SEOUL, April 17 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is watching the test launch of a new type of tactical guided weapon aimed at boosting the country’s nuclear capabilities, the northern state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday.
The report comes amid signs that North Korea may soon resume nuclear tests, according to South Korean and US officials, and after Kim violated a self-imposed moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests last month.
The South Korean military said Sunday it had spotted two shells fired from the east coast of the north into the sea on Saturday. The shells flew about 110 kilometers (68 miles) with an apogee of 25 kilometers and a top speed of less than Mach 4, indicating that they were short-range missiles.
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The KCNA report does not give details of the launch, but links it to the North’s nuclear targets.
“The new tactical guided weapons system … is of great importance for drastically improving the firepower of long-range front artillery units and increasing the effectiveness of tactical nuclear weapons,” KCNA said.
“[Kim] gave important instructions for further building the country’s defense capabilities and nuclear combat forces, “the statement said.
North Korea is developing short-range ballistic missiles that analysts say are designed to evade missile defenses and strike south targets in the event of war.
On April 5, Kim Yo-John, the influential sister of leader Kim, said North Korea opposed the war but would use nuclear weapons to strike South Korea if invaded, in a warning to future conservative South Yun president. Suk-yol.
Yoon spokesman Bae Hyun-jin said there was nothing new or surprising in the North’s “demonstration of power” with the entry of a new administration.
Incumbent South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who will leave office on May 10, has received real-time briefings on a North Korean missile launch, his office said.
RECOVERY OF NUCLEAR TEST
Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the weapon appears to be North Korea’s first tactical nuclear weapons delivery system, while indicating indications that work is underway to rebuild the Pung-ri nuclear test site in North Korea. .
“You don’t have to be very imaginative to put this two and two together,” Panda said.
US and South Korean officials noted activity at the Punggye-ri site, which could be in preparation for a test, although the timing and nature of this were unclear. Read more
As early as 2017, the US Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that North Korea was capable of miniaturizing nuclear weapons across the entire spectrum of its missiles, from short-range ballistic missiles to intermediate ballistic missiles.
Kim Jong Un said in January 2021 that the country was able to “miniaturize, lighten and standardize nuclear weapons and make them tactical”. He also outlined goals for developing other weapons, such as hypersonic missiles and spy satellites, that were tested this year.
Duyon Kim, an expert on North Korea at the US-based Center for New American Security, said the time could be seen as a protest against the expected joint US-South Korean military exercises.
On Saturday, the US 2nd Infantry Division, based in South Korea, shared photos of troops testing a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, although the time of the event was not specified.
A spokesman for the US Department of Defense on Sunday confirmed the latest missile test. “We are aware of North Korea’s statement that they have tested a long-range artillery system,” said Lt. Col. Marty Miners.
US nuclear envoy Sung Kim will visit Seoul on Monday to discuss with his South Korean counterparts the response to the North’s recent missile launches. Read more
Kim said the United States was open to unconditional talks, but Pyongyang rejected the initiatives, accusing Washington of a hostile policy proven by sanctions and military exercises.
On Friday, North Korea marked the 110th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung. Read more
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Report by Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith; Additional reports from Idrees Ali in Washington; Edited by Jack Kim and Edmund Claman
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