June 27th 2024.
According to reports from state media on Thursday, North Korea has successfully carried out a missile test with the goal of enhancing their ability to deploy multiple warheads. This news directly contradicts the assessment of South Korea, who believed the test had ended in failure.
The test was conducted on Wednesday by North Korea's Missile Administration, who announced that they had "successfully conducted the separation and guidance control test of individual mobile warheads". This refers to the technology known as MIRV, which allows a single missile to deliver multiple warheads to different targets.
While South Korea reported that the missile exploded in the air and did not reach its intended target, North Korea stated that the first-stage engine of an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile was used within a radius of 170-200 kilometers. The KCNA further declared that the separated mobile warheads were accurately guided to three different target coordinates, with the effectiveness of a decoy also being verified by anti-air radar.
The test was reportedly supervised by high-ranking officials, including Pak Jong-chon and Kim Jong-sik, who emphasized the importance of enhancing MIRV capability as a top priority for the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. This echoes the sentiments expressed during the party's eighth congress in January 2021, where developing MIRV technology was included in their five-year development plan.
Despite the backlash from South Korea, the US, and Japan, North Korea maintains that this test was simply a part of their "normal activities". This is the first time they have publicly disclosed a test aimed at securing multiple warhead capability, indicating that it is a significant step in their defense technology.
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