North Korea: How powerful are the missiles the country is testing

The missile fired at Japan in October is believed to be a medium-range Hwasong-12 with a range of 4,500 km – enough to hit the US island of Guam, launched by South Korea.

North Korea has alarmed the Pacific region with a sharp increase in the number of missile tests, including through Japan.

It is believed that the North Korean military may soon be able to once again test a nuclear device.

What missiles is North Korea testing?

North Korea is testing various ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles.

Hypersonic missiles fly several times the speed of sound and at low altitude to evade radar detection.

The missile fired at Japan in October is believed to be a medium-range Hwasong-12 with a range of 4,500km – far enough from the North Korean launch to hit the US island of Guam.

A more recent ballistic missile test is believed to have failed and failed to pass through Japan.

“North Korea is testing increased-range missiles,” says Joseph Byrne, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute. “This could be a sign of the imminence of another nuclear warhead test, which has been predicted for some time,” he adds.

North Korea is also testing the Hwasong-14 ballistic missile. It has a range of 8,000km – although some studies show it can travel up to 10,000km, reaching New York City. It is the first of North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The Hwasong-15 missile is believed to have a range of 13,000 km and targets the entire continental United States. In October 2020, North Korea unveiled the latest of its ballistic missiles, the Hwasong-17. It is believed to have a range of 15,000 km or more.

The Hwasong-17 could carry three or four warheads instead of one, making it difficult for the target country to defend itself.

Experts say the emergence of the new missiles appears to be a message to the Joe Biden administration of North Korea’s growing military capabilities.

In March 2021, the country launched what it calls a “new type of tactical guided missile”, which it says has a payload of 2.5 tons in theory.

Analysts at the James Martin Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation Research told Reuters the projectile appeared to be an “improved variant” of a previously tested missile, the KN-23.

What nuclear weapons does North Korea have?

North Korea’s last nuclear bomb test was in 2017. The power or “yield” of the explosion at the test site in Punggye-ri was between 100-370 kilotonnes.

A 100 kiloton bomb is six times more powerful than the one the US dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

North Korea claimed it was its first thermonuclear device – the most powerful of any atomic weapon.

However, according to Byrne, North Korea may now aim to test a smaller nuclear warhead with similar explosive power.

“It looks like they’re testing a new miniature warhead that can be fitted to a range of missiles, including short-range missiles,” he says.

Where can nuclear tests be done?

Six underground tests were conducted in Punggye-ri. But in 2018, North Korea said it would shut down the region as it “confirmed” its nuclear capabilities.

Some tunnels at the site were later blown up in the presence of foreign journalists. However, North Korea did not invite international experts to confirm that the site was indeed deprecated.

Satellite images released earlier this year show that work on renovating Punggye-ri has begun.

Any future nuclear testing on the ground would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Reactivated the nuclear reactor

In 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised then-US President Donald Trump that he would destroy all North Korea’s nuclear material enrichment facilities.

But the UN atomic agency IAEA said satellite images showed North Korea restarted the reactor that produces plutonium for weapons.

In September, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said there were signs that a nuclear test site was reopening.

“We’ve seen signs of plant operation and construction work at the Yongbyon site, as well as activity at other sites,” he said.

– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63506372.