In brief

• North Korea says it tested a missile with a cluster-munition warhead on Saturday.
• Pyongyang claims the weapon can destroy a 12 to 13 hectare target area.
• Officials plan to make four warhead types usable by the end of 2026.
• The test comes days after ten ballistic missiles were fired toward the Sea of Japan, which UN resolutions prohibit.

Test of cluster-munition warhead

North Korea said on Saturday that it had tested a weapon system equipped with cluster-bomb warheads to check its readiness and effect. According to Pyongyang, such a missile can fully destroy a target zone of 12 to 13 hectares (Nordkorea testet Raketensprengköpfe mit Streumunition – DER SPIEGEL) (Trotz Verbots durch die UNO - Nordkorea meldet Test von Streumunition für ballistische Raketen – Deutschlandfunk).

Four warhead categories

An official of the national missile authority said the warheads fall into four categories, without giving further details. State news agency KCNA reported on Sunday that the army would be able to use every type of these bombs, depending on the mission, by the end of 2026.

Context of recent launches

The test follows a launch of ten ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan only a few days earlier. Under UN resolutions, North Korea is barred from launching or testing ballistic missiles of any range. Analysts and governments are concerned the missiles could eventually carry nuclear warheads.

Reporting so far

State media describe the new warhead as designed for tactical ballistic missiles (Nordkorea: Nordkorea testet laut Bericht neuartigen Streubomben-Sprengkopf – ZEIT ONLINE). The claims about its destructive area come from Pyongyang and have not been independently verified.