North Korea announced Thursday that it test-fired the Hwasong-11Ka surface-to-surface missile tipped with a cluster bomb warhead. The test confirmed the missile can "reduce to ashes" targets covering 6.5-7 hectares with the highest-density power, according to state media. The launches were part of weapons tests conducted from Monday to Wednesday.
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday that it fired the Hwasong-11Ka tactical ballistic missile tipped with a cluster bomb warhead. The test aimed to assess the combat application and power of the missile's cluster munitions. KCNA stated the missile "can reduce to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5-7 hectares with the highest-density power."
South Korea's military detected a short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea on Wednesday afternoon, following multiple launches that morning. On Tuesday, an unidentified projectile fired from the Pyongyang area disappeared shortly after launch in an apparent failure. The missiles appear to be from the KN-23 family, North Korea's version of the Russian Iskander.
North Korea also tested the combat reliability of a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system, an electromagnetic weapon system, and scattering of "carbon fiber sham bombs." It conducted a firing to test the maximum engine workload using low-cost materials. KCNA described the tests as "of great significance" to the development of North Korea's armed forces through regular weapon upgrades.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was not present at the test site, as state media made no mention of his inspection. The back-to-back launches reaffirm Pyongyang's hostile stance toward Seoul amid South Korea's efforts to ease tensions. President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone incursions into North Korea on Monday, but North Korea's Jang Kum-chol dismissed Seoul's positive interpretation of Kim Yo-jong's response as a "pipe dream" and a "clear warning."
