On Thursday, the military did something quite unusual. It released a video clip of two South Korean-developed missiles ― a cruise missile that can strike any place in North Korea from any corner of the South and a ballistic missile that can devastate an area as large as dozens of soccer fields in a single blow.

The military stopped short of disclosing the names and specifications of the new missiles; it just said that they have already been deployed. But the cruise missile was believed to be the Hyunmu-3 with a maximum range of 1,500 kilometers, while the ballistic missile was apparently the Hyunmu-2 with a range of 300 kilometers.

In a news briefing, a Defense Ministry official described the cruise missile’s accuracy and striking capability as “world-class” ― it is capable of “homing in on a target as small as a window located hundreds of kilometers away.” Furthermore, he noted that the missile has put the North’s entire territory within striking distance.

Regarding the new ballistic missile, the official touted its huge destructive power. While the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System, a short-range missile developed by the United States, can devastate an area as large as four soccer fields, the Korean one can flatten a target several times larger than that, according to the official.

In the 40-second footage released by the military, the warhead of the ballistic missile fired from a large truck split into dozens of lethal fragments in midair before striking the targeted area.

The video clip also showed the cruise missile blast off from a launch pad and hit the window of a building-shaped target with razor-sharp accuracy.

Why did the military release the video? It was prompted by growing North Korean missile madness. Defying global outcry, the paranoid regime unsuccessfully tested its ballistic missile technology on April 13 under the pretext of launching a satellite.

Two days later, it unveiled what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile in a parade held in Pyongyang to mark the centennial of the birth of its founder, Kim Il-sung.

Furthermore, the North’s new leader, Kim Jong-un hinted at the elevated status of its Strategic Rocket Forces during a speech at the parade. Previously, the North’s missile units were under the control of the Artillery Command of the Korean People’s Army.

Yet Kim referred to the SRF separately from the three existing branches of the KPA ― the army, navy and air force ― indicating he has elevated or plans to elevate the missile division to the fourth branch of the KPA.

To hone its missile technology, the militarized regime is expected to undertake more missile tests going forward, thus heightening the threat it poses to the South and beyond.

It is against this backdrop that the South’s military made public the deployment of the new missiles. By demonstrating their accuracy and destructive power, it sought to ease security jitters and, more importantly, send a clear message to the North that any unwarranted provocations would be met with stern retaliation.

Yet the new missiles are not powerful enough to deter the North. The military vaunted the accuracy and extended range of the new cruise missile. Yet cruise missiles have critical weaknesses ― they are not as powerful as ballistic missiles and can easily be intercepted due to their slow speeds.

To counteract the North’s missile threat, the South needs to enhance its ballistic missile capabilities. For this, it should extend the range of the Hyunmu-2 to around 1,000 kilometers.

Yet Seoul is banned from developing a ballistic missile with a range longer than 300 kilometers and a payload exceeding 500 kilograms under an agreement with the United States concluded in 2001.

For years, Seoul has demanded that it be allowed to develop longer-range missiles. But Washington has been reluctant to accept Seoul’s demand as it could ruffle the feathers of neighboring countries.

Yet Washington should give the nod without further delay, in light of the growing threat from the North and its planned transfer of wartime operational control of the Korean armed forces to Seoul in 2015.

The South’s military also needs to develop a missile air defense system. On Friday, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said the military has launched a project to develop a missile interceptor similar to the PAC-3 missile of the United States. The military should speed up the project to put a solid air defense system in place as early as possible.