The United States has accused North Korea of supplying Hwasong-11 missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied trading in arms, which would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions imposed on the North because of its nuclear weapons program.
The launch Monday was the second major weapons test reported by the North since its leader, Kim Jong-un, hosted President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for talks in Pyongyang on June 19. Last week, North Korea claimed for the first time that it had tested technology for launching several nuclear warheads with a single missile; the South cast doubt on that report, too.
South Korea, citing the North’s growing nuclear threat, has ramped up its own military spending in recent years. That includes its development of ballistic missiles with large warheads, meant to target underground bunkers where North Korea keeps its nuclear arsenal, and where its political and military leaders could hide in the event of war. The South has also procured American stealth jets.
In 2020, the South said it had developed a ballistic missile with “one of the largest warheads in the world.” In 2021, Mr. Kim vowed to develop a “super-large nuclear warhead,” and later that year, North Korea said it had launched a new ballistic missile that could carry a 2.5-ton warhead.
South Korean defense officials later said they were developing a ballistic missile with an even bigger warhead. South Korean news outlets said it could carry a payload of up to eight tons.
