North Korea showcased new, smaller nuclear warheads and pledged to develop additional weapons-grade nuclear material to bolster its arsenal, the official media outlet KCNA said Tuesday, as a U.S. aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for military exercises.
The country’s official news agency, KCNA, published images of the Hwasan-31 warheads during Kim Jong Un’s recent trip to the Nuclear Weapons Institute, where the leader reportedly inspected recently developed tactical nuclear weapons, technology for attaching warheads to ballistic missiles, and nuclear counterattack operation plans.
According to experts, the pictures show potential progress in miniaturizing powerful warheads that can be mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles with the capability of striking the United States.
At least eight different types of delivery systems, such as missiles and submarines, were likely accounted for when developing the warheads, according to Kim Dong-yup from Kyungnam University.
Also on Tuesday, after participating in joint maritime drills with South Korea, a U.S. carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz docked at the Busan naval base in South Korea. It marked the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the two countries and the first visit by the carrier in nearly six years.
