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North Korea says it has tested new ballistic missile capable of carrying
'super-large warhead'

by VOA News

   North Korea says it has conducted a test launch of a new tactical
   ballistic missile that is capable of carrying a so-called "super-large
   warhead."

   State news agency KCNA said Monday's launch of the Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5
   missile was meant to verify the missile's flight stability and accuracy
   with a simulated heavy payload.The report says the missile can carry a
   4.5-ton warhead. The report did not say where the test was conducted
   and where the missile landed.

   Tuesday's report came a day after South Korea's military said the North
   launched two ballistic missiles, the second of which began flying
   abnormally shortly after liftoff and fell into an area not far from the
   capital Pyongyang.

   A South Korean military spokesman told reporters that the North's
   report of the test flight of the new missile was likely fabricated.
   North Korea made a similar claim last week about a new missile which
   could carry multiple warheads, which Seoul also dismissed as a
   "deception and exaggeration."

   Meanwhile, the South Korean army says it held live-firing drills
   Tuesday near the heavily fortified border with North Korea. The drills
   were the first of its kind since Seoul suspended a 2018 agreement with
   Pyongyang aimed at reducing military tensions along the border.

   Some information for this report came from The Associated Press,
   Reuters.

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