North Korea claims to have successfully tested a multiwarhead missile, a sophisticated weapon that could potentially overwhelm missile defences in the continental United States. However, South Korea and Japan have reported that the launch ended in failure.
According to the state news agency KCNA, North Korea “successfully conducted the separation and guidance control test of individual mobile warheads” on Wednesday. The mobile warheads were accurately guided to three coordinate targets, and a decoy that separated from the missile was verified by radar.
The test aims to secure Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) capability. MIRV technology allows multiple warheads to be fired on a single ballistic missile, enhancing North Korea’s offensive capabilities.
Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, has been actively modernizing the country’s military. During a ruling party meeting in early 2021, he mentioned various weapons systems, including spy satellites, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and submarine-launched missiles. The recent MIRV test appears to be an initial evaluation of key subsystems, with more tests expected to follow.
Ankit Panda, a senior analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, commented on the test: “I had been anticipating a MIRV test for some time now, as this was one of the last remaining items on Kim Jong Un’s modernization wish list from the Eighth Party Congress back in January 2021.”
The presence of decoys in the test is significant. North Korea has openly expressed its intention to stress and overcome US homeland missile defences. Decoys are likely to be incorporated into their single-warhead missiles as well.
South Korea’s military, in a joint analysis with the US military, suggested that the missile exploded in its initial stage of flight, contradicting KCNA’s description. Lee Sung-joon, spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated, “Today North Korea disclosed something, but we believe it’s simply a means of deception and exaggeration.”
Photos released by North Korea purporting to be from Wednesday’s test were likely fabricated or recycled from a previous launch, according to experts.
The launch has drawn condemnation from South Korea, the US, and Japan. They consider it a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a serious threat. The warning comes in the aftermath of last week’s summit between Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders signed a mutual defence pact.
This test marks North Korea’s first weapons launch since it fired nuclear-capable multiple rocket launchers almost a month ago, simulating a preemptive attack on South Korea. Additionally, North Korea has engaged in a tit-for-tat response by floating rubbish-filled balloons across the border to the south, in retaliation for South Korean activists sending political leaflets via their balloons. South Korea recently conducted propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts at border areas for the first time in years.
