‘4.5t super-large warhead’ appears to have been tested
‘Nuclear-Missile Two-Track Threat’ Across the South
On the last day of the Chuseok holiday, the 18th, North Korea launched a surprise short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) targeting all of South Korea. Five days after revealing for the first time a facility for producing highly enriched uranium (HEU), a nuclear material, North Korea fired what is presumed to be an improved version of the “North Korean Iskander (KN-23),” raising the level of nuclear and missile threats against South Korea. Intelligence authorities have previously made an official assessment that North Korea has miniaturized and standardized the tactical nuclear warhead “Hwasan-31” to a level where it can be mounted on most new missiles targeting all of South Korea.
On this day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, “At around 6:50 a.m., our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles launched in a northeast direction from the Gaechon area in South Pyongan Province,” and “The missiles flew approximately 400 km.” Both inside and outside the military, there have been concerns that this missile may be the Hwasongpo-11Da-4.5 type (North Korean name) tactical ballistic missile equipped with a 4.5-ton ultra-large conventional warhead. This missile is an improved version of the KN-23 with a heavier warhead and shorter range, and has a maximum range of approximately 600 km, which can strike all of South Korea. Meanwhile, our military will officially launch the Strategic Command on the 1st of next month. The Strategic Command, under the Minister of National Defense, will serve as a control tower to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threats.
“North Korea, after miniaturizing nuclear warheads, aims to turn South Korea into scorched earth with conventional monster warheads”
North Korea’s Two-track Threat to South Korea
KN-23 improved missile presumed to have been launched… Possibility of increased warhead weight to more than 4.5 tons
“Intention to combine conventional and nuclear powers”… Strategic Command to ‘lead response to North Korea’s nuclear program’ to be launched next month
North Korea, which first revealed a nuclear material production facility full of centrifuges for uranium enrichment on the 13th, just before the Chuseok holiday, launched a short-range ballistic missile on the 18th, the last day of the holiday, and there are observations that this is a signal flare accelerating the nuclear and missile threat targeting South Korea. Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea had previously ordered at the uranium enrichment facility, “Concentrate all efforts on producing the nuclear material needed to produce tactical nuclear weapons.” This was an order to speed up the development of miniaturized nuclear weapons for use against South Korea. Both inside and outside the military, it is believed that the short-range ballistic missile launched on the 18th is likely to be a missile capable of carrying an ultra-large conventional warhead. Having succeeded in miniaturizing and standardizing nuclear warheads, North Korea is blatantly revealing its intention for a “two-track” provocation by developing an ultra-large conventional warhead. North Korea is expected to rapidly increase the level of its threat against South Korea in the future by alternately threatening with nuclear and conventional power.
● Intention to turn Seoul into scorched earth with ‘North Korea’s monster missile’
In July, North Korea successfully launched two missiles believed to be an improved version of the KN-23, dubbed the North Korean version of the Iskander, with one missile flying over 600 km, its maximum range. At the time, North Korea claimed that the missile had a super-large warhead weighing 4.5 tons.
North Korea fired a missile that is believed to be an improved version of the KN-23 this time, but it only flew about 400 km. Accordingly, both inside and outside the military, it has been suggested that North Korea may have increased the weight of the mock warhead by more than 4.5 tons instead of reducing the range. The Hyunmoo-5 in our military’s possession is called a “monster missile” with the world’s heaviest warhead, with a warhead weight of over 8 tons. Although it does not reach the Hyunmoo-5, it is possible that they tested a high-weight, high-power ballistic missile that could be called a “North Korean version of a monster missile.” It has been reported that our military has drawn up a plan for the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) to reduce Pyongyang to ashes with 20-30 Hyunmoo-5 missiles in case North Korea invades the South. Accordingly, it seems that North Korea is also continuously upgrading its missiles, including the weight of their warheads, under the plan to reduce Seoul to ashes by firing dozens of “North Korean version of a monster missile.”
Our intelligence authorities recently officially assessed that North Korea has succeeded in miniaturizing and standardizing tactical nuclear warheads so that it can fire nuclear weapons like replacing batteries on three types of short-range ballistic missiles for striking South Korea, including the KN-23, the “North Korean ATACMS” (KN-24), and the “super-large multiple rocket launcher” (KN-25). In addition to these nuclear weapons, North Korea is also blatantly showing off high-power conventional weapons, such as super-large conventional warhead ballistic missiles with maximized destructive power. It is attempting to put pressure on South Korea from all sides, targeting its “two-track threat strategy against South Korea.” Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, emphasized that “North Korea is clearly showing its intention to occupy South Korea through a “mixed warfare” that combines conventional and nuclear weapons.”
In December, North Korea openly revealed its intention to pursue a policy of hostility toward the South, with Chairman Kim saying, “In the event of an emergency, we will mobilize all physical means and capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to accelerate preparations for a major incident to level the entire territory of South Korea.”
North Korea, which has focused its capabilities on responding to flood damage for a while, is now expected to launch provocations targeting not only South Korea but also the US ahead of the US presidential election in November. There is also speculation that it will first launch a test launch for the final deployment of the improved KN-23 missile.
● Launch of the Military and Power Asset Integrated Command Strategy Command
The Strategic Command, which our military authorities will launch on the 1st of next month, will be in charge of integrating our military’s strategic assets, including Hyunmoo series ballistic missiles and stealth fighters. It will be in charge of suppressing North Korea’s nuclear and WMD threats. However, it has been reported that the military authorities are refraining from any direct additional response to North Korea’s provocations, other than the currently-implemented loudspeaker broadcasts. A military official said, “If we take additional military action, it will only give North Korea a pretext to launch additional ballistic missiles.”
Reporter Son Hyo-joo [email protected]
Reporter Shin Jin-woo [email protected]
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2024-09-18 20:43:34