North Korea says it tested a new tactical guided weapon

SEOUL South Korea – April 17, North Korea has tested a new type of tactical guided missile designed to boost its nuclear combat capability. State media reported this on Sunday, days after the country marked its biggest anniversary without the expected military parade it usually uses to unveil provocative weapons systems.

The test, Pyongyang’s 13th round of weapons launches this year, came amid fears that North Korea could soon carry out a major provocation such as a nuclear test to expand the country’s arsenal and increase pressure on its rivals amid stalled diplomacy.

The official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials observed the launch. It said the weapon tested has “great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units, enhancing the efficiency in the operation of (North Korea’s) tactical nukes of and diversification of their firepower missions.”

“North Korea is trying to deploy not only long-range nuclear missiles aimed at American cities but also tactical nuclear weapons to threaten Seoul and U.S. bases in Asia,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “Pyongyang’s purposes likely exceed deterrence and regime survival. Like Russia employs the fear it could use tactical nukes, North Korea may want such weapons for political coercion, battlefield escalation and limiting the willingness of other countries to intervene in a conflict.”

Some observers speculated that the weapon tested Sunday could be a smaller, lighter version of North Korea’s nuclear-capable KN -23 missile that is highly maneuverable and has a lower trajectory to overcome missile defense systems. Others said it could be a new missile that combines the technical features of the KN -23 and another short-range ballistic missile called KN -24.

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