North Korea tested a “very large warhead” designed to be mounted on a strategic cruise missile and launched a new anti-aircraft missile this week, state media said on Saturday, further escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.
According to what was reported by the agency,Yonhap“For news, the Missile Administration conducted a test of the warhead designed for the strategic cruise missile “Hwasal-1 Ra-3” (Hwasal-1 Ra-3), and also test-fired its new anti-aircraft missile “Pyoljji-1-2” 1-2) in the Yellow Sea, indicating that a “certain goal” was achieved through the test launch.
This is the first time that Pyongyang has called its missile “Biulgi”, which means “meteor” in Korean.
Pyongyang added, “Both tests are part of the usual activities of the administration and its defense science institutes for the rapid development of technologies and have nothing to do with the surrounding situation.”
In turn, the South Korean army said that it “discovered several rounds of cruise missiles and anti-aircraft missiles that were launched towards the Yellow Sea at approximately 3:30 Friday afternoon, and that it is now analyzing their detailed specifications.”
He added: “Our military is closely monitoring signs of North Korea’s provocations and military activities, while maintaining a strong joint defense posture.”
Sixth launch
On February 3, North Korea said it conducted what it called a “very large warhead power test of a cruise missile” and test-fired a new type of anti-aircraft missile in the Yellow Sea the day before. North Korea’s Missile Administration did not specify the name of the weapons or the result of the launch tests.
The latest announcement comes at a time when North Korea is stepping up weapons tests, including sea- and land-based launches of cruise missiles and firing exercises involving very large multiple rocket launchers.
Friday’s missile test marked North Korea’s sixth cruise missile launch this year, during which the nuclear-armed North declared South Korea its “main enemy,” abandoned agencies dedicated to reunification and communication and threatened war if any inch of its borders were violated. Its lands.
Testing cruise missiles is not prohibited under current UN sanctions on North Korea. These missiles usually operate with jet propulsion and fly at a lower altitude than advanced ballistic missiles, which makes them difficult to detect and intercept.
Russia and North Korean missiles
This comes after Russia used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council in March to block the renewal of the mandate of a committee of experts charged with monitoring the implementation of international sanctions imposed on North Korea due to its nuclear and weapons programs.
Analysts have warned of the possibility that North Korea will test cruise missiles before sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine, in light of reports from Washington and Seoul that Kim Jong Un’s government has exported weapons to Moscow, despite UN sanctions prohibiting them.
Ahn Tsan-il, a former North Korean soldier who now works in research in South Korea where he runs the International Institute for Studies on North Korea, said that the test announced on Saturday appears to involve “a new type of solid fuel, and it appears to be part of Production scheduled to be exported to meet Russian demand.”
Yang Moo-jin, head of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that the aim of these new experiments was likely to be “to determine the type of warhead that can be loaded onto a cruise missile that is highly maneuverable and effective, in terms of weight and destructive capacity.”
He told Agence France-Presse that North Korea will continue to “make improvements to the performance of its conventional weapons, as well as its cruise missiles,” in addition to its nuclear program.
In early April, North Korea said it had tested a new medium- to long-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile, and state media shared a video of its launch under leader Kim Jong Un’s watch.
America and North Korea
This also comes at a time when the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is visiting South Korea and Japan this week, in an apparent move to search for an alternative after the failure of the United Nations Security Council to extend the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring the implementation of sanctions against North Korea.
During a visit to the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas on Tuesday, Thomas-Greenfield said that the United States is “exploring options outside the box with South Korea and others, to continue monitoring sanctions on North Korea.”
The American ambassador to the United Nations stated that her country is ready to negotiate with North Korea “without conditions,” and said: “I looked at the negotiating table and the chairs were empty. All they have to do is come through the door, sit at the table, and launch the course of negotiations that we have expressed our willingness to conduct.” .
Pyongyang has been subject to a series of international sanctions since its second nuclear test in 2009, but it has continued to develop its nuclear and weapons programs. In 2022, North Korea declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power.
This year, nuclear-armed North Korea declared South Korea its “principal enemy,” abandoned agencies designated for reunification and communication and threatened war if its territory were violated.
