North Korea missile testing: What are 'tactical guided weapons'?

North Korea announced it had tested a new “tactical guided weapon” on Thursday, according to the country’s state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The rogue state’s leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the operation, KNCA said. The revelation comes amid heightening tensions between the United States and North Korea after talks between Kim and President Donald Trump broke down in February. North Korea has demanded US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo being removed from discussions and replaced with someone more matu

What are “tactical guided weapons”?

KNCA did not give many away many details about the missile testing.

But it did say the “tactical guided weapon” had a “peculiar mode of guiding flight” and a “powerful warhead”.

Experts have suggested the weapon was likely to be a short range missile flying lower to the ground.

Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said: “It is highly likely that this missile is a short-range cruise missile that can be converted to a land-to-land, air-to-land and ship-to-ship missile.”

He also said the test was “conducted in various modes of firing at different targets”.

Kim vowed to stop nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches last April as he said North Korea’s nuclear capabilities had been confirmed.

But he oversaw the testing of an unidentified tactical weapon last November.

US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan played down fears of North Korea’s renewed missile testing, telling reporters the weapon was “not a ballistic missile” at the Pentagon.

However, he noted: “There was a test”.

The development comes after the failed February summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, between the US and North Korea.

Blame has been apportioned to Mr Pompeo.

KNCA quoted North Korean foreign ministry official Kwon Jong-gun as saying talks between the two nations went wrong “whenever Pompeo pokes his nose in”.

Mr Kwon also said: “I am afraid that, if Pompeo engages in the talks again, the table will be lousy once again and the talks will become entangled.

“Therefore, even in the case of possible resumption of the dialogue with the United States, I wish our dialogue counterpart would be not Pompeo but other person who is more careful and mature in communicating with us.”

The US government replied by saying it remains “ready to engage North Korea in a constructive negotiation”.

source: express.co.uk