North Korea Fires Nuclear-Capable 'Tactical Guided Weapon'
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the test-firing of an apparently nuclear-capable "new-type tactical guided weapon," state media reported Sunday, the latest in a series of provocative launches by Pyongyang.
The state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper posted pictures of the apparently short-range weapon emerging from a mobile launch vehicle parked on a beach, as Kim observed, apparently from an observation vehicle parked nearby.
The weapon "is of great significance in radically increasing the fire striking power of the long-range artillery units on the front and strengthening the effectiveness of tactical nuclear operation of the DPRK and diversification of the firepower task," the report said, using an abbreviation for North Korea's official name.
Based on that description, analysts said the rocket appears meant to deliver tactical nuclear weapons, an attempt to fulfill one of several key military modernization goals laid out by Kim in a speech last year.
