Why North Korea's latest nuclear claims are ringing alarm bells

For decades, Washington, Seoul and their allies have attempted both negotiations and sanctions to roll back North Korea's nuclear ambitions and prevent such technological advances.

These efforts failed. The world now sees what comes next: a larger and more dangerous nuclear arsenal that poses a greater threat to the United States and its allies in Northeast Asia.

It is unclear whether the warheads in the photo were real or not. North Korea has a habit of showing models of weapons still under development for propaganda purposes. Yet Mr. Kim has set bold goals for an arms buildup, devoting resources to weapons development.

There is no doubt that the North has made major upgrades to its arsenal, including solid-fuel ballistic missiles that can also perform mid-air maneuvers. It is also developing cruise missiles, submarine-launched missiles and underwater drones which it says could be nuclear-armed. All of these efforts are aimed at making its nuclear attacks more effective.

The failed launch of a military spy satellite on Wednesday is the latest demonstration of Mr. Kim's dogged determination to expand the North's military capabilities.

Smaller warheads that target regional adversaries

Since his diplomatic failure with President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Kim has urged his country to develop "smaller, lighter and more tactical nuclear weapons" to target South Korea, Japan and US military bases in the region. . These short-range weapons do not threaten the continental United States, but they could bolster Mr. Kim's leverage against Washington by placing US allies under nuclear threat.

Although North Korea has carried out six underground nuclear tests, it has never been clear whether it succeeded in developing smaller warheads. The photo released in March was the first concrete indication that it might have succeeded.

So far, North Korea has released photos of three nuclear devices, and the latest – dubbed Hwasan-31, or “Volcano-31” – is by far the smallest.

March 2016

Nuclear device in the shape of a disco ball

Diameter

67cm

(26.3 inches)

Korean Central News Agency,

via European Press Photo Agency

I'm fine

inside

September 2017

Thermonuclear or hydrogen bomb

Korean Central News Agency,

via Associated Press

MARCH 2023

New small nuclear warhead

...