--- title: "What the ‘Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation’ plan is all about" date: "2018-03-31" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/intel/what-the-korea-massive-punishment-and-retaliation-plan-is-all-about/" categories: - "Military News" tags: - "North Korea" --- # What the ‘Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation’ plan is all about ![]() It seems like North Korea is always coming up with a new kind of threat to the South. It seems that way because it's true. Threats are a constant reminder of the nuclear missiles and conventional rockets that would destroy the South Korean capital of Seoul within 30 minutes of a war's outbreak. --- Now South Korea is letting the North know just what will happen if Pyongyang tries to make good on any threats. In short, the South says "bring it." ![]() *KM-101 105mm artillery firing exercise of Republic of Korea Army 6th Division (ROK photo)* ### Related: [Here's what would happen in a war between North and South Korea ]() The Republic of Korea's military developed a plan to destroy North Korea, starting with the Northern capital of Pyongyang, in the event of a nuclear attack, a ROK military source [told Yonhap News Agency]() on Sept. 10th. "Every Pyongyang district, particularly where the North Korean leadership is possibly hidden, will be completely destroyed by ballistic missiles and high-explosive shells as soon as the North shows any signs of using a nuclear weapon. In other words, the North's capital city will be reduced to ashes and removed from the map," the source said. When the North tested a nuclear device for the fifth time, the South released the descriptively-titled "Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation" plan. ![]() *The cold weather traning of the ROK Army Special Warfare Force (ROK Army photo)* The South is trying to target the North Korean leadership, letting dictator Kim Jong-Un know just how his life will end if he launches a first strike. South Korea has an arsenal of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles that can reach ranges up to 1,000 km. The weapons are intended to be a nuclear deterrent for South Korea, which doesn't have its own nuclear arsenal. Korean Missiles called Hyunmoo 2A and 2B are both ballistic missiles, meaning they deliver multiple warheads at predetermined targets. The Hyunmoo 3 is similar in design to the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile, but carries half the conventional payload and has half the operational range. ![]() *A Hyunmoo 3 cruise missile.* The name "Hyunmoo" in Korean means "Guardian of the Northern Sky." Fitting for such a defensive and deterring strategy. "The KMPR is the utmost operation concept the military can have in the absence of its own nuclear weapons," the South Korean military source [told Yonhap](). ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()