North Korea tests new tactical nuclear weapons system

North Korea accuses the US of preparing an attack with its maneuvers in South Korea. Now the country under Kim Jong-un has demonstrated its power: The capacities for a nuclear strike are said to have been increased.

North Korea says it has made further progress on strengthening its nuclear strike capabilities. The country has successfully tested a new type of tactical guided missile, the state media reported on Sunday, without giving the time of the test or other details. However, it was said that the development of this weapon system was of great importance in order to increase the firepower of artillery pieces on the front line and the efficiency of the use of “tactical nuclear weapons”. Ruler Kim Jong Un supervised the test.

Tactical nuclear weapons or nuclear battlefield weapons are understood to be nuclear weapons whose radius of action and explosive power is significantly lower than strategic nuclear weapons that can be used beyond a continent. They could theoretically be used in combat as a powerful alternative to conventional weapons, such as short-range missiles, artillery shells or even landmines. For example, they could also be dropped from airplanes as bombs.

One of the world’s most dangerous conflicts

The test came at a time of greater uncertainty on the Korean Peninsula. The USA and its ally South Korea fear that the isolated North Korea could soon undertake a new nuclear test after its latest missile tests.

North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is one of the most dangerous conflicts in the world. The Stockholm peace research institute Sipri estimates, based on the fissile material produced, that the country may be building or may have built 40 to 50 nuclear warheads.

Nuclear weapons as a guarantee of survival

North Korea withdrew from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in 2003. The internationally isolated communist leadership in Pyongyang sees nuclear weapons as a guarantee of survival. It is sticking to its nuclear program despite tough UN sanctions and accepts that the country’s economic development will be hampered.

North Korea’s statements about the latest weapons test cannot be independently verified. The general staff of the South Korean armed forces confirmed the test, but initially spoke of two “projectiles” that North Korea fired towards the open sea in the east on Saturday evening (local time). They flew about 110 kilometers at an altitude of up to 25 kilometers. Experts suspected that these could be short-range ballistic missiles.

Enhanced Deterrence

UN resolutions ban North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range, which, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead. Ballistic missiles are usually surface-to-surface missiles, most of which have a guidance system.

North Korea’s rulers linked the latest weapons test directly to the ruling Workers’ Party’s requirements to strengthen North Korea’s nuclear deterrence. Kim was quoted as saying that he had instructed “to expand the defense capabilities and the nuclear force”.

USA as “main enemy”

In January 2021, Kim had called for the development of tactical nuclear weapons and new solid-propellant ICBMs that could also reach the United States. He had described the United States as the “main enemy”. Tactical nuclear weapons belong to a large spectrum of non-strategic nuclear weapons. According to experts, North Korea’s short-range missiles are primarily intended to hit targets in neighboring South Korea and to evade the enemy’s missile defense system.

North Korea has been testing missiles several times since the beginning of this year. At the end of March, neighboring countries and the USA were particularly alarmed by the downing of a North Korean (ICBM). ICBMs have ranges of more than 5,500 kilometers. With this action, Pyongyang also broke a self-imposed moratorium on such missiles, which previously also applied to nuclear tests.

Nuclear test as a warning

Experts from the Stimson Center’s 38 North news site, which specializes in North Korea, recently reported, citing satellite images, that North Korea is apparently continuing to work on restoring a tunnel at its nuclear test site in the north. The country had carried out six nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri test complex that was blown up in 2018, the strongest in September 2017.

According to observers, North Korea may have chosen the timing of the latest weapons test to send a warning to South Korea and the United States. South Korea’s military announced on Sunday that both countries would begin nine-day joint maneuvers on Monday. It is about “computer simulations”, field exercises are not planned. The purpose is to improve joint preparedness capabilities.

The exercises had been expected for a long time. North Korea regularly accuses the United States of preparing an attack with its maneuvers in South Korea. Both countries dispute this.