▲ North Korea carries out a firepower strike drill involving 600 mm ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers on March 14, 2026, in this photo published by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-missile test

(LEAD) N. Korea says test-fired tactical ballistic missile tipped with cluster bomb warhead

(ATTN: REWRITES lead; UPDATES with more details, photos throughout)

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Thursday that it has test-fired a tactical ballistic missile tipped with a cluster bomb warhead, claiming it can "reduce to ashes" any targeted areas with the highest-density power.

North Korea fired the surface-to-surface missile Hwasong-11Ka tipped with a cluster bomb warhead as part of its tests of "important" weapons systems that were conducted from Monday to Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The test confirmed that the missile "can reduce to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5-7 hectares with the highest-density power," the KCNA said.

The test-firing was aimed at "estimating the combat application and cluster munitions power of a tactical ballistic missile warhead," it added.

The South Korean military said Wednesday afternoon that it detected a short-range ballistic missile fired from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea after the launch of multiple such missiles in the morning. On Tuesday, the North also fired an unidentified projectile from the Pyongyang area, but it disappeared shortly after the launch in an apparent failure.

North Korea appears to have launched the KN-23 family of short-range ballistic missiles, the North's version of the Russian Iskander, tipped with a cluster bomb warhead, in a bid to test its high-density strike capability.

The KCNA said North Korea also conducted a test of verifying the combat reliability of a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system.

"There was a firing for testing the maximum workload of engine using low-cost materials," it said.

It also carried out tests of an electromagnetic weapon system and scattering "carbon fiber sham bombs."

The KCNA said the latest weapons tests are "of great significance" in the development of North Korea's armed forces as part of "regular activities to constantly develop and upgrade weapon systems."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not appear to be present at the test site as state media made no mention of his inspection.

The North's back-to-back missile launches came as Pyongyang reaffirmed its hostile stance toward Seoul, rejecting South Korea's efforts to ease tensions and improve strained inter-Korean ties.

President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone flights by individuals into North Korea on Monday. In a swift response, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader, issued a statement late Monday that said North Korea's head of state called Lee "frank and broad-minded."

The South Korean government positively interpreted Kim's message as "meaningful progress" toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. But Jang Kum-chol, North Korea's first vice foreign minister, dismissed Seoul's reaction as a "pipe dream," stressing the message is a "clear warning" against South Korea, which the North called its "most hostile state."

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