North Korea announces firing of tactical guided weapon

 North Korea announced Thursday that it had test-fired a new tactical guided weapon, in its first public weapons test since the breakdown of a summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un in February.

It was not immediately clear what type of weapon the North Koreans fired, but experts said the description of a tactical weapon, with guided flight, capable of carrying a powerful warhead and fired at a variety of targets, suggested a short-range missile rather a longer-range ballistic missile, meaning the move would not violate North Korea’s self-declared moratorium on testing.

Nevertheless, experts said the action was a calibrated sign of defiance by Kim following a stalemate in the denuclearization talks and a reminder that his country was continuing to develop its conventional weapons program. But they said it does not close the door on diplomacy or negotiations about North Korea’s nuclear program.

View the complete April 18 article by Simon Denyer and John Hudson on The Washington Post website here.