North Korea’s nuclear arsenal continues to undergo quantitative and qualitative expansion. Especially alarming for South Korea is the North’s success with solid fuel propellants for its short and long-range ballistic missiles. Such advancements reduce the time required for Pyongyang to prepare missile launches and for Seoul to react. 

Submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) in particular, like the one the ROK successfully tested last week, significantly upgrade South Korea’s deterrence by punishment and by denial strategy to deal with North Korean threats. Ballistic missiles offer greater speeds than cruise missiles, which compensate for North Korean solid