{"id":48077,"date":"2022-04-17T03:23:57","date_gmt":"2022-04-17T03:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=48077"},"modified":"2022-04-17T03:23:57","modified_gmt":"2022-04-17T03:23:57","slug":"n-korea-tests-new-weapon-that-will-boost-nuclear-capabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=48077","title":{"rendered":"N Korea tests new weapon that \u2018will boost nuclear capabilities\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Weapon launch, supervised by Kim Jong Un, comes as US and South Korea warn that North Korea could soon resume nuclear testing.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 17 Apr 2022<\/span>17 Apr 2022<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has observed the test firing of a \u201cnew type of tactical guided weapon\u201d aimed at boosting the country\u2019s nuclear capabilities, according to state media.<\/p>\n

The report early on Sunday came as South Korea and the United States warned that Pyongyang could soon resume nuclear testing and after Kim broke a self-imposed moratorium<\/a> on intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing with a launch last month.<\/p>\n

The Korean Central News Agency said the latest weapons test \u201cis of great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes\u201d.<\/p>\n

It did not say when the test took place and gave no details of the missile involved.<\/p>\n

Kim, who guided the test, \u201cgave important instructions on further building up the defence capabilities and nuclear combat forces of the country,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

Photos carried by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a grinning Kim \u2013 surrounded by uniformed officials \u2013 applauding as he watched what it said was the test firing of the weapon.<\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s military confirmed the weapons launch, saying early on Sunday that it had detected two projectiles launched from the North\u2019s east coast towards the sea late on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The projectiles flew about 110 kilometres (68 miles) with an apogee of 25km and a maximum speed of under Mach 4, it said.<\/p>\n

\"North<\/img>
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during the test firing of a new tactical guided weapon in this undated photo released on April 16, 2022 by North Korea\u2019s Korean Central News Agency [KCNA via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the weapon was likely a short-range ballistic missile and the North\u2019s first tactical nuclear weapon delivery system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis test of a tactical nuclear delivery system comes as indicators grow of significant reconstitutive work at North Korea\u2019s Punggye-ri nuclear test site,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The site, in the far northeast of the country, is where North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests.<\/p>\n

It was closed in 2018 ahead of a first round of talks between Kim and then-US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Those talks collapsed in 2019.<\/p>\n

Images captured by a commercial satellite in March showed signs of new activity at a tunnel there, and officials and analysts say North Korea may carry out its seventh nuclear test in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Duyeon Kim, a North Korea expert at the US-based Center for a New American Security, said North Korea\u2019s weapons tests tell its people that their country is strong.<\/p>\n

She added that one reason for the timing of the latest test could be to protest against anticipated joint US-South Korea military drills, which are due to start on Monday.<\/p>\n

US Special Representative Sung Kim is also due in Seoul on the same day for a five-day visit to discuss a response to the North\u2019s recent missile launches with his South Korean counterparts.<\/p>\n

The US has said it is open to talks with North Korea at any time and without conditions, but Pyongyang has so far rebuffed those overtures, accusing Washington of maintaining hostile policies such as sanctions and military drills.<\/p>\n

The KCNA report on a new weapons test also came shortly after North Korea celebrated<\/a> the 110th anniversary of the birth of late founder Kim Il Sung, one of the biggest annual public holidays in the country, but without a military parade.<\/p>\n

South Korean officials have said Pyongyang could still stage a military parade or carry out a weapons test on or around April 25, the anniversary of the founding of the Korean People\u2019s Army.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weapon launch, supervised by Kim Jong Un, comes as US and South Korea warn that North Korea could soon resume nuclear testing.Published On 17 Apr 202217 Apr 2022North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has observed the test firing of a \u201cnew type of tactical guided weapon\u201d aimed at boosting the country\u2019s nuclear capabilities, according to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48077\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}