GUMI, South Korea, Mar 24 (AFP): South Korea on Friday showcased a locally-developed ship-to-ship cruise missile and a shoulder-launched missile to counter North Korea's missile threat. The new weapons went on display at a defense plant here south of Seoul at a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-Ung. "We have completed the development of the two indigenous missiles," said a spokesman for the government's defense acqusition program administration. The portable Singung missile automatically explodes against a target flying within a radius of 1.5 kilometers, sending out 720 fragments. This is the first portable anti-aircraft missile developed by South Korea, which has imported hundreds of US and French shoulder-launched missiles for low-altitude targets. Military officials said the new cruise missile, Haeseong, with a range of up to 150 kilometers, would replace its US-made Harpoon missiles. The new 2.7-meter-long missile can be launched from both ships and helicopters, and travels at a speed of 45 knots (83 kilometers per hour). South Korea last year deployed new medium-range missiles capable of hitting most strategic targets in North Korea. It is also developing a new surface-to-air missile with a 50-kilometer range to replace its outdated US-made Hawk missiles.
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