How cluster warheads give North Korea new ways to create chaos | NK PRO

Kim Jong Un, his daughter and senior military officials watch a test of the Hwasong-11D close-range ballistic missile | Image: Rodong Sinmun (April 20, 2026), edited by NK Pro

North Korea's test of ballistic missiles fitted with cluster munitions and fragmentation warheads point to a shift in how Pyongyang intends to fight, giving it new options short of nuclear strikes in the opening stages of a conflict.

On April 19, leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a launch of "improved" Hwasong-11D close-range ballistic missiles equipped with cluster and mine warheads, following earlier April launches of Hwasong-11A short-range ballistic missiles carrying cluster munitions and so-called blackout bombs.

Experts told NK Pro that the tests reveal a move toward high-volume conventional strikes that can degrade