North Korea Is Testing Cluster Bomb Ballistic Missiles Now
North Korea confirmed this week that its latest testing spree included ballistic missiles equipped with cluster-bomb warheads.
That’s a notable escalation in the weapons taxonomy. Cluster munitions scatter submunitions over wide areas — they’re banned under international treaty by over 100 countries (the US and DPRK are not among them). Mounting them on ballistic missiles combines range and penetration with area-denial capability.
Pyongyang framed the tests as part of its ongoing push to expand nuclear-capable forces. Multiple new systems were reportedly involved across the week’s testing schedule.
The timing matters. The US is absorbed in the Iran situation. South Korea is in a watchful posture. Japan is watching closely. China has said nothing useful, as is tradition.
The calculus in Pyongyang appears unchanged: every period of great-power distraction is an opportunity to advance the program and normalize the capability. It’s been working for two decades.