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North Korea's tests of 'soft-kill' weapons spark concern in Seoul

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 18:48 Updated: 09 Apr. 2026, 19:32

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, and his daughter Kim Ju-ae watch a live feed of a strategic cruise missile test from the destroyer Choe Hyon at an undisclosed location in North Korea on March 10, in a photo carried by Korean Central News Agency the following day. [YONHAP]

North Korea recently conducted tests of several kinds of warheads mounted to short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), raising serious concerns that its advanced "soft-kill" military technology could neutralize opposing assets and strategies.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday reported that North Korea's Academy of Defence Science and the Missile Administration conducted “tests of important weapons systems" utilizing electromagnetic pulse (EMP) devices, cluster munitions and Hwasong-11ka (KN-23) SRBMs — a missile often likened to Russia's Iskander system.

The regime appears to have aimed at showcasing capabilities whose effectiveness has been demonstrated in the battlefields of Iran and Ukraine, while also accelerating efforts to develop “asymmetrical power” to neutralize advanced South Korean and U.S. military assets.

The tests and recent statements by Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and Vice Foreign Minister Jang Kum-chol suggest the North is trying to seize the initiative in inter-Korean relations and maintain its aggressive “two separate hostile states” doctrine, according to analysts.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired multiple SRBMs toward the East Sea at around 8:50 a.m. from the Wonsan area in Kangwon Province on Wednesday, followed by another SRBM launch at 2:20 p.m. later that day.

The launch of a new high-altitude, long-range surface-to-air missile takes place in this footage broadcast by North Korea's state-controlled Korean Central TV in December last year. [YONHAP]

The projectile launched in the morning flew about 240 kilometers (149 miles) to the northeast before landing in waters near Alsom, an island in North Hamgyong Province, while the afternoon missile traveled more than 700 kilometers northeast, falling into open international waters south of Russia and west of Japan.

“The Ballistic Missile System Institute and the Warhead Institute of the Missile Administration conducted a test of estimating the combat application and cluster munitions power of [a] tactical ballistic missile warhead,” the state-controlled KCNA reported. “[Authorities] confirmed that the surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile Hwasongpho-11 Ka [Hwasong-11ka] tipped with the cluster bomb warhead can reduce to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5-7 hectares with the highest-density power.”

The “cluster bomb warhead” in the KCNA report likely refers to a cluster munition warhead.

Cluster bombs contain numerous submunitions that disperse upon detonation, maximizing their destructive force and earning them the nickname “steel rain.” Iran has recently faced controversy over the alleged use of such weapons in attacks on Israel.

The test area, spanning 6.5 to 7 hectares (16 to 17.2 acres), is roughly equivalent to 10 football pitches. Pyongyang’s state media previously reported in November 2022 that it had conducted SRBM launch tests with cluster warheads in response to the Seoul-Washington joint air drill, dubbed Vigilant Storm, that same year.

People at Seoul Station watch a television broadcast about ballistic missile launches by North Korea on April 8. [NEWS1]

North Korea also claimed it conducted tests of an EMP weapon system and the dispersal of carbon fiber munitions. An EMP weapon uses powerful electromagnetic pulses to burn electronic circuits, instantly disabling power and communications systems.

Carbon fiber munitions, also known as graphite bombs, disperse highly conductive, nickel-coated carbon fibers to disrupt electrical grids.

Although North Korea’s test activity on Monday had not been disclosed, South Korean experts believe EMP-related tests may have been conducted that day.

“North Korea's operationalization of ‘soft-kill’ capabilities that paralyze power and communications networks — the core of modern warfare — is particularly serious," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

“North Korea boasted that its multiple strategic assets are capable of threatening the U.S. mainland and blocking deployment of reinforcements from the United States in case of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula,” Lim noted.

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone on June 30, 2019. [AP/YONHAP]

The KCNA added that the regime conducted a load test on its weaponry engine using "low-cost materials."

Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said that Wednesday’s morning launch "likely tested the destructive power of cluster munitions near Alsom Island, while the afternoon launch appeared to be a range test of an engine designed to improve cost-effectiveness by using cheaper materials.”

In addition, North Korea claimed that its “missile agency conducted a test to verify the combat reliability" of a "mobile short-range antiaircraft missile system.”

The test suggests the North is looking to replicate Iran's success in shooting down a U.S. F-15E fighter jet using a relatively low-cost man-portable air defense system.

Pedestrians in Pyongyang on Feb. 26 [AP/YONHAP]

North Korea did not mention whether leader Kim Jong-un attended the tests. The regime also did not report the tests in domestic outlets such as Korean Central TV or the Rodong Sinmun, which North Koreans consume. No related photos were released, making it difficult to verify whether the performance claims were successfully validated.

“This appears to be an attempt to show domestic audiences that it is attending to livelihoods through initiatives such as the ‘Regional Development 20x10 Policy,’ while externally calibrating military tensions to maximize leverage in diplomatic negotiations,” Lim said.

Starting Friday, the South Korean and U.S. air forces will conduct the Freedom Flag joint drill at Gwangju Air Base. The joint exercise will continue through April 24.

Freedom Flag is a large-scale joint air exercise held by the allies twice a year.

Participating aircraft will include South Korea’s F-35A, KA-1 and others, along with U.S. Air Force assets such as the F-16 and RQ-4 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, as well as U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 fighters.

“This exercise is led by the South Korean Air Force in preparation for the transfer of wartime operational control, with a focus on verifying joint operational capabilities,” the South Korean Air Force said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]