North Korea Tests Cluster Warhead Power... "Devastates 13 Hectares"

North Korea announced that it conducted a test evaluating the power of a cluster warhead for tactical ballistic missiles yesterday (October 31).

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, "The Missile General Bureau conducted a combat applicability and power evaluation test of a tactical ballistic missile dispersing warhead on October 31."

The test was guided by General Kim Jong-sik, a member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and first vice department director of the party's Central Committee.

The Ballistic Missile System Institute and the Warhead Institute under the Missile General Bureau announced the test results, claiming that "with the Type 2 standard dispersing warhead, a target area of 12 – 13 jeongbo (approximately 11.9 – 12.9 hectares) can be devastated with super-powerful density."

A dispersing warhead refers to a cluster warhead (cluster bomb) containing multiple submunitions inside a single warhead.

It is a weapon designed to maximize lethality as submunitions disperse in all directions upon exploding in midair.

The head of the Missile General Bureau stated, "We classify dispersing warheads into four categories: special purpose and standard types," adding, "Within this year, we will make all these warheads available for units to select and use in accordance with operational purposes and the characteristics of targets to be eliminated."

The Missile General Bureau further added that the test was "part of regular scientific research activities to enhance the power of combat systems."

The report was not published in media outlets accessible to the North Korean public, such as Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea.

(Photo: KCNA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.