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North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un attended the test firing of missiles with multiple reentry vehicles.
“The purpose of the test-fire is to verify the characteristics and power of cluster bomb warhead and fragmentation mine warhead applied to the tactical ballistic missile,” North Korean state media reported on Sunday. “Five tactical ballistic missiles, launched towards the target area around an island about 136 km away, struck the area of 12.5~13 hectares with the very high density, fully displaying their combat might.”
Kim’s teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, attended the launch. Kim Ju Ae has made several recent public appearances with her father, fueling speculation that Kim is planning for her to become the next Supreme Leader.
Pyongyang has shifted its foreign policy in recent years. North Korea has signed a defense pact and developed stronger ties with Russia. Additionally, Pyongyang said it is no longer seeking to reunify the Korean Peninsula, and does not want negotiations with Seoul. Top North Korea officials say Kim would be open to discussions with President Donald Trump on the condition that Washington drop the demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.
Trump and Kim met three times between 2018 and 2020. However, due to Trump’s maximalist demands, the negotiations never led to a deal. Tensions between North Korea and the US increased during Joe Biden’s Presidency.
North Korea tested the missile with fragmentation missiles after Iran used similar munitions against Israel. Missiles packed with cluster bombs or multiple fragmenting warheads are capable of evading advanced air defense systems.
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