North Korea’s Missile Administration test-fires a tactical ballistic missile to confirm a technical upgrade of “an important core element” on Oct. 12, in this photo released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency the following day.YONHAP
North Korea claimed Monday's missile launch tested a technical upgrade to "an important core element" of its weapons systems, calling it a "big success," state media reported Tuesday.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North's state media, cited a single tactical ballistic missile, though South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea. The JCS detected the launches at about 9:20 a.m. on Monday.
North Korea’s Missile Administration "test-fired a tactical ballistic missile on October 12 to confirm the success in the research for the technical upgrading of an important core element," the KCNA reported.
The upgrade is "a big success heralding an important change in improving the performance and sophistication of all offensive weapon systems," the administration said, describing the test as part of its "regular activities" to "put weapon systems on a highly-developed technological basis."
The North did not disclose further details about the test-firing.
The JCS earlier noted that North Korea launched multiple types of ballistic missiles, with one specific kind of missile flying more than 900 kilometers (560 miles), and that South Korean and U.S. authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of their specifications.
Japan's state minister of defense said North Korea fired at least two missiles, fired 17 minutes apart. The first flew about 220 kilometers and the second more than 910 kilometers.
Monday’s launches marked the North’s 16th ballistic missile launch of the year, coming nine days after its previous launch on Oct. 3.
A television at Seoul Station in central Seoul shows a news report on North Korea’s ballistic missile launch on Oct. 12.YONHAP
They also came four days after South Korea publicly announced its first and successful test-firing of a homegrown hypersonic glide vehicle in an event also attended by President Lee Jae Myung.
Hypersonic missiles are often described as potential "game changers" on the battlefield, as they travel at speeds of Mach 5 or faster and can maneuver along unconventional trajectories, which makes them difficult to track and intercept. At Mach 5, a hypersonic missile can fly the 195-kilometer distance between Pyongyang and Seoul in approximately two minutes.
The South Korean government’s disclosure of the advanced weapons test was seen as an apparent demonstration of its deterrence capabilities against North Korea following a land mine explosion in the demilitarized zone on Sept. 21 that injured three South Korean soldiers.
"It is a blatant and clear violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and a grave threat to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and the entire international community, and the [South Korean] government strongly condemns it," South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.
