North Korea said it tested cluster-munition warheads for tactical ballistic missiles on Saturday, with the aim of assessing their operational capability and effectiveness, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. The country’s missile administration claimed the weapon could completely destroy a target area of 12 to 13 hectares. The claims could not be independently verified, and it is not known whether the system is operational or what its range is.
KCNA released photographs showing a projectile launched from a mobile launcher and several impacts on an island. Leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the test. He had observed a test of cluster-munition warheads on a ballistic missile in April, according to the report.
The head of North Korea’s missile administration said the armed forces should be able to select and deploy different types of weapons according to their missions and targets later this year, KCNA reported.
The test was one of two different missile-related trials North Korea reported within a few days. On Thursday, South Korea said North Korea had fired about a dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.
Cluster munitions scatter smaller explosive devices across a wide area. Their effects can be difficult to control, and unexploded devices may remain dangerous to civilians long after an attack.
Tensions had also risen along the heavily fortified border after an explosion injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul suspects North Korean landmines, a claim Pyongyang denies. On Friday, the United States, South Korea and Japan renewed their call for North Korea’s complete denuclearization. North Korea continues to pursue its nuclear weapons and missile programs despite international sanctions.
Sources: Der Spiegel.