With the eyes of the world fixed on the escalating situation in the Middle East, South Korea debuted what it claims is the world's largest conventional warhead, called Hyunmoo-5
South Korea has unveiled its formidable "bunker-busting monster missile" designed to outdo their neighbours to the north.
With the eyes of the world fixed on the escalating situation in the Middle East, South Korea debuted what it claims is the world's largest conventional warhead, called Hyunmoo-5.
Against a backdrop of military posturing from Kim Jong-un's North Korea, the new bomb was shown at Seoul Air Base as part of a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of South Korea's military.
When equipped with an 8-tonne warhead, the Hyunmoo-5 possesses destructive capabilities comparable to a tactical nuclear weapon.
The South China Morning Post said the parade "was a display of force intended to highlight the nation's resolve to deter North Korean aggression".
The "monster missile", as it has been dubbed, has similar power to those explosives speculated to have been used in last month's Israeli air strike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
Some 5,000 troops and 340 pieces of military hardware were showcased at the event, "including missiles, tanks, drones, and advanced anti-aircraft systems," SCMP reported.
President Yoon Suk-yeol also delivered a warning to North Korea at the event. He said: "If North Korea dares to use nuclear weapons ... that day would mark the end of the North Korean regime."
The bomb can penetrate deep into underground bunkers, earning it the "bunker-busting" moniker.
"Hyunmoo-4 and Hyunmoo-5 are among the most powerful conventional weapons in the world, capable of destroying enemy command centres, including those underground," said Yang Uk, a military strategist and senior researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.
"They are much more powerful than the bunker busters believed to have been used by Israel against Hezbollah."
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