North Korea Tests Solid-Fuel Missile

A South Korean lawmaker said today that North Korea in June tested a short-range warhead capable of carrying chemical weapons warheads, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, July 9).

The North Korean KN-02 missile has a 75-mile range, enabling it to strike targets south of Seoul, Kim Hak-song of South Korea’s conservative Grand National Party quoted a South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff report as saying.

“The KN-O2 missile, as it runs on solid fuel, can be fired easily while being moved around. Its precision strike ability has also improved,” Kim said in a statement.

Solid fuel-powered missiles are easier to fuel and stockpile than their liquid fuel-powered counterparts, allowing them to be launched with less preparation time.

“Its payload is estimated at 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) and it can carry chemical and highly explosive warheads,” Kim said (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, Oct. 11).

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