Leader Kim Jong Un called on North Korea to expand production of “weapons-grade nuclear material”, state media said on Tuesday, as Pyongyang unveiled what appeared to be a new, smaller tactical nuclear warhead.
Kim is shown in state media images surrounded by uniformed generals inspecting a line of compact green warheads known as “Hwasan-31”, which means volcano in Korea.
The North has long sought the technology to “miniaturise” nuclear warheads so they can be mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles to threaten the United States. The diagram on the wall in the photo shows this is possible with the Hwasan-31.
Kim was presented by an official from North Korea’s nuclear weapons agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. He urged them to expand “production of weapons-grade nuclear material” to “exponentially” increase the North’s arsenal.
Kim also “placed spurs to continue to produce powerful nuclear weapons” which he said would strike fear into the North’s enemies, KCNA said.
Experts warn that the unveiling of a potential tactical nuclear weapon is indeed a major sign of technical progress, and could point to future nuclear tests.
This comes as a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group arrived in South Korea on Tuesday.
Also read: North Korea says it has tested new underwater nuclear attack ‘drone’
Relations between the two Koreas are at one of the lowest points of the year, with Seoul and Washington ramping up joint military exercises while North Korea conducts another provocative weapons test while blaming the South for the deteriorating security situation.
“The current hard-line approach is likely to justify tests for new weapons and future nuclear tests,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute.
“North Korea announced a miniature tactical nuclear warhead this time,” he said.
“The possibility that North Korea will conduct a seventh nuclear test with this tactical nuclear warhead as the next step has increased,” Cheong told AFP.
North Korea ‘sending a message’
Pyongyang has adopted a “tit-for-tat” pattern of missile launches and tests to counter U.S. and South Korean military exercises, representing a huge financial outlay — and unaffordable for the impoverished country, experts say.
“North Korea warns of an overwhelming response to every South Korea-US joint exercise, but looking at the number of missiles fired, they cannot continue this forever,” Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told AFP .
“If so, the seventh nuclear test will mark the end, they will declare themselves a nuclear power, and they will negotiate with the United States,” he said.
Also Read: North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile
North Korea’s military also held a live-fire drill on Monday, simulating a nuclear attack using tactical ballistic missiles, KCNA said in a separate report, as part of a record test last year.
“North Korea is sending a very coherent message. They are fighting to be recognized as a perfect nuclear power,” Park said.
– Underwater drones? –
North Korea is pursuing multiple delivery mechanisms in addition to increasing its nuclear stockpile.
They claimed on Tuesday to have conducted a second successful test of a new underwater nuclear attack drone.
The first test of Haeil, which means tsunami in Korean, was claimed to have taken place last week in what Pyongyang said was a response to US-South Korean military exercises, the largest in five years.
Seoul has cast doubt on the claim, with the South’s military saying it is “considering the possibility” the test has been exaggerated or even “fabricated”.
Also Read: North Korea fires ballistic missile as warning over US, South Korea drills
There are some indications that “North Korea is developing an unmanned submarine, but the evaluation is still at an early stage”, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Pyongyang said on Tuesday the Haeil had maneuvered underwater “for 41 hours and 27 minutes tracing a simulated route spanning 600 kilometers” before destroying a target in North Hamgyong province early Monday, according to another KCNA report.
The test “proved all the strategic qualifications as well as the safety and reliability of the weapon system”, KCNA said.
Russia is also reportedly developing a similar weapon, the nuclear-capable Poseidon torpedo, but mastering the complex technology required for such a weapon may be beyond North Korea, experts say.