North Korea conducted a test of a ballistic missile warhead and a test launch of a new anti-aircraft missile in the Western Sea of Korea, according to Reuters.
North Korea conducted a daytime test on Friday, April 19, of a large warhead intended for the strategic cruise missile Hwasal-1 Ra-3, as well as a test launch of a new type of anti-aircraft missile, the Phyolji-1-2.
It is believed that the North Korean strategic cruise missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
"Both tests were part of the regular activities of the administration and its affiliated defence science institutes for the rapid development of technologies in various aspects such as tactical and technical performance and operation of new-type weapon systems," the North Korean KCNA agency reported, adding that the tests were not related to the regional situation.
South Korea, Japan, and the US, which often report on major missile tests by North Korea, have not yet reacted to this launch.
North's missile tests
On April 2, North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan. Tokyo protested to Pyongyang, reminding that the launch of ballistic missiles by the country is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
North Korea is likely seeking Russian ballistic missile technology in exchange for sharing its weapons.
Later it became known that Pyongyang conducted ground tests of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of medium-range hypersonic missile. According to Yonhap, North Korea has been able to set a schedule for completing the development of hypersonic missiles due to the success of recent ground engine tests for new missiles.
North Korea has also confirmed its plan to launch several reconnaissance satellites by the end of this year after deploying the first spy satellite into orbit in November 2023.