One commonly overlooked asset in the North Korean arsenal is its aging air-defense missile systems. While meant for use against aircraft, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) can be repurposed as short-range ballistic missiles. While not particularly effective against military targets, repurposed SAMs can be used to target civilians, cause terror and frustrate ballistic missile defenses.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) lists more than 300 large air-defense surface-to-air missile systems being in North Korea, primarily the S-75 (SA-2 Guideline), S-125 (SA-3 Goa) and S-200 (SA-5 Gammon). There is also an unknown and not fully assessed local SAM, the KN-