North Korea tests missile tipped with super-large warhead

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea successfully tested a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a super-large warhead, state media said Tuesday, with analysts suggesting the weapon could be nuclear-capable.

Pyongyang’s state media claimed it had successfully launched the Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5 missile, which it said was capable of carrying a 4.5 ton-class super-large warhead.

“The test-fire was conducted with a missile tipped with a simulated heavy warhead to verify flight stability and hit accuracy at the maximum range of 500 kilometers and the minimum range of 90 kilometers,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency said.

It added that it would test fire the missile again this month “to verify flight characteristics, hit accuracy and explosion power of super-large warhead at the medium range of 250 kilometers.”

But Seoul’s military said Pyongyang’s claims of a successful test were likely a “lie,” pointing to the fact that one of the missiles appeared to have failed in the early stages of flight.

That missile’s trajectory suggested a possible mid-air explosion over North Korea, the military has said, which could have led to debris falling on the country.

“It is extremely rare for test launches to be conducted inland, and the claim that they succeeded in such a launch is likely to be false,” Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun told reporters Tuesday.