Tactical Ballistic Missile Test
On April 19, the Missile General Bureau of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea conducted a test‑launch to evaluate the warhead power of the improved ground‑to‑ground tactical ballistic missile Hwasongpho‑11Ra.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, observed the test.
Also present were Kim Jong Sik, member of the WPK Central Military Commission and First Deputy Department Director of the WPK Central Committee; General Jang Chang Ha Director of the Missile General Bureau; Lt. Gen. An Yong Hwan, Commander of the KPA 1st Corps; Lt. Gen. Ju Song Nam, Commander of the 2nd Corps; Lt. Gen. Jong Myong Nam, Commander of the 4th Corps; and Lt. Gen. Ri Jong Guk, Commander of the 5th Corps.
The purpose of the test‑launch was to verify the characteristics and destructive power of the cluster warhead and fragmentation‑mine warhead applied to the tactical ballistic missile.
The five tactical ballistic missiles fired toward a designated target area centered on an island target at the 136‑km line struck an area of 12.5 to 13 hectares with very high density, fully demonstrating their combat effectiveness.
Kim Jong Un stated that with the development and introduction of various types of cluster warheads, the operational needs of the army can now be met more fully and efficiently. He said that increasing high‑density suppression‑strike capability against specific target areas—alongside precision‑strike capability—has great significance in actual military operations, and he expressed deep satisfaction with the test results.
Kim Jong Un assessed that the technologies and data acquired and updated today are valuable achievements that clearly show the five years devoted to organizing a specialized missile‑warhead research group were not in vain.
He encouraged the national defense science research groups to continue achieving successes in major tasks aimed at securing and advancing the diverse cutting‑edge technologies required for the army’s combat readiness.
