Lee calls for rapid development and deployment after first successful test launch of hypersonic glide vehicle

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung attended the first test launch on the 8th of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) being developed with domestic technology and called for its swift development and operational deployment. The vehicle followed an irregular flight path and successfully struck its target with precision. The test is seen as bringing the South Korean military one step closer to securing a new strategic deterrent capable of precisely striking key enemy targets. After observing the test launch, President Lee also inspected the high-powered Hyunmoo-5 missile. He said, “Our military’s strong self-reliant defense capabilities will safeguard peace and stability in the Republic of Korea.”
Kang Yoo-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, said in a written briefing that day that President Lee visited the site of the hypersonic glide vehicle’s first test launch in the afternoon, reviewed development progress and encouraged the research team. Attendees at the test launch included officials from the Agency for Defense Development, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, the minister of national defense and the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
A hypersonic glide vehicle is a missile that rises to the upper atmosphere using the force of its booster, then separates and glides at low altitude. With its unpredictable flight path and overwhelming speed, it is considered a key strategic asset capable of changing the course of a battle by launching surprise attacks against major strategic targets in the event of a contingency.
The test focused on assessing the performance of materials designed to withstand the extreme heat generated during hypersonic flight, as well as verifying the vehicle’s guidance and control technology and its ability to maneuver unpredictably at low altitude.
The test showed that the hypersonic glide vehicle climbed to its planned altitude, separated successfully and completed its planned flight. Unlike conventional ballistic missiles, the vehicle descended to a low altitude after separation and completed an irregular glide flight, freely changing course in both vertical and horizontal directions, before accurately striking its designated target, senior presidential spokesperson Kang emphasized.
The presidential office said the success was significant because it established a technological foundation for fully securing a new deterrent capable of striking key targets in the Korean Peninsula’s battlefield environment.
Before the test launch, President Lee received a briefing on the launch plan from a principal researcher at the Agency for Defense Development and checked whether the launcher had been installed on a fixed barge at sea for safety reasons. He was later informed at the site that the test launch had succeeded.
President Lee stressed, “Our security is something we secure through our own strength,” adding, “The government will also support the development and operational deployment of advanced weapons so that the people have nothing to worry about.”
In particular, he said, “The government must not rest on today’s success, but must continue to further develop the hypersonic glide vehicle so that it can become a reliable strategic asset that safeguards our security in the future,” calling for its swift operational deployment.
Political circles interpret the public disclosure of the test launch as a military security message intended both to dispel concerns that arose after the land-mine explosion in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and to emphasize deterrence against North Korea in response to its development of hypersonic missiles.

[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter