- By Priyanka Koul
- Sat, 14 Mar 2026 02:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
North Korea’s Missile Power Explained: South Korea and Japan said North Korea fired at least 10 ballistic missiles towards the East Sea on Saturday, raising fresh tensions in East Asia. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (South Korea), the missiles were launched from an area near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, though officials did not immediately confirm how far they travelled.
Japan's defence ministry also said the weapons landed in waters outside the country's exclusive economic zone, according to the Associated Press.
The development comes amid escalating ongoing tensions between the US, Israel and Iran in the Middle East. It also coincided with the annual spring joint military exercises carried out by the United States and South Korea.
Pyongyang has frequently used these exercises as a reason to intensify its own military demonstrations and weapons testing. In previous years, the country has carried out multiple missile and artillery launches, often describing them as simulations of nuclear attacks on targets in South Korea. In the midst of this, let's find out what missiles North Korea has.
What missiles does North Korea have?
North Korea has tested a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles in recent years. These include hypersonic missiles that can travel several times faster than the speed of sound while flying at low altitudes to avoid radar detection. The country has also tested missiles launched from submarines.
Its arsenal includes short-range tactical missiles, sea-based missile systems and intercontinental ballistic missiles, along with newer launch platforms such as silo-based and underwater systems. According to estimates done by the Federation of American Scientists, North Korea may have produced enough fissile material to build up to 90 nuclear warheads.
In April 2023, North Korea tested what it described as "its most powerful" missile to date, the Hwasong-18. The missile uses solid fuel, which allows it to be launched more quickly than liquid-fuel missiles, according to a report by the BBC.
The missile reportedly travelled around 1,000 km during its first test flight, although analysts estimate its actual range could exceed 15,000 km, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defence Project.
Range of major North Korean missiles
- Nodong – 1,500 km
- Pukguksong-3 – 1,900 km
- Pukguksong-2 – 2,000 km
- Musudan – 4,000 km
- Hwasong-12 – 4,500 km
- Hwasong-14 – 10,400 km
- Hwasong-15 – 13,000 km
- Hwasong-17 – 15,000 km+
- Hwasong-18 – 15,000 km+
The Hwasong-17 is believed to have a range exceeding 15,000 km and may be capable of carrying three or four warheads, rather than only one.
North Korea’s nuclear capability
The last time North Korea conducted a nuclear test was in 2017 at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site. The explosion had an estimated yield of between 100 and 370 kilotons, as reported by the BBC.
A 100-kiloton nuclear weapon is about six times more powerful than the bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima in 1945, ending World War II.
North Korea has also claimed that the 2017 test marked its first thermonuclear weapon. Pyongyang said it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, a device many times more powerful than an atomic bomb.
According to the Arms Control Association, North Korea is estimated to have assembled around 50 nuclear warheads as of January 2024 and may possess enough fissile material to produce between 70 and 90 nuclear weapons. The country is also believed to maintain advanced chemical and biological weapons programmes.
North Korea has the capability to deliver nuclear weapons on a variety of land-based missile systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles with ranges capable of targeting the continental United States, as cited in the ACA report.