Smiling North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un next to a "super-large missile system that can fire several floors" - so at least North Korea's state broadcaster KCNA describes the alleged new weapon of the dictator, which had been successfully tested.
Whether the pictures are really authentic and when they were taken can not be checked independently. However, South Korea confirmed it had registered projectiles that flew about 330 kilometers and expressed "great concern".
In an interview, the German rocket expert Robert Schmucker explains why he considers the supposedly new weapon to be boastful and why North Korea should still be far from building an operational nuclear missile.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Schmucker, North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un has posed next to a supposedly "super-large missile system" capable of firing multiple missiles. How dangerous is this weapon?
Schmucker: In the pictures you can see a typical rocket launcher for larger artillery rockets, which have a range of up to two or three hundred kilometers. This is a standard weapon, not new for North Korea. It is the same system that has been tested several times before. That's nothing that would worry me.
SPIEGEL: What is known about the rocket used so far?
Schmucker: The pictures published by North Korea show an already known artillery rocket bearing the code KN-09. The little duck wings at the tip of the rocket are obviously for steering, but I'm not sure what their effectiveness is. Say, whether this really improves the precision or accuracy compared to a purely ballistic, uncontrolled flight.
SPIEGEL: Is not there anything new about the weapon system?
Schmucker: Not really. It is a composite propulsion rocket that delivers higher horsepower and payload. This can be recognized by the flame, because it produces white smoke.
SPIEGEL: Is not a missile owned by a dictator always disturbing?
Schmucker: If such missiles hit a city with 200 to 500 kilograms of explosive, they do of course considerable damage and with the range mentioned Seoul would be quite in the firing range of this rocket. But such missile systems are not very precise, the target area can be limited to a few kilometers at most. You can imagine it like a big cannon. For a real military threat, North Korea would need countless such missiles.
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SPIEGEL: If the missile system is so commonplace, why is North Korea so proud of it?
Schmucker: I think it's all about boast and the representation of your own, supposed gunpowder. However, I doubt that North Korea actually has its own developed missiles of great power and range.
SPIEGEL: But the country has repeatedly carried out rocket tests in recent weeks.
Schmucker: These were just smaller devices. Although I generally think that North Korea is developing its own missiles, there are several indications that the country has been using weapons from abroad. By 2017, the North Korean missiles were virtually all Russian provenance. In addition, the rockets used were very different. If I wanted to develop rockets in my country, I would try to standardize them and develop that technology. However, if the rockets are very different, I would have to develop their own systems. That would be inefficient.
SPIEGEL: North Korea has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear missiles. Is there a real danger?
Schmucker: North Korea is still a long way from nuclear-weapon-capable rockets with greater range. If there were any improvements, we would notice that quickly, because that would require many successful tests under real conditions - across the entire distance and with a real reentry body. So far, however, nothing can be recognized.
