North Korea announced Thursday that it successfully test-fired a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a cluster munition warhead, describing the weapon as capable of delivering devastating high-intensity explosive force across wide areas.

According to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the launch involved the surface-to-surface Hwasong-11Ka missile. The test was part of a series of “important” weapons system evaluations conducted between Monday and Wednesday.

KCNA reported that the exercise verified the missile’s ability to “reduce to ashes” targets covering approximately 6.5 to 7 hectares using high-density cluster munitions. The agency said the drills assessed both the operational reliability of the tactical ballistic missile and the destructive effectiveness of its warhead.

Cluster munitions are internationally criticized by humanitarian organizations for their indiscriminate effects on civilians and the long-term danger posed by unexploded bomblets that can remain active in targeted areas for years.

South Korea’s military confirmed that North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles this week, including launches from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea. However, officials noted that one projectile launched earlier from the Pyongyang area appeared to have failed shortly after takeoff.

The latest tests occur against a backdrop of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang has accelerated its weapons development program while repeatedly condemning joint military drills between South Korea and the United States.

As of Thursday afternoon, neither South Korea’s military nor the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command had released a detailed assessment of the cluster munition test.

This latest development underscores North Korea’s continued efforts to expand its tactical missile capabilities, including the integration of controversial cluster warheads designed for area saturation attacks. (ILKHA)