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Hypersonic weapons systems

North Korea Claims Successful Missile Test, but Seoul Denies Allegations

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

North Korea has carried out a test aimed at developing a missile capable of piercing US and South Korean defenses, according to state media agency KCNA. The claim, however, has been rejected by Seoul, which calls it "deception and exaggeration." The test is part of North Korea's bid to develop its capability to destroy several different targets with a single launch. The launch has been condemned by South Korea, the United States, and Japan as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Key Takeaways:

  • North Korea claims to have successfully tested a missile capable of developing a multiwarhead missile technology, allowing it to overwhelm US and South Korean missile defenses.
  • The test, according to KCNA, involved the use of the first-stage, solid-fuel engine of an intermediate-range ballistic missile and successfully separated warheads that were accurately guided to three preset targets.
  • South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Lee Sung Joon, rejects the claim, stating that the separation of warheads in MIRV tests occurs in descending stages, while the North Korean missile detected on Wednesday blew up in the initial stage of its flight.
  • North Korean photos of the launch showed a missile similar to a liquid-fuel Hwasong-17 ICBM, which the country test-fired in March 2023, and were likely fabricated or recycled from a previous launch.
  • The launch comes after last week's meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders signed a mutual defense pact.
  • North Korea has expressed anger at the deployment of a US aircraft carrier to the region for a joint training with South Korea and Japan.

Statistics:

  • The North Korean missile test was reportedly carried out using the first-stage, solid-fuel engine of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
  • KCNA claimed that the missile successfully separated three warheads that were accurately guided to preset targets.
  • South Korea says that the launch had failed, with the missile exploding in midair off the east coast.
  • The Hwasong-17 ICBM, similar to the missile shown in North Korean photos, has a range of over 13,000 km, according to KCNA.

Sources:

  • Reuters
  • AP

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