North Korea on the 13th disclosed a tactical ballistic missile test conducted the previous day, calling it "an achievement that signals a significant change in attack weapons systems." Pyongyang also displayed a wide array of new strategic weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), to mark the opening of a "Defense Revolution Museum," showcasing its nuclear and missile capabilities.
The Korean Central News Agency said the same day that "the Missile Administration conducted a tactical ballistic missile test launch on the 12th to verify the results of a technological upgrade to a key core component." It added that "the technological upgrade to the core component verified today is a major achievement that signals a significant change in improving the performance and precision of all attack weapons systems."
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier that it had detected several ballistic missiles fired from the area around Pyongyang toward the East Sea on the morning of the previous day. The JCS assessed that the missiles flew more than 900 kilometers. Analysts said the launch appeared to be a countermove, coming four days after the South Korean government disclosed its first test launch of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV).
Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF), said based on photographs of a five-axle launcher released by North Korea that "the missile is identified as the Hwasong-11Da-2.5, carrying a high-yield warhead weighing 2.5 tons." He added that "North Korea has demonstrated it can fire a high-yield warhead to a range of nearly 1,000 kilometers."
The news agency also reported that the "Second Economic Committee Defense Revolution Museum" opened the same day to mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea. Photographs released alongside the report showed numerous new weapons, including the Hwasong-20, an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and the Hwasong-16B hypersonic missile. The images also displayed sea-based nuclear delivery systems, including a new SLBM believed to be the Pukguksong-6 and another new SLBM, the Pukguksong-X, thought to be a two-stage solid-fuel missile.
Observers said North Korea may be seeking to maximize its bargaining power with Washington at a time when a resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks is being discussed. Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said the intent is "to impress upon the United States that there will be no denuclearization talks going forward and that its status as a completed nuclear weapons state cannot be reversed."