In brief
North Korea conducted a test of a Standard Type 2 cluster‑bomb warhead on an Hwasong‑11 Ra tactical ballistic missile, according to Yonhap. South Korean forces monitored the launch over the Yellow Sea and the missile administration announced intentions to field four cluster warhead types by the end of the year. The test underscores heightened tensions amid calls for North Korea’s denuclearization.
North Korea conducted a test of a cluster‑bomb warhead that can be mounted on tactical ballistic missiles, Yonhap reports, on Saturday (November 1) from a site near Chongju, with the missile launched toward the Yellow Sea.
The missile administration said the Standard Type 2 warhead could turn an area of 12 to 13 hectares into ash, revealing the device’s high‑density power in a demonstration monitored by South Korean forces.
Chief officials identified the launch vehicle as an Hwasong‑11 Ra tactical ballistic missile, a type previously used in a 2024 cluster‑bomb test overseen by Kim Jong‑un and his daughter Ju‑ae.
The general director of the Missile Administration noted,
Within this year we will enable units to select and use all those types according to operational aims and specific features of targets.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its forces tracked the launch with close information sharing with the United States and maintained a readiness posture during the event.
The state media also said the missile administration plans to field four categories of cluster warheads in the coming months, aiming to equip units with varied “high‑density” and “weather‑resistant” options.
The test arrives amid renewed diplomatic calls from South Korea, the United States and Japan for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.
