◀ anchor ▶
North Korea unveiled military exercises for its tactical nuclear operations unit, showing it can fire missiles carrying small nuclear warheads anytime, anywhere.
In particular, the missile fired from the reservoir shook South Korea’s military surveillance network, which the military downplayed, saying “the launch of the reservoir itself is not effective” and “It is only a measure of North Korea’s difficulty it is aware of our monitoring capabilities, and detection and interception is possible.”
Reporter Um Ji-in covered the story.
◀ Report ▶
A North Korean ballistic missile rose from the middle of a reservoir in Taecheon, North Pyongan Province, on the 25th of last month.
The military authorities initially estimated that it was a short-range ballistic missile fired from a mobile launch pad, but the launch location and type of missile differed from those announced by North Korea.
[조선중앙TV]
“A ballistic missile launch exercise simulating the loading of tactical nuclear warheads was conducted at the reservoir’s underwater launch site.”
North Korea, which has revealed an underwater launch in a reservoir unprecedented in the world, has further raised the threat level by showing different missiles such as the North Korean version of the Iskander and Atacms.
Not only direct strikes, but also aerial detonations of nuclear weapons were tested, and it was also made clear that the target of the miniaturized tactical nuclear warhead was the entire warhead of South Korea.
It is interpreted as a provocation that could neutralize the ‘kill chain’, the core of South Korea’s three-axis system, which seeks to detect and intercept North Korea’s nuclear and missile tendencies in advance.
[장영근 / 한국항공대 교수]
“We tested different trajectory scenarios that we (North Korea) could carry a small nuclear warhead, and that missiles could evade surveillance.”
The military explained, “The launch of the reservoir is an alarming measure to be aware of and avoid the surveillance capabilities of the ROK and the United States.”
It is argued that there are limitations to covert operation as it shoots from a static reservoir rather than a submarine.
Amid growing concerns that North Korea will eventually conduct a seventh nuclear test to verify the stability of its small tactical nuclear warheads, President Yun Seok-yeol told North Korea, “There is nothing to be gained by nuclear weapons.” About some of the claims that the
This is Umji-in from MBC News.
Video editing: Lee Ji-young
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