NORTH KOREA CLAIMS MULTIWARHEAD MISSILE TEST; SOUTH KOREA DISAGREES

Thu 27 June 2024:

North Korea has announced the successful test of a multiwarhead missile, a weapon capable of overwhelming U.S. missile defenses, despite South Korea and Japan reporting the launch as a failure.

The state news agency KCNA reported that on Wednesday, North Korea “successfully conducted the separation and guidance control test of individual mobile warheads,” with the warheads accurately hitting three targets. The test aimed to develop MIRV (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle) technology.

“I had been anticipating a MIRV test for some time now, as this was one of the last remaining items on Kim Jong Un’s modernisation wish list from the Eighth Party Congress back in January 2021,” said Ankit Panda, a senior analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Panda said Wednesday’s test appeared to be an initial evaluation of some of the key subsystems to develop a workable MIRV. He expected more tests to follow, leading up to a launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on a lofted trajectory.

“The presence of decoys is significant. North Korea has made no secret of its intention to stress and overcome US homeland missile defences,” Panda said. “Decoys will assist in that endeavour and will likely be incorporated onto their single-warhead missiles as well.”

Questioning the claim

South Korea’s military, however, contradicted North Korea’s claims, suggesting that the missile blew up mid-flight and was not as described by KCNA. South Korean officials also alleged that the photos released by North Korea were fabricated or reused from previous tests.

The launch was condemned by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a significant threat, especially following a recent summit between Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where a mutual defense pact was signed.

This test marks North Korea’s first weapon launch since it simulated a preemptive attack on South Korea with nuclear-capable rockets. Recently, North Korea has also engaged in sending rubbish-filled balloons across the border to South Korea, prompting brief propaganda broadcasts from the South in retaliation.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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