N. Korea continues to diversify weapons systems, in line with five-year military plan

북한 잇단 무기 시험, 무기개발 어디까지 왔나? 북한 미사일 무기고 다양화 The latest weapons test comes as North Korea continues to diversify its nuclear and missile programs and raise tensions in the region. Bae Eun-ji explains what’s behind all this and how far its weapons development has come. North Korea’s cruise missile launch over the weekend is widely seen as an attempt to diversify its weapons systems, in line with its key military goals unveiled three years ago. Under a five-year plan laid out at a Workers’ Party congress in early 2021, the North declared that it aims to develop five types of new weapons: tactical nuclear weapons, a new intercontinental ballistic missile, hypersonic gliding flight warheads, nuclear-powered submarines and a reconnaissance satellite. “North Korea said the latest cruise missile test was conducted without considering the geopolitical situation, so it’s likely that the regime’s intention is to complete the five military tasks related to this new weapon on their own timeline.“ Over the past year, the regime has been focusing on developing ballistic missiles, especially ICBMs, that are capable of targeting the United States. They have been developing liquid fuel ICBMs such as the Hwasong-15 and Hwasong-17. Then for the first time, in April 2023, it tested a new ICBM using “solid fuel,“ the Hwasong-18. Pyongyang conducted a second test in July and then a third test last month. In both, the Hwasong-18 was launched at a high angle and flew 6-thousand kilometers. This means that if the missile is launched at a normal angle, it would be able to travel over 10-thousand kilometers, reaching the U.S. mainland. Earlier this month, the North also fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile, claiming that it was a successful test launch of its solid-fuel missile, carrying a “hypersonic warhead.“ Hypersonic missiles are designed to travel at more than five times the speed of sound, and often maneuver at relatively low altitudes, making them harder to detect. And intermediate-range missiles have a maximum range of 5,500 kilometers, which means they’re capable of striking U.S. military bases in Guam, or Okinawa in Japan. “North Korea wants it to appear that there are a wide range of threats that they could pose against South Korea and the United States, so that they’re intimidating so that they could coerce us, they deter us from taking action against them.“ Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News. #NorthKorea #Missile #Weapon #북한 #미사일 #무기 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-01-29, 18:00 (KST)