North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles that tested the power of its cluster munitions, its government news agency said on Monday, confirming the latest in a flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state.
The Sunday launches, which were supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, aimed to “verify the characteristics and power of cluster bomb warhead and fragmentation mine warhead applied to the tactical ballistic missile”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
They followed other tests in recent weeks of weaponry, including ballistic missiles, anti-warship cruise missiles and cluster munitions.
Neither Korea has signed the 2008 Oslo convention against cluster bombs.
South Korea condemned the launches and called on the North to cease “provocations”.
KCNA said the manoeuvre tested the warhead of the Hwasongpho-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile.
Five projectiles were fired towards a target area around an island about 136 kilometres (85 miles) from the launch site, it said.
They struck an area of 12.5 to 13 hectares with “very high density, fully displaying their combat might”.
Kim “expressed great satisfaction over the test results” and noted that the development of cluster bomb warheads “can… boost the high-density striking capability to quell a specific target area as well as the high-precision striking capability”, KCNA said.
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the reported range would put Seoul and key US military installations within Pyongyang’s reach.
Source: Insider Paper
