Mulling preemptive strike, SKorea tests new ‘Taurus’ cruise missile

The South Korean military announced Wednesday that it had successfully carried out its first test of an advanced "Taurus" cruise missile that could be used in a preemptive strike against North Korea. The precision weapon was launched from an F15-K warplane at a target off South Korea's west coast, the military said. The Taurus is said to have a range of 500 km and a maximum speed of nearly 1,200 kph. Seoul has been considering ways of preempting a possible North Korean nuclear attack in the aftermath of Pyongyang's most powerful nuclear test on September 3. The North's claim that it detonated a hydrogen bomb has yet to be confirmed.