North Korea tests cluster warhead, vows to equip military with new weapons by year-end

North Korea said it tested a cluster-bomb warhead designed for its tactical ballistic missiles on Saturday, and vowed to give its military every type of such warhead by the end of the year, state media reported Sunday. Leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the test; it was instead overseen by research institutes under the regime's Missile Administration.

"Within this year we will enable units to select and use all those types according to operational aims and specific features of targets," the general director of the North’s Missile Administration was quoted as saying. He also said North Korea classifies its cluster warheads into four categories by purpose, tailored to different strategic targets and operational goals, without elaborating further.
The Korean Central News Agency said the Missile Administration carried out the test to assess how well the warhead suits combat use and how much destructive power it has. Researchers concluded that the "Standard Type 2" warhead can "turn into ashes" a target area of 12 to 13 hectares, according to the agency. The claim has not been independently verified. Cluster munitions work by scattering dozens or hundreds of smaller explosive submunitions over a wide zone.

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Photos released by state media showed a missile leaving a truck-mounted launcher, and submunitions scattering over an island target.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired toward the Yellow Sea from near Jongju, North Pyongan Province. The military said it had tracked related activity beforehand in close coordination with the United States. It did not announce the launch on the day, departing from its usual practice. Officials said the missile's short range and low altitude required further analysis before it could be confirmed as a ballistic missile.
The launch follows a run of recent military activity. North Korea fired about 10 ballistic missiles on Thursday from its east coast toward the Japan Sea, the day German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited South Korea and held a drone exhibition.