North Korea said Tuesday it had successfully tested a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a 4.5-ton warhead, state news agency KCNA reported. On Monday, the military in Seoul said it had fired two missiles, one of which apparently exploded over North Korean territory.
According to KCNA North Korea successfully fired a missile on Monday called the Hwasong-11Da-4.5 capable of carrying a “huge warhead” weighing 4.5 tons.
“The test launch was conducted with a missile armed with an imitation heavy warhead to verify flight stability and hit accuracy at a maximum range of 500 km and a minimum range of 90 km,” the agency reported.
She added that the army will conduct another test of the missile in July to “verify the flight characteristics, hit accuracy and explosive power of the huge warhead at an average range of 250 km.”
North Korea Tests New Ballistic MissileJEON HEON-KYUN/PAP/EPA
Korea tests ballistic missiles
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on Monday that it had detected two ballistic missiles fired in the early morning local time from the area of ​​southwestern South Hwanghae Province towards the northeast.
One of the missiles flew 600 km and fell into the Sea of ​​Japan, the other, whose flight trajectory was erratic from launch, flew a distance of 120 km and disappeared from radar. If the missile exploded, its debris could have been scattered over North Korean territory.
The KCNA dispatch did not say where the new missile was launched from or where it landed. However, the fact that both the maximum and minimum ranges were tested suggests that North Korea fired two missiles, the AP said, adding that such a range means the missile could be used to strike targets inside South Korea.
Main image source: JEON HEON-KYUN/PAP/EPA