Seoul, Feb 3 (EFE).- North Korea has conducted a “cruise missile super-large warhead power test” and also test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile, the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.
The North Korean missile administration conducted the weapons tests in the West Sea of Korea (the Yellow Sea) on Friday, the news agency said.
“The tests are a part of the normal activities of the administration and its affiliated defence science institutes for the rapid development of the technologies in various aspects such as function, performance and operation of new-type weapon systems and had nothing to do with the regional situation,” a spokesperson for the missile administration said.
“The tests had no adverse effect on the security of a neighboring country.”
The test marked the fourth of its kind in the last 10 days, following launches on Jan. 24, 28, and 30 involving Pulhwasal-3-31 and Hwasal-2 cruise missiles along the Yellow Sea coast. The launches were purportedly conducted from a submarine.
While North Korea’s cruise missile launches don’t incur UN sanctions, their low altitude and maneuverability make them challenging to intercept.
Experts speculate that Pulhwasal might be an updated version of Hwasal, with the designation “31” suggesting its capability to carry the Hwasan-31 (‘Volcano-31’) tactical nuclear warhead, unveiled for the first time last year.
The weapons test on Friday coincided with North Korean media reporting leader Kim Jong-un’s inspection of the Nampho shipyards on the west coast, where naval vessels are built. EFE
asb-ssk
