A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP
North Korea tested weapon systems over three days this week, including the firing of ballistic missiles and cluster bombs, its state media said on Thursday, April 9. A mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system was also included in the tests, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The trials took place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, as part of regular efforts to develop and upgrade weapons systems, KCNA said. South Korea's military reported earlier that North Korea had fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles in two rounds on Wednesday, and an "unidentified projectile" the previous day.
According to KCNA, the exercises "confirmed that the surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile Hwasongpho-11 Ka tipped with the cluster bomb warhead can reduce to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5-7 hectares."
Cluster munitions disperse dozens or even hundreds of smaller submunitions over a wide area, making them controversial because of the long-term risks they pose to civilians. Also tested were an "electromagnetic weapon system" and "carbon fiber sham bombs scattering" that KCNA described as "special assets of strategic nature." The launches also involved the use of "low-cost materials" to examine the "maximum workload of the engine," it added.
