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North Korea Touts Cluster-Warhead Missile and Electromagnetic Weapon After Three Days of Tests

The mix signals a shift toward cheaper, disruptive tools to tax allied defenses.

Overview

  • KCNA, which detailed results Thursday, said tests ran from Monday to Wednesday and included a Hwasong-11Ka cluster-warhead missile, an electromagnetic weapon, carbon-fiber bombs, a short-range air defense system, and a low-cost engine trial.
  • South Korea and Japan tracked multiple short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday with flights near 240 kilometers and over 700 kilometers, and a Tuesday launch near Pyongyang appeared to fail early in flight.
  • Seoul convened an emergency security meeting and with Tokyo condemned the launches as violations of UN Security Council resolutions.
  • Electromagnetic weapons burn out circuits and carbon-fiber, or graphite, bombs drop conductive strands that short electrical grids, tools designed to shut down power and communications without blasting buildings.
  • Many of Pyongyang’s performance claims remain unverified, with allied analysts still reviewing flight data and state media offering no launch images.