N. Korea launches missile 5 days after unveiling nuclear facility

North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) targeting South Korea in a surprise move on Wednesday, the last day of the Chuseok holiday. The missile, which is believed to be an improved version of the North Korean version of the Iskander (KN-23), was fired five days after the North first unveiled a facility to manufacture highly enriched uranium (HEU), raising the level of the inter-Korean nuclear and missile threat. Earlier, South Korean intelligence officials had officially assessed that North Korea had miniaturized and standardized the ‘Hwasan-31’ tactical nuclear warhead to the point where it could be mounted on most new missiles aimed at South Korea.

“Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired in a northeasterly direction from the Kaechon area in North Pyongan Province at around 6:50 a.m.,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, “The missiles traveled about 400 kilometers.” There has been speculation both inside and outside the military that the missiles may have been the ‘Hwasongpo-11 Da-4.5’ (North Korean name), a tactical ballistic missile with a 4.5-ton super-large mock-up conventional warhead.

The missile is a modified version of the KN-23 with an increased warhead weight and a shorter range. It has a maximum range of about 600 kilometers and is capable of hitting all of South Korea. Amid this development, the South Korean military will officially launch the Strategic Command on March 1. The command, which is under the defense minister, will serve as a control tower to counter North Korea's nuclear and WMD threats.


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com