North Korea announced Thursday that a recent three-day series of weapons tests included several new systems, among them ballistic missiles fitted with cluster-munition warheads, as Pyongyang works to expand its nuclear-capable forces aimed at South Korea. State media said the testing program began Monday and also showcased anti-aircraft systems, what it described as electromagnetic weapons and carbon-fiber bombs. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported multiple missile launches, noting that missiles fired Wednesday traveled roughly 240 to 700 kilometers (150 to 434 miles) before splashing into the sea, and that at least one projectile was launched Tuesday from an area near Pyongyang.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said none of Wednesday’s weapons entered waters inside its exclusive economic zone, and U.S. military assessments indicated the Tuesday and Wednesday launches did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies. North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the tests demonstrated cluster-munition warheads mounted on Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missiles, comparing the system’s low-altitude, maneuverable flight to Russia’s Iskander design and claiming the warhead could cover about 6.5–7 hectares (16–17.2 acres) with high density.
Seoul said it is analyzing the launches and sharing information with U.S. and Japanese counterparts but declined to independently verify Pyongyang’s claims about capability advances. The tests underscored ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and dimmed prospects for improved relations. A North Korean foreign ministry statement on Tuesday labeled South Korea the country’s “most hostile enemy state” and criticized Seoul’s liberal government for seeking renewed dialogue. Since U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks broke down in 2019, leader Kim Jong Un has largely suspended diplomacy with Seoul and Washington while accelerating the development of nuclear-capable missiles and pursuing closer ties with Russia, China and other partners. North Korean state media also said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was scheduled to arrive for a two-day visit Thursday.