North Korea tested a new cluster-bomb warhead on a ballistic missile and an electromagnetic weapon this week, state media KCNA reported on Thursday, in a move seen as part of efforts by Pyongyang to showcase its capacity to fight a modern war.  The country’s Academy of Defence Science and the Missile Administration also conducted tests of carbon-fibre bombs and a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system, KCNA said.

Kim Jong Sik, a general who oversaw the tests, said the electromagnetic weapon system and carbon-fibre bombs were “special assets” for North Korea’s military, KCNA reported. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday that Pyongyang had test-fired multiple missiles over several days.Analysts also see the tests as likely to be a show of force in cutting-edge conventional weapon systems by the nuclear-armed North ?for its adversaries and allies.

There has also been speculation that US President Donald Trump may try to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the sidelines of his visit to China in mid-May.Without specifying the number of ballistic missiles launched - a violation of United Nations sanctions - North Korea said it had tested its mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system as well as the combat capabilities of its tactical ballistic missile warhead. 

One test proved the surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile called Hwasongpho-11 Ka, which is tipped with a cluster-bomb warhead, was able to “reduce to ashes any target” covering an area of up to 7 hectares (17 acres), KCNA said.The tests also follow North Korea reiterating its characterisation of South Korea as a “hostile enemy,” dashing recent hopes in Seoul of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea appears to be upgrading its weapon system with cutting-edge ?technology suited for a modern war, said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University in South Korea.The electromagnetic weapon system could have the capacity to disable electronic circuits in the enemy’s assets, with the potential ability to cripple South Korea’s F-35A stealth fighter jet or Aegis-equipped destroyers, Lim said. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)