Seoul, South KoreaAP —
North Korea said on Thursday that this week’s tests included a variety of new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles equipped with cluster bomb warheads, as it expands its nuclear arsenal against rival South Korea.
The report in North Korean state media came a day after South Korea’s military said it had detected North Korea launching multiple missiles from its east coast region in its second launch within two days.
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the tests lasted three days starting Monday and included demonstrations of anti-aircraft weapons, an alleged electromagnetic weapons system and a carbon fiber bomb.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles launched on Wednesday flew between 240 and 700 kilometers (150 and 434 miles) before falling into the sea, and on Tuesday it also detected at least one projectile fired from near North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang.
According to KCNA, the test also included a demonstration of a cluster warhead system aboard the nuclear-capable Hwasong-11 ballistic missile, which is similar to Russia’s Iskander missile in its design to enable low-altitude, maneuverable flight to evade missile defense systems. The report said the launch confirmed that short-range missiles equipped with such warheads “are capable of reducing to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5 to 7 hectares (16 to 17.2 acres) with the highest density of power.”
South Korea’s military did not immediately comment on North Korea’s military claims.
The launch highlighted continued tensions between the two Koreas and dampened South Korea’s hopes for improved relations.
Pyongyang’s First Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jang Geum-cheol, said in a statement Tuesday night that South Korea will remain North Korea’s “most hostile enemy,” ridiculing South Korea’s liberal government for seeking to revive long-stalled dialogue and calling officials “fools astounding the world.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has suspended virtually all diplomacy with South Korea and the United States since nuclear negotiations with President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019, and has since accelerated the development of nuclear-capable missiles that threaten U.S. allies in Asia and the U.S. mainland.
Kim has also pursued closer ties with Russia, China and other countries embroiled in conflict with the United States, aiming to break isolation and strengthen his regional foothold. North Korean state media reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in North Korea on Thursday for a two-day tour as part of the latest round of bilateral diplomacy.
