (but larger) ballistic missiles, with a range of 180-800 kilometers, depending on version, and has been operational since 2008. Length 12.53m, diameter 0.80mhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyunmoo

Keep in mind that the U214s for the KSS2 program have a beam of 6.3 m and a draught of 6.0 m. KSS3 should be substantially larger therefor (a hull nearly double in diameter, or narrower with a hump behind the sail)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Attack_Submarine_program

South Korean army Major General Shin Won-sik, briefing domestic defense reporters at the ministry on 19 April 2012, announced the South Korean military had deployed a new tactical ballistic missile with a range of 300 kilometers. South Korea was bound by an agreement with the United States to limit its ballistic missiles to a range of 300 kilometers, but slower, surface-skimming cruise weapons are exempt from the agreement.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rok/hyunmoo-2.htm

 

[Blue Marlin]

south korea is a member of the mtcr so it cant make balistic missiles only cruise missiles.

 

[Penguin]

south korea is a member of the mtcr so it cant make balistic missiles only cruise missiles.

"Can't" and "aren't allowed"are two different things. Putting myself in RoK place, I could possibly develop a 300km range ballistic missile of which the range can easily be increased, or design a longer range system but curtail its range e.g. by dropping a stage or limiting fuel / burn time.

 

[Blue Marlin]

"Can't" and "aren't allowed"are two different things. Putting myself in RoK place, I could possibly develop a 300km range ballistic missile of which the range can easily be increased, or design a longer range system but curtail its range e.g. by dropping a stage or limiting fuel / burn time.

yes aren't is what i should have meant.a missile with a 300 km range is not long enought but they are bound by the treaty. i would prefer a long range slcm which would be harder to detect