Photo : YONHAP News
North Korea says it successfully tested a new tactical ballistic missile using a super-large warhead and a modified cruise missile, Wednesday.
According to the North’s state Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Thursday, the Missile Administration successfully test-fired the new missile, the Hwasongpho-11-Da-4.5, which is tipped with a four-point-five-ton super-large conventional warhead.
The KCNA said the test was carried out to verify accuracy at medium range, 320 kilometers, and to verify the explosive power of the super-large warhead.
The North also test-fired a strategic cruise missile whose performance has been upgraded for combat use.
The South Korean military said Wednesday that it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Kaechon area in the North’s South Pyongan Province on Wednesday morning, adding that the missiles flew northeast, but it did not mention any strategic cruise missile launch.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly expressed satisfaction with the test results after an inspection, stressing the need to continue to bolster the country’s nuclear force.