On September 19, North Korea announced that the short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) launched the previous day was a “tactical ballistic missile equipped with a super-large warhead.”
Although North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the launch, the details were not revealed to the public, fueling speculation that the government is concealing the costly missile test from citizens struggling with the aftermath of recent floods.
Analysts suggest this omission may be an attempt to conceal the costly missile test from the public, especially amid concerns over domestic sentiment following recent flood damage.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korea’s Missile General Bureau conducted a test launch of the new tactical ballistic missile “Hwasongpo-11-da-4.5” and an improved version of a strategic cruise missile. It claimed that the new tactical missile was equipped with a 4.5-ton warhead, the largest of its kind.
The purpose of the test was to verify the accuracy of the missile, which has a range of 320 km (approximately 199 miles), and to confirm the explosive power of the super-large warhead, according to the report.
Additionally, North Korea stated that the performance of the cruise missile had been enhanced to suit its combat application. Kim Jong-un was present at the site and reportedly expressed great satisfaction with the results.
He emphasized that “such tests and steady improvement of the performance of weapons and equipment through them are directly related to the grave threat of outside forces to the state security environment of the DPRK.”
Kim further stressed the importance of strengthening North Korea’s military capabilities, emphasizing, “the need to continue to bolster up the nuclear force and have the strongest military technical capability and overwhelming offensive capability in the field of conventional weapons.”
His remarks suggest directives to bolster both nuclear and conventional military forces aimed at South Korea. Kim also tested sniper rifles and automatic rifles developed by North Korea’s defense research institute.
Photos released from the event show that the missile test was conducted inland, possibly targeting underground military facilities of South Korea or U.S. forces stationed there.
However, North Korean authorities did not report the missile launch in the Rodong Sinmun, the country’s domestic newspaper, but only through KCNA, which caters to foreign audiences. This is unusual, as Kim Jong-un’s public activities or directives are typically shared with North Korean citizens.
Instead, the front page of the Rodong Sinmun on September 19 focused on economic issues, featuring articles such as “The Fight to Seize the Grain Peak” and “The Flames of Production Surge.” The previous day’s front page highlighted Kim Jong-un’s leadership achievements, including an editorial titled “A True People’s Nation: The Great Kim Jong-un’s Korea,” which emphasized his image as a leader who cares for the people.
A South Korean Unification Ministry official noted that it is rare for Kim’s activities not to be communicated to the public. Although it is possible that the news will be broadcast later through the state-run TV, some experts believe the decision to withhold the missile test may be linked to concerns over public sentiment, which has been affected by recent flooding.
North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports on the launch of the short-range ballistic missile “Hwasongpo-11-da-4.5” on September 18. [Yonhap/KCNA]
The fear is that disclosing an expensive missile test at a time when the North Korean public is struggling with economic hardship could spark discontent.
According to the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), the cost of launching a single short-range missile is estimated at around $3 million. This means that firing around 70 missiles could provide enough food to feed the entire North Korean population for a month.
North Korea has also refrained from informing its citizens about its ongoing propaganda balloon campaign targeting South Korea. It is believed that the North Korean regime fears that highlighting the balloon launches in response to anti-North Korean leaflets could inadvertently draw more attention to the leaflets themselves.
BY YEONGGYO CHUNG, KEUNPYUNG LEE, YUJUNG LEE [uuu@joongang.co.kr]
