North Korea's New Missile Test Raises Skepticism

North Korea has claimed it successfully test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile, a claim quickly questioned by South Korean officials. The missile is said to carry a super-large warhead, but experts speculate the test might have been a failure, with North Korea possibly fabricating success.

North Korea announced on Tuesday that it had test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile designed to carry a 'super-large warhead.' However, South Korean officials and experts quickly cast doubt on the claim, suggesting that North Korea may have contrived the test to hide a failed launch.

This mark's the second time South Korea has questioned North Korea's assertions about new weapon advancements in recent days, as both nations continue to face heightened tensions over increased testing activities. According to the Korean Central News Agency, the missile tested on Monday was the Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5, which is purported to carry a 4.5-ton warhead. The purpose of the test was to verify the missile's flight stability and accuracy at a range of 500 kilometres and a minimum range of 90 kilometres.

However, doubts arose when South Korean military spokesperson Lee Sung Joon reported that the second missile fell in an uninhabited area near Pyongyang. He indicated that if the missile had exploded mid-flight, debris would likely have been found on the ground, casting further skepticism on the claimed success. There were no photographs or specific launch and landing points provided by North Korea, leading to additional speculation about the test's legitimacy.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)