Seoul says North Korean SRBMs test-launched on 25 March travelled 600 km

South Korea has revised its assessment of the distance travelled by the North Korean short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) that were test-launched on 25 March, according to local media reports.

The Yonhap News Agency quoted Defence Minister Suh Wook as saying on 28 April that the two SRBMs launched by Pyongyang at the time, which appear to be derived from the the KN-23 (US/South Korean designation) SRBM, flew about 600 km.

The revised distance assessment is in line with that provided on 26 March by Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) had initially reported that the two SRBMs, which were launched from North Korea’s eastern Hamju County in South Hamgyong Province, flew about 450 km and reached an altitude of 60 km.

Speaking about the reasons for the discrepancy, the JCS told reporters on 29 March that the military initially failed to accurately determine the distance because of the blind spots that radars in South Korea have due to the Earth’s curvature.

When our assets track such projectiles, there could be blind spot areas, JCS spokesperson Colonel Kim Jun-rak was quoted by Yonhap as saying, adding that South Korean and US intelligence authorities carried out in-depth analysis to come up with the new estimate.