SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea announced Thursday significant progress in testing a missile designed to carry multiple warheads, a sophisticated weapon aimed at breaching U.S. missile defenses.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea “successfully conducted the separation and guidance control test of individual mobile warheads” during a launch on Wednesday. KCNA reported that the first stage engine of an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile carried the warheads, which “were guided correctly to the three coordinate targets.”
The test, which also included decoy warheads, was aimed at achieving the capability for multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), according to KCNA.
If verified, analysts suggest this development would mark significant progress toward North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's objective of creating a long-range missile with multiple warheads capable of overwhelming U.S. missile defenses, which have a limited number of interceptors.
## South Korea Dismisses Claims as ‘Exaggeration’
South Korea’s military initially reported the launch as a failure, noting it ended in a mid-air explosion during the early stages of its flight.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reiterated that assessment, dismissing North Korea’s claim as a “deception and exaggeration.” The spokesperson explained that while the warheads on such missiles typically separate during the descent stage, the North Korean missile exploded mid-air during an early stage of flight.
“A number of videos and photos taken by the private sector yesterday show that the missile's flight was not normal,” the spokesperson said.
South Korean broadcasters aired multiple videos on Wednesday showing an object spinning out of control before exploding and falling to the ground. These videos were captured by residents on South Korea's far northwestern islands. Decker Eveleth, a researcher on North Korea’s strategic forces at the Center for Naval Analyses, said the success of the launch is difficult to determine based on the available public evidence.
“The stage was spinning at the end. Sometimes that's an intentional maneuver and sometimes it's not,” Eveleth told VOA.
## Challenges for Missile Defense
North Korea has previously conducted tests of various MIRV components, including systems designed to aim multiple warheads. However, the latest launch appears to have advanced further by using multiple warheads and decoys intended to confuse missile defense systems.
The United States is currently protected, theoretically, by a missile defense shield with 44 interceptors designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). That number is set to increase to 64. However, these figures leave little room for error, especially when considering missiles equipped with multiple warheads, analysts note.
With MIRVs, North Korea has a “much, much higher chance of overwhelming American missile defense,” Eveleth said.
“Many nuclear experts spent about a decade arguing that missile defense was not cost-effective and that North Korea would simply outbuild the shield once they developed a comprehensive program. These concerns were dismissed, largely because people did not believe North Korea was capable of such a program. And here we are,” Eveleth told VOA.
By placing multiple warheads on a single missile, North Korea can also reduce the need for mobile missile launchers, or transporter erector launchers (TELs), which it has struggled to produce.
## Looking Ahead
North Korea’s launch is the latest step in Kim Jong Un's strategic weapons program outlined in 2021. The program includes hypersonic missiles, spy satellites, solid-fuel ICBMs, and submarine-launched missiles—areas where North Korea has made advancements.
Kim asserts that his nuclear weapons program is necessary to deter attacks from the United States, which maintains tens of thousands of troops in the region. He has also warned that he could preemptively use nuclear weapons to counter perceived hostile forces.
Analysts are particularly interested in potential Russian assistance with North Korean weapons. Earlier this month, Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense treaty. Following the signing, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested the arrangement could facilitate arms transfers.
On Thursday, a South Korean military spokesperson stated it was difficult to determine if the latest launch involved any Russian assistance.
Given that North Korea claimed only “fairly modest and technical” successes with its latest MIRV test, more tests using this technology are likely, said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
“If their claims are true, I'd expect to see further iterations,” Panda said. “Even if this wasn't a total success, I suspect the Missile Administration received useful data that will co

ntribute to advancing their missile capabilities, including a MIRV capability.”