TOKYO, March 29. /TASS/. South Korean experts questioned the veracity of Pyongyang’s claims that it has developed compact warheads for medium-and short-range missiles, Yomiuri reported on Wednesday, citing experts from South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies and a defense official.
A warhead mounted on such missiles should weigh at least 200 kg, but Asan sees no evidence that Pyongyang already possesses the technology for such miniaturization. The South Korean defense official also told Yomiuri on Tuesday that Seoul had no information about whether North Korea had actually built tactical nuclear weapons. He questioned Pyongyang’s assertion that it was developing a strategic nuclear-capable underwater drone able to cause a radioactive tsunami, saying this was most likely a fabrication.
On Tuesday, North Korean mass media published a photo of the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, inspecting nuclear warheads. Experts in Seoul estimated that the warheads were some 90 cm long and around 50 cm in diameter. In the photo, a poster showing eight different missile types the DPRK has been testing since 2019 could be seen next to the warheads.
Among them were the so-called strategic cruise missiles that were test-launched by Pyongyang on March 22. They reportedly flew 1,800 km during the test. If the report is true, such weapons can hit targets in every part of Japan, Yomiuri said.