Strategic Missile Deployment Disrupted by Hanwha Explosion Accident

Production Line at Daejeon Plant Expected to Halt for About a Year Due to Accident

The explosion accident at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant has disrupted the deployment of strategic missiles. With the halt in the production of high-powered ballistic missiles that were scheduled to be deployed starting this year, concerns have arisen that the deployment timeline may be delayed.

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, visited Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon Plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong District, Daejeon, where an explosion accident occurred on the 1st, to assess the accident site situation. Photo by Ministry of Employment and Labor Yonhap News

According to a government official on June 2, “We had no choice but to halt production in order to determine the cause of the explosion at the Daejeon plant and to take follow-up measures. It is expected that it will take more than a year to resume operations.”

Among strategic missiles, the Hyunmoo-5 is equipped with the heaviest warhead in the world (8 to 9 tons). It is considered a key strategic weapon capable of countering provocations by North Korea. The missile was developed to strike critical facilities such as the war command group and nuclear and missile bases, where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the North Korean leadership would assemble in the event of a contingency. The Hyunmoo-5 is a high-mass missile designed to deliver destructive power comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even without a nuclear payload, and can destroy targets such as tunnels or bunkers located more than 100 meters underground. There was a plan to deploy up to 200 units to the 1200th Battalion and other sub-units under the Ballistic Missile Brigade of the Missile Command starting this year.

Hanwha Aerospace was planning to produce up to 70 units per year. The warheads for these high-powered ballistic missiles are manufactured at Hanwha Aerospace’s Boeun plant, while the propellants are produced at the Daejeon plant. With the halt in operations at the Daejeon plant, there is a plan to produce some propellants at the Boeun plant instead. However, this will inevitably cause delays in the production schedule not only for the short-range ballistic missile KTSSM, Cheonmu, and the long-range surface-to-air missile systems “L-SAM” and “Cheongung-II,” but also for other weapons systems.

Some observers have also expressed concern that the production of other types of missiles could be affected. The Hyunmoo-2 series are short-range ballistic missiles, while the Hyunmoo-3 series are cruise missiles. The Hyunmoo-4 series are new ballistic missiles developed as upgrades of the Hyunmoo-2: the “Hyunmoo-4-1” is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the “Hyunmoo-4-2” is a ship-to-surface ballistic missile, and the “Hyunmoo-4-4” is a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

Exports are also in an emergency situation. The medium-range surface-to-air interceptor system “Cheongung-II” is seeing a surge in orders from the Middle East due to the war in Iran. As the supply of the American-made Patriot system, which has long dominated the market, has become unreliable, more countries are paying attention to the cost-effective and battle-proven Cheongung-II. However, exports have now become practically impossible.

Meanwhile, the Daejeon plant where the explosion occurred the previous day has been operated by Hanwha Group for nearly 40 years, since it was acquired from the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in 1987. The facility covers 350,000 square meters (about 110,000 pyeong) and employs more than 580 people. Among national security facilities, it is classified as a “Grade A” security site, the highest security level.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.