On June 26, 2024, North Korea announced that it had tested multiple-warhead missile technology. According to reports from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and intelligence agencies, North Korea launched a suspected hypersonic missile that exploded mid-flight. The failed launch came just hours after Pyongyang sent trash-bearing balloons southward, causing a three-hour halt to flights in and out of South Korea's Incheon airport.
The missile took off from an area in or around North Korea's capital Pyongyang at about 5:30 am. The launch generated more smoke than normal launches, likely due to an engine fault. South Korean officials dismissed the Wednesday test as a failure and said it appeared to have involved a hypersonic ballistic missile.
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that the test was aimed at securing MIRV capability, which stands for multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle. This technology would allow North Korea to launch several nuclear warheads with a single missile, making it harder for missile defense systems to intercept.
Under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, North Korea is forbidden from developing or testing nuclear or ballistic missile technologies. However, since 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has doubled down on expanding his country's nuclear capabilities.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang days before the test and raised the prospect of expanded military and technical cooperation between the two countries. Some experts have expressed concern that this deepening relationship could encourage North Korea to embark on an ambitious upgrade to its nuclear arsenal.
The failed missile launch comes amid ongoing psychological warfare tactics between North and South Korea, including using balloons and loudspeaker broadcasts.
