North Korea claims successful ballistic missile test — RMF24

North Korea has announced the successful test launch of a tactical ballistic missile conducted on October 12. According to RMF24, the country’s General Missile Bureau said the test was intended to confirm the results of technical upgrades to key weapon components.

Assessment of flight range

The state-run KCNA agency described the modernization as a major success that is expected to improve the effectiveness and accuracy of offensive weapons systems. At the same time, the KCNA report did not specify either the number of missiles launched or their flight range.

South Korea’s military command and Japan’s Ministry of Defense had previously reported detecting several ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area toward the Sea of Japan. According to the assessment of the military in Seoul, one of them flew more than 900 km.

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The Yonhap news agency noted that the report on the test was published only by North Korean state media aimed at foreign audiences. At the same time, it was not printed by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, intended for North Korea’s domestic audience.

Version involving an intermediate-range missile

South Korean military officials do not rule out that North Korea may have tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile over a deliberately shortened distance. Pyongyang’s actions are also interpreted as a show of force in response to Seoul’s announcement of the successful first test of its own hypersonic glide vehicle.

Separately, KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening ceremony of the National Defense Revolution Museum. The institution, dedicated to the development of national weapons, displays the new-generation Hwasong-20 ballistic missile, hypersonic warheads, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Kim Jong Un was accompanied by his wife and daughter at the ceremony.