North Korea tests upgraded tactical ballistic missile

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 08:44 · Archive

North Korea says it test-fired a tactical ballistic missile to confirm an upgrade to a key weapons system component.

North Korea said on Monday it test-fired a tactical ballistic missile to confirm a technical upgrade described as 'heralding an important change in improving the performance and sophistication of all offensive weapon systems'. The Korean Central News Agency did not identify the specific component or missile model in its brief report.

South Korea's military detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area, with some flying more than 559 miles towards the sea separating Korea and Japan. Japan's Defence Ministry said it detected at least two missiles, one travelling roughly 137 miles and another more than 565 miles, with the longer-range missile possibly following an irregular trajectory. A military analyst identified the missile from North Korea's photographs as a Hwasong-11Da carrying a 2.5-ton warhead, though South Korea's military said it was still analysing the missile types. The missile is believed to be a variant of North Korea's KN-23 short-range ballistic missile, which resembles Russia's Iskander-M.

At a press briefing, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said Seoul was examining whether a short-range ballistic missile had been fired at maximum range or a medium-range missile launched over a reduced distance. He said South Korean and U.S. authorities assessed the missiles were within the detection and interception capabilities of their defence assets.

How it is being reported

• North Korea says 'tactical' ballistic missile test confirms key upgradeNorth Korea test-fired what it called a "tactical ballistic missile" to confirm an upgrade to a key component of its weapons systems, state-run media reported Tuesday.UPI · 13 Oct, 08:32
• North Korea says it tested upgraded ‘tactical’ ballistic missilePyongyang said the test confirmed the success of a technical upgrade to "an important core element" of the weapon system.The Japan Times · 13 Oct, 00:24

In this story: North Korea · South Korea · Japan · Korea Central News Agency · Joint Chiefs of Staff

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem