The report comes amid speculation that North Korea could soon resume nuclear tests, according to South Korean and US officials, after Kim broke the moratorium he imposed on intercontinental ballistic missile tests (ICBM) last month. The South Korean military said Sunday it had spotted two missiles fired Saturday from the east coast to the sea. The missiles flew about 110 kilometers with a maximum range of 25 kilometers and a maximum speed of less than 4 Mach, indicating that they were short-range missiles. The KCNA report did not provide details about the launch, but linked it to the North’s nuclear targets. “The new-type tactical weapons system … is of great importance for drastically improving the firepower of long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency of tactical nuclear weapons operations,” the KCNA said.

Missiles designed to evade defenses

North Korea is developing short-range ballistic missiles that analysts say are designed to evade missile defenses and hit targets in the south in the event of war. On April 5, Kim Yo-jong, Kim’s leader’s strong sister, said North Korea was opposed to the war but would use nuclear weapons to strike South Korea in the event of an attack, in a warning aimed at incoming conservative president of the South, Yoon Suk-yeol. A Yoon spokesman, Bae Hyun-jin, said there was nothing new or strange about the North’s “show of strength” as a new government arrived. This undated brochure photo released by the KCNA on Sunday is supposed to show the test shot of a new type of tactical guided weapon. (KCNA / SNC / AFP / Getty Image)
Incumbent South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who will step down on May 10, has received real-time updates on the North’s missile launch, his office said. Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the weapon appears to be the first tactical nuclear delivery system in the North, and showed signs of work to rehabilitate the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. of North Korea. “You don’t have to be very imaginative to combine the two,” Panda said.

The North is capable of downsizing nuclear weapons

U.S. and South Korean officials have been active in the Punggye-ri area, which could be in preparation for a test, although its timing and nature were unclear. As early as 2017, the US Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that North Korea was able to reduce its nuclear weapons in the entire range of its missiles, from short-range ballistic missiles to ICBM. Kim Jong Un said in January 2021 that the country was able to “microscope, lighten and standardize nuclear weapons and make them regularly.” He also described the development targets of other weapons, such as supersonic missiles and spy satellites, that were tested this year. Duyeon Kim, a North Korean expert at the US-based Center for New American Security, said the timetable could be seen as a protest against the expected joint US-South Korean military exercises. The United States and South Korea plan to begin their annual spring exercise on Monday for nine days, South Korea’s chief of staff said. On Saturday, the US-based 2nd Infantry Division, based in South Korea, shared photos of troops testing a multi-launcher missile system, although no timing was reported. A US Department of Defense spokesman on Sunday acknowledged 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 the response to recent missile launches in the North with his South Korean counterparts. Kim said the United States was open to unconditional talks, but Pyongyang rejected those initiatives, accusing Washington of hostile policies evidenced by sanctions and military exercises. On Friday, North Korea celebrated the 110th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il-sung.