North Korea Admits They Tested A New Type Of Guided Ballistic Missile

KN-23 missile firing on May 4, 2019. (Source: Rodong Sinmun via missilethreat.csis.org)

JAKARTA - North Korea acknowledged that they had tested a new type of guided ballistic missile on Thursday, March 25, said a statement by the North Korean news agency KCNA.

This new weapon is based on existing technology that was upgraded to carry a warhead weighing 2.5 tonnes. KCNA said the missile accurately hit a target 600 km (373 miles) off North Korea's east coast, which contradicts estimates by South Korean and Japanese authorities which say the missile flew about 420-450 km.

"The development of this weapon system is essential in strengthening the country's military strength and preventing all kinds of military threats", said Ri Pyong Chol, the senior North Korean leader overseeing the test, according to KCNA.

Photographs released by state media showed the firing of a black-and-white painted missile exploding from a military launch vehicle.

Missile specialists at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) said the missile fired yesterday looked like the missile launched at a major military parade in Pyongyang in October 2020.

"If so, Thursday's missile is likely an improved variant and may be a variant of the previously tested KN-23 missile with a very large warhead", said Jeffrey Lewis of CNS.

The KN-23 is a North Korean short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) which was first tested in May 2019, with a visual similarity to the Russian Iskander-M SRBM. The similarities raise questions regarding foreign assistance for the development of the missile.

"The new 2.5-tonne missile warhead may be a reaction to South Korea's announcement last August that the new Hyunmoo-4 SRBM (South Korea) has 'the largest payload in the world', up to 2 tonnes", Lewis said.

The SRBM developed by North Korea is designed to defeat missile defenses and carry out precision strikes in South Korea, analysts said.

KCNA said that Thursday's tests confirmed the missile's ability to carry out a low-altitude launch mode, a feature that makes such weapons more difficult to detect and shoot down.

Separately, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the United States remains open to diplomacy with North Korea despite its missile tests this week. Still, they issued warnings of a response, should North Korea escalate the problem.