North Korea said on Tuesday it had tested a new ballistic missile with a “super-large warhead”, the latest development in an arms race with South Korea as the countries vie to introduce weapons of greater destructive power.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said two new missiles, known as the Hwasong-11DA-4.5, were launched on Monday, weighing 4.5 tons each. Ballistic missiles often carry warheads that weigh less than a ton.
South Korea already has similar missiles that can deliver larger warheads. Colonel Lee Sung-jun, the South’s military spokesman, said the North’s Hwasong-11 series missiles were supposed to be capable of carrying payloads ranging from half a ton to 2.5 tons, but that it was “theoretically possible” to modify them. Deliver a 4.5-ton payload.
But Colonel Lee accused North Korea of misleadingly exaggerating its capabilities in Tuesday’s report. One of the two missiles the North launched on Monday crashed in an empty field after an “abnormal” flight, he said.
America has accused North Korea Supply Hwasong-11 missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied an arms trade, which would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions imposed on the North over its nuclear weapons program.
On June 19, Russian President Vladimir V. visited Pyongyang for talks. Monday’s launch was the second major weapons test by the North since hosting Putin and its leader Kim Jong-un. Last week, North Korea claimed for the first time that it had tested technology to launch multiple nuclear weapons with a single missile; The South also cast doubt on that report.
South Korea, citing the North’s growing nuclear threat, has increased its own military spending in recent years. That includes the development of ballistic missiles with large warheads, meant to target the underground bunkers where North Korea keeps its nuclear arsenal and where its political and military leaders can hide in the event of war. The South has also bought American stealth jets.
In 2020, the South said it had developed a ballistic missile with “one of the world’s largest weapons”. In 2021, Mr. Kim vowed to develop a “super-large nuclear warhead” and later that year, North Korea said it had launched a new ballistic missile that could carry a 2.5-ton warhead. No
South Korean defense officials later said they were developing a ballistic missile with a larger warhead. South Korean news outlets said it could carry a payload Up to eight tons.
Mr. Putin’s visit to Pyongyang last month raised fears in the region that Russia would help North Korea develop its missiles in return for large shipments of artillery shells, ballistic missiles and other conventional weapons for Russia’s war of attrition in Ukraine. And Mr. Putin also signed a treaty that included a pledge of mutual defense if either country was attacked.
North Korea said its missile test this week was a “significant” success. The results were announced at a meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party that concluded on Monday, state media reports said. It said the Hwasong-11Da-4.5 will be tested again later this month.
Mr. Kim has used Workers’ Party meetings to issue policy goals and strengthen his grip on power. For the first time, in state media photos of a recent meeting, Mr. Kim’s image, like the one he has worn over the years to honor Mr. Kim’s predecessors as supreme leader, his father and his grandfather.