By Armando Hernandez
North Korea confirmed the carrying out of a new test of tactical ballistic missiles, a day after South Korea and Japan detected the launches and denounce them as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
According to the state agency KCNA, The test was supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and aimed to evaluate the performance of the “Hwasong-11 Ra improved tactical surface-to-surface ballistic missile.”
The agency indicated that the capacity of new military loads was also analyzed during the test. “The power of a cluster warhead and another fragmentation mine warhead were evaluated,” said KCNA, underlining the progress in the country’s weapons development.
Kim defended the importance of diversifying this type of weapons. “The development of different types of warheads will allow us to better respond to the operational needs of the Army,” he stated, according to the official report.
🚨🇰🇵 North Korea checks tactical ballistic missiles with cluster warheads
A total of 5 missiles struck an island 136 kilometers away, verifying cluster and fragmentation mine warheads, the KCNA reported.
The missiles covered 130,000 square meters with “very high density.” pic.twitter.com/EoH9nG3Q8p
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 20, 2026
According to North Korean informationfive tactical ballistic missiles were launched towards a target located about 136 kilometers awayalthough the exact location of the test was not specified.
For its part, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on Sunday that it had detected several short-range projectiles launched from the Sinpo area, on the eastern coast of the neighboring country.
Meanwhile, Japan noted that the missiles fell outside its Exclusive Economic Zone, although it expressed concern about the impact on regional security.
Both governments agreed to condemn the tests. Seoul and Tokyo claimed that these launches “violate UN Security Council resolutions” and represent a threat to stability in the Asia-Pacific.
Pyongyang’s confirmation comes in a context of intensification of its weapons tests. Since April 8, North Korea has carried out multiple tests, including the launch of a ballistic missile with a cluster warhead and recent tests of cruise missiles from naval platforms.
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