Recovered North Korean Missile Identified as ‘SA-5’-Type Missile, South Korean Defense Ministry

North Korea has been firing missiles into the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan since September. Pyongyang has explained the tests are in response to “ceaseless and reckless” joint-military drills between the United States and South Korea.

Remnants of a North Korean missile since-recovered by investigators on Monday appears to resemble a Soviet-designed missile, officials with the South Korean military have revealed.

According to the South Korean defense ministry, the recovered debris appears similar to the Soviet-designed SA-5 type missile, a surface-to-air defense system that was first introduced into service in the 1960s.

North Korea fired the missile on November 2, when the projectile managed to cross the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea. The NLL is a de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, though North Korea does not recognize its legitimacy.

The debris was picked up off the ocean floor using a submersible drone. It was one of 23 missiles fired by North Korea that day. The remains of the missile measured roughly 10 feet long and six-and-half feet wide.

After the missiles were launched, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned the action as “territorial encroachment.” He noted it was the first time a missile violated the NLL since the Korean War ceasefire began in 1953.