North Korean leader Kim oversaw test of missiles with cluster warheads

InternationalNorth Korean leader Kim oversaw test of missiles with cluster warheadsBy Reuters -Apr 20, 2026North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw Sunday’s ballistic missile test ‌launches as part of efforts to evaluate the performance of warheads carrying cluster bombs and fragmentation mines, state media KCNA reported on Monday. The tests represented the fourth ballistic missile launch this month and the seventh this year, as North Korea seeks to build its missile and nuclear capabilities in defiance of UN Security ​Council resolutions. The tests involved five launches of upgraded short-range Hwasong-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missiles to evaluate the power and performance ​of the new warheads, KCNA said. North Korea fired the missiles toward an island target zone about 136 km (85 ⁠miles) away, striking an area of roughly 12.5 to 13 hectares (31 to 32 acres) with what the report described as high density, ​demonstrating the system’s capability for concentrated suppression strikes. South Korea on Sunday said North Korea fired the missiles from near the city of Sinpo on ​its east coast toward the sea at around 6:10 a.m. (2110 GMT on Saturday), with the presidential Blue House urging Pyongyang to stop such “provocations”. A South Korean Unification Ministry spokesperson said on Monday there was “an unusually large presence” of commanders from units on the front line separating the Koreas at the test, linking this to ​Kim’s stated intent to bolster deterrence against South Korea through expanded deployment of tactical missiles. North and South Korea technically remain at war after ​the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice agreement, not a peace treaty. KCNA said Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction with the test results, calling them proof that years ‌of work ⁠by a specialised missile warhead research group had not been in vain, and urged defence scientists to continue advancing technologies needed to strengthen the military’s combat readiness. Imag...