Hyunmoo (original) (raw)

Hyunmoo (Korean: 현무; Hanja: 玄武; literally "Black Tortoise" of Asian mythology, which stands for "Guardian of the Northern Sky") is a series of strategic missiles developed by South Korea. The Hyunmoo includes the only ballistic missile reverse engineered by South Korea that was actually deployed. This missile improved the first stage propelling device that was a problem in the previous missile. The first test-launch of the Hyunmoo was successful in 1982; the domestic political situation of South Korea delayed the second test-launch until September 1985. The flight test was conducted by the Defense Systems Test Center (DSTC).