North Korea said for the first time on Thursday that it had tested firing multiple missiles from one missile, days after Russian President Vladimir V. Putin visited the country and raised the prospect of expanded military and technical cooperation. Nuclear warhead technology.
North Korea’s official KCNA news agency reported that Wednesday’s test “aims to ensure the capability of the multi-warhead missile.” MIRV stands for “Multiple Independent Target Reentry Vehicle,” a missile payload containing multiple warheads that can each be sent to a different target. According to reports, the test involved part of a sub-warhead missile system, rather than a full-fledged multi-warhead missile.
Since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted Putin for talks last week, officials and analysts have expressed concern that their deepening relationship will encourage Kim to embark on an ambitious upgrade of his nuclear arsenal.
A multi-warhead missile capability would significantly increase North Korea’s threat to the United States and its allies because high-speed ballistic missiles that break up into multiple warheads and decoys would be more difficult to intercept by missile defense systems. But experts believe North Korea is far from mastering this technology.
South Korean military spokesman Colonel Ri Sung-jun said on Thursday that North Korea’s statement contained “deception and exaggeration.” He did not elaborate but said photos of the tests carried by state media may have been altered. South Korean officials dismissed Wednesday’s test as a failure shortly after it occurred, saying a missile exploded in waters east of North Korea after flying 150 miles. They said the test appeared to involve a hypersonic ballistic missile.
North Korea is prohibited from developing or testing nuclear or ballistic missile technology under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. But since direct diplomacy with then-President Donald J. Trump collapsed in 2019, Kim has redoubled his efforts to expand those capabilities.
Since the Russian leader ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kim Jong Un has found a new ally in Putin.
During Putin’s visit to Pyongyang last week, he and Kim Jong Un signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” that includes a joint commitment to “immediately use all means at its disposal to provide military and other assistance” when either country is in trouble. attack.
The treaty also calls for “joint measures aimed at strengthening defense capabilities,” raising concerns in Washington and its allies that Russia could help North Korea develop missiles. Putin said in Pyongyang that Russia “does not rule out developing military and technical cooperation with North Korea.”
Multi-warhead nuclear missiles have long been on Kim Jong Un’s wish list. But while North Korea has conducted several successful nuclear tests, it has yet to prove that it can design even a single warhead that can survive a ballistic missile’s re-entry into the atmosphere and pose a threat to a distant adversary like the United States. experts said.
North Korea’s nuclear force is particularly reliant on missiles as delivery vehicles because it lacks advanced fighter aircraft or submarines that can launch missiles. North Korea has been building solid-fuel missiles that are easier to move and evade adversaries, and it has been testing hypersonic missile technology, although South Korean officials say real success in the field is still years away.
According to state media reports, North Korea’s Missile Agency “successfully conducted a test of separation and guidance control of a single mobile warhead” during Wednesday’s test. Engineers are said to be using the first-stage motor of a medium-range solid-fuel ballistic missile to conduct tests within a relatively small radius to ensure safety and better assess the flight characteristics of individual warheads.
“The detached mobile warhead was correctly guided to three coordinate targets,” the report said. But it added that engineers needed to “further improve the effectiveness of decoys” – dummy warheads designed to confuse defense systems.
The United States and South Korea have been expanding their joint defense posture with Japan, citing rising threats from North Korea and China. Over the weekend, a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier formation arrived in South Korea to conduct trilateral joint exercises with Japan. South Korea conducted live-fire artillery and rocket drills on Wednesday on islands near its western sea border with North Korea.
