North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has observed the test firing of a “new type of regularly aimed weapon” aimed at boosting the country’s nuclear capabilities, according to state media. The report came early Sunday as South Korea and the United States warned that Pyongyang could soon resume nuclear tests after Kim broke the self-imposed moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile tests (ICBM) last month. The Korean Central News Agency said the latest weapons test “is of great importance for drastically improving the firepower of long-range artillery units and boosting the effectiveness of regular nuclear weapons.” He did not say when the test took place and did not provide details about the missile involved. Kim, who led the test, “gave important instructions for the further development of the country’s defense capabilities and nuclear combat forces,” he added. Photographs taken by Rodong Sinmun showed Kim smiling – surrounded by uniformed officials – applauding as he watched what he said was a test firing of a gun. The South Korean military confirmed the shooting, saying early Sunday that it had located two missiles fired from the east coast into the sea late Saturday. The missiles flew about 110 kilometers (68 miles) with a peak of 25 kilometers and a top speed of less than 4 Mach, he said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts to the test launch of a new tactical weapon in this undated photo released on April 16, 2022 by North Korea’s Central News Agency [KCNA via Reuters] Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the weapon was most likely a short-range ballistic missile and the North’s first regular nuclear weapons system. “This test of a regular nuclear delivery system comes as indicators of significant reconstruction work at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site increase,” he said. The site, in the northeast of the country, is where North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests. It closed in 2018 before the first round of talks between Kim and then US President Donald Trump. These talks collapsed in 2019. Images from a commercial satellite in March showed signs of new activity in a tunnel there, and officials and analysts say North Korea may conduct its seventh nuclear test in the coming weeks. Duyeon Kim, a North Korean specialist at the US-based Center for New American Security, said North Korea’s weapons tests tell its people that their country is strong. He added that one reason for the timing of the latest test could be the protest against the expected joint US-South Korean military exercises, which are set to begin on Monday. US Special Representative Sung Kim is also in Seoul on the same day for a five-day visit to discuss with his South Korean counterparts the response to recent missile launches in the North. The United States has said it is open to talks with North Korea at any time and without conditions, but Pyongyang has so far rejected those calls, accusing Washington of pursuing hostile policies such as sanctions and military exercises. The KCNA report on a new weapons test also came shortly after North Korea celebrated the 110th anniversary of the birth of the late founder Kim Il Sung, one of the country’s largest annual holidays, but without a military parade. South Korean officials said Pyongyang could even hold a military parade or test weapons on April 25 or around April 25, the anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army.
