North Korea tests ballistic missile with 'superlarge warhead'

Korean Central News Agency report made no mention of the second missile. It also did not elaborate on the nature of the simulated warhead, like where the missile launched from and where it landed.

North Korea has said it successfully tested a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a 4.5-tonne "superlarge warhead", Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday, quoting the state media. The test of the Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5 missile was conducted to verify its flight stability and hit accuracy at the maximum range of 500km and minimum range of 90km, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

On Monday, South Korea's military reported the launch of two ballistic missiles by North Korea and said the second likely failed soon after it was fired, blowing up in flight over land. The KCNA report made no mention of the second missile. It also did not elaborate on the nature of the simulated warhead, like where the missile launched from and where it landed.

North Korea did not publicise Monday's test with photographs, unlike during previous such announcements. Testing the missile's maximum and minimum ranges suggested it performed two launches. The report of the test was likely "deception", a spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told a press briefing on Tuesday, as one of them appeared to have failed in the early stages of flight, Al Jazeera reported.

That missile's trajectory suggested a possible midair explosion over North Korea which could have led to debris falling on the country, Seoul's military said. "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," Al Jazeera quoted JCS spokesperson Lee Sung-joon.

One of the two missiles was flying abnormally and appeared to show up in a field not far from the capital, Pyongyang, South Korea's military said. Shin Jongwoo, a Seoul-based military expert, told The Associated Press news agency that the lack of photos also raised some questions about the success of the test. (ANI)

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