The notoriously unpredictable dictator of North Korea has unveiled a new weapon that could pose a threat to the US. If the weapon is real, analysts say North Korea may now be able to construct a nuclear-armed missile with an intercontinental range. That would significantly increase how dangerous the rogue state is now.
On March 27, images of Dear Leader Kim Jong-un examining what the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claims are brand-new Hwasan-31 nuclear bombs were released.
At least nine of the items, which look to be around two feet long and 18″ in diameter, are visible in the photographs, which were supposedly shot within the nation’s Nuclear Weapons Institute. The regime will enhance the production of uranium suitable for use in making bombs, according to the KCNA.
Kim Jong Un Unveils New Nuclear Warheads As US Warship Reaches South Korea https://t.co/yEOhb54Qb9 pic.twitter.com/NMvRNpB3EN
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2023
Former South Korean naval officer Kim Dong-yup called the design “a miniaturized, lightweight and standardized warhead” that could be launched on a variety of platforms. South Korean nuclear weapons expert Kune Y Suh said these warheads are much smaller than the ones North Korea displayed in 2016, calling the development “worrisome.”
Designing a nuclear weapon isn’t that difficult for any government with a respectable industrial and technological basis. Making one small enough to really turn it into a weapon system is the challenge.
If the new North Korean nuclear weapons are true, they are small enough to go inside of a torpedo or tactical bomb, unlike simple nuclear weapons, which are exceedingly bulky and heavy.
One could undoubtedly be carried by a short-range ballistic missile, and several may perhaps be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the US from North Korea.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, responded that although the US is open to talk about denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, North Korea doesn’t appear to be interested. In order to cope with any danger from North Korea, he declared, the US “will continue to ensure that we have the appropriate military capabilities.”
Yoon Suk Yeol, president of South Korea, demanded a halt to financial assistance to the north, claiming that as long as it keeps developing illicit nuclear weapons, it doesn’t deserve “a single penny.”
