SEOUL: North Korea has successfully conducted an important test to load, separate and guide multiple warheads on an intermediate-range ballistic missile, the country’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said Thursday.

The test is believed to refer to a ballistic missile launch that Japanese and South Korean authorities detected from North Korea on Wednesday. South Korean military sources said that Pyongyang tested a hypersonic missile but failed.

According to KCNA, the test by North Korea’s Missile Administration was aimed at securing the capability to strike targets. The test used a solid-fuel missile and was conducted within a radius of 170 to 200 kilometers so that warheads’ flight capabilities could be measured.

The warheads were guided accurately to three targets after being separated from the missile, the news agency said, adding that Pyongyang also verified the effectiveness of a decoy warhead.

Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the country’s Workers’ Party of Korea, and others oversaw the test. According to South Korean media reports, it is the first time that North Korea released information about a test for multiple warheads.

JIJI Press