S. Korea plans to complete development of 800-km ballistic missile by 2017

South Korea plans to complete the development of its homegrown ballistic missile with a range of 800 km by 2017 to deploy the medium-range missile targeting the whole territory of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday citing government and military officials.

A government official was quoted as saying that the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) offered to extend the range of its ballistic missile by 2017 in its five-year development plan. It marked the first time that the country disclosed the timing for the 800-km ballistic missile development, the official said.

Yonhap cited another government official as saying that South Korea aimed to complete the development of 800-km ballistic missile by 2017 to deploy it to the military.

The ADD had submitted its five-year development plan to the government since President Park Geun-hye took office in February 2013, aiming to extend the range of its indigenous ballistic missiles from 300 km in 2013 to 800 km in 2017.

The South Korean military successfully test-fired a ballistic missile with a range of 500 km, named Hyunmoo-2B, on June 3.

The development of the country's longer-range ballistic missile based on indigenous technology came after South Korea and the United States revised missile guidelines in October 2012.

Multiple military and ADD officials were quoted as saying that the military aimed to complete the development of ballistic missiles by 2017 that can target the whole territory of the DPRK from anywhere in South Korea. Endi