North Korea tests a new tactical weapon to improve nuclear capability

Asia-Pacific, News April 18, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

North Korea tested a new type of tactical weapon on April 16, the country’s official news agency KCNA reported on April 17.

According to KCNA, the test was carried out under the supervision of North Korea’s supreme leader King Jong Un.

KCNA did not provide specific details about the capabilities of the tested weapon, however, it reported that the launch was successful. The agency released some photos of the tested weapons and a photo in which North Korea’s supreme leaders can be seen clapping hands surrounded by his top military officials.

The KCNA reported that the new weapon has a “great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the front-line long-range artillery units, enhancing the efficiency in the operation of the tactical nukes and diversification of their firepower missions.”

Based on the photos and other information provided by the KCNA, some experts believe that the weapon could be a smaller and lighter version of North Korea’s nuclear-capable KN-23 missile that has high maneuverability and in-flight aiming capabilities which allows the missile to avoid missile defense systems.

*^{North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (front) applauds the country’s test-firing of a “new-type tactical guided weapon.” (Image Credit: KCNA/Kyodo)}*

South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said in a statement that the South Korean military detected two launches from North Korea on April 16, from the eastern coastal town of Hamhung.

The statement said that the detected missiles flew for about 110 kilometers and reached an altitude of 25 kilometers at Mach 5 speed before falling into the sea.

The timing of the test of the new weapon is also significant in the sense that it came only a day after the 110th anniversary of Kim Jong Un’s grandfather and the founder of the North Korean state, Kim Il Sung. Contrary to what many analysts had been expecting, North Korea did not celebrate the key anniversary with a military parade but instead resorted to conducting a nuclear tactical weapons test.

The current test is the 13th weapons test from North Korea in the year 2022. The U.S. and its allies are increasingly concerned about North Korea’s current spree of weapons tests. It is expected that North Korea may soon conduct even larger provocations and continues its nuclear test that was halted in 2017.

The use of the term ‘tactical nukes’ in the report is the reason behind severe concerns from the U.S., South Korea, and their regional allies. Recent satellite images from North Korea suggest that work is underway to restore the nuclear testing sites and underground tunnels.

*^{North Korea’s Hwasong-17 ICBM was launched from the Pyongyang International Airport and flew more than 1,000 kilometers. (Image Credit: KCNA via KNS)}*

A few weeks ago, North Korea tested an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) for the first time since 2017. The ICBM test rattled the U.S. and South Korea which resulted in the two countries updating their joint war plan against North Korea.

The test comes only a few days before North Korea’s chief rivals United States and South Korea are ready to conduct annual war drills. The North Korean leadership views the war drills as a rehearsal for the invasion of their country. The upcoming military drills between the U.S. and South Korea are expected to intensify the animosities even further on the Korean Peninsula.