North Korea’s Latest Missile Test

North Korea announced on Tuesday that it had conducted a test of a new ballistic missile equipped with a “super-large warhead,” escalating tensions in the region as it competes with South Korea to enhance its military capabilities.

The test involved the launch of two missiles named Hwasong-11Da-4.5 on Monday, each carrying a dummy warhead weighing 4.5 tons, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. This marks a significant development as conventional ballistic missiles typically carry warheads weighing less than a ton.

While South Korea already possesses similar missiles capable of carrying large warheads, Colonel Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for the South Korean military, stated that North Korea’s Hwasong-11 series missiles are believed to have the capacity to carry payloads ranging from half a ton to 2.5 tons. However, he questioned the North’s claims, suggesting that modifying the missiles to carry a 4.5-ton payload might be challenging.

Colonel Lee also accused North Korea of exaggerating its capabilities, pointing out that one of the missiles launched on Monday crashed in an empty field following an “abnormal” flight.

In a separate development, the United States has accused North Korea of supplying Hwasong-11 missiles to Russia for potential use against Ukraine. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied these allegations, which would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions due to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

This recent missile test follows a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Pyongyang on June 19. Last week, North Korea claimed to have tested technology enabling the launch of multiple nuclear warheads with a single missile, a claim disputed by South Korea.