North Korea’s KN-23 Unleashed: Missile Hits Ukraine with Surgical Accuracy

International News: There has been a turn in the war zone of Ukraine that has surprised global military analysts. During the recent fierce aerial attacks by Russia—which included over 300 drones and 7 missiles - the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine confirmed that some of these missiles were from North Korea. The most discussed KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles are being made, which made a very accurate target in cities like Kiev and Odessa.

At least three civilians died, and dozens were injured. But even more threatening is the unexpected accuracy of this missile. Until earlier, the KN-23 was only known as a weak, irregular performance weapon. But this time it was seen directly attacking the marks—and the same thing is a danger bell for the whole world.

KN-23 has been dangerously advanced

The KN-23 missile was first launched by North Korea in May 2019. This missile can penetrate the target in a range of about 690 km and is separated from traditional missiles, quasi-ballistic, which makes it extremely difficult to integrate. Curil Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, revealed that the earlier versions often fell several kilometers away from the target but are now attacking with an accuracy of centimeters. He described it as "waking bells" for the international community.

Dangerous journey from parade to battlefield

Till now, KN-23 was seen only in military parades or exercises. But now its direct use in the battlefield is a dangerous sign. This is not only a test of the missile's utility but also shows that the depth of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has increased. Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies believe that Ukraine's war zone is being used as a 'live testing 'lab'—where North Korea is examining its weapons capacity and Russia is benefiting from the data points.

Global effect: Danger not limited to Ukraine just

The accuracy in the KN-23 war has raised the question whether the American military bases in South Korea, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are also targeted for new types of attacks. The actual ability of this missile has questioned the credibility of the world's missile defense system. Now it is clear—Rusk and North Korea's union has taken the form of strategic and military cooperation, not only diplomatic. And the first victim of this cooperation has become Ukraine.