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Again: “North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised a test-firing of a new tactical guided weapon” en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN201904…
This happened in November, shortly after the US and South Korea resumed previously suspended KMEP (Korea Marine Exchange Program) activities:
On April 13, Kim cited Dong Maeng US-ROK exercises and the recent MDA test of the GMD system against an ICBM-class target as examples of the “hostile policy.” This would appear to then be another tit-for-tat.
Biegun talked about the last tactical weapon test at the Carnegie Nuclear Policy Conference.
Reading the statement, we have a similarly vague presentation as last November that tells us very little about the characteristics of whatever weapon may have been tested.
Also, KJU on April 13: “We have to always keep in mind that peace can be ensured only by powerful military capabilities, and firmly maintain the principle of self-defence and keep increasing the defence capabilities of the country.”
Recall also Choe Son Hui’s mid-March comment on members of the munitions industry having sent Kim “petitions” not to go to Hanoi to talk about denuclearization.
The talk of “new-type” guidance and a powerful warhead makes me think of the new probable-CRBM we’d seen at the February 2018 parade. Not sure if they’d be able to test it without setting off a ROK JCS/PACOM missile launch alert though. This guy:
There’s also this new NLOS ATGM (pictured here at last September’s parade) that we’ve never seen tested that’s definitely a new weapon. I thought originally that last November’s test might have involved this system though.
FWIW, Kim also took the opportunity of his April 13 speech to remind everyone that his moratorium on missile-testing applied only to ICBMs.
That’s all I’ve got for now.
Almost forgot: I wrote a longer piece last year about the new CRBM/SRBM. Before there was even a rumor of a US-DPRK summit, I was expecting it to be tested. thedailybeast.com/the-one-missil…
Update: the test is claimed by KCNA to have taken place specifically “on Wednesday.” (Initially had missed that little detail.) Unlike the November tactical weapon test, which was actually undated/unspecified.
Clarifying the date makes it unambiguous that this is a follow-on action to Kim's April 13 speech.
In November, this was the only image released after the “ultramodern” tactical weapon test.
Update from @chadocl asks a good question. I think “yes” while the pretense of diplomacy with the United States remains on the table; after Kim’s end-of-2019 deadline, if no 3rd summit/sanctions relief, bets are off.
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