North Korea yesterday said it had test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying “a super-large warhead,” a claim quickly disputed by South Korean officials and experts who speculate the North likely fabricated a successful test to conceal a botched launch.
It is the second time that South Korea has questioned North Korea’s claim on the development of new weapons in the past few days, as the rivals are locked in heightened animosities over the North’s testing activities.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Monday’s test involved the Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5 missile, which can carry a 4 tonne warhead.
Photo: AFP / KCNA via KNS
It said the test was meant to verify the weapon’s flight stability and hit accuracy at the maximum range of 500km and the minimum range of 90km.
The test apparently refers to the two ballistic missile launches that South Korea said the North performed Monday.
South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-joon yesterday told a briefing that the second North Korean missile was found to have fallen on an uninhabited area near Pyongyang.
He said he could find few previous test-launches by North Korea that have aimed at ground target sites.
“Regarding the North Korean assessment, we’re weighing a possibility of deception,” Lee said.
Unlike previous weapons tests, North Korea did not publicize any photographs of Monday’s test.
Some experts say test-firing missiles at ground targets could be related to efforts to test how powerful warheads are to destroy underground bunkers and structures.
However, Seoul-based military expert Shin Jongwoo said the fact that North Korea has not shared any photographs of the launches means it is highly likely it is trying to cover up Monday’s failed launches.
He said North Korea likely launched an existing missile on Monday, not a new missile, as it claimed.
Meanwhile, North Korea has shifted the transmission of its state TV broadcasts from a Chinese satellite to a Russian one, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said yesterday, causing service disruptions in the South.
While the South Korean public is legally banned from accessing Pyongyang state media, Seoul authorities and media outlets need satellite service to monitor the broadcasts.
Experts said the shift to using a Russian satellite could be an experiment, as the North looks to ramp up its homegrown space capabilities.
It could be “a step toward developing a commercial satellite with the help of Russian technology,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
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