SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's latest intermediate-range ballistic missile, which appeared in Pyongyang's military parade in October, is believed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, a South Korean researcher said Thursday.
Han Sang-soon, a senior researcher at the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, said in a report made public Thursday that the missile, known as the BM-25 Musudan, is estimated to be able to carry a payload weighing between 1-1.2 tons and that its "circular error probability," an accuracy indicator, is believed to be 1.6 kilometers.
"This means that it can carry a nuclear warhead," he said in the report.
North Korea completed development of the Musudan in 2005 based on the design of the former Soviet Union's R-27 (SS-N-6) short-range missile. The Musudan has a range of between 3,000-4,000 kilometers, and about 50 missiles of the type were deployed in the North as of last year.
In October, the North showed off Musudan missiles during a massive military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party.
North Korea's missile program has long been a security concern in the region, along with its nuclear programs. The country's Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile is believed to be capable of reaching as far as Alaska, according to defense experts.
Experts also believe that the North has some 700 Scud short-range missiles and about 200 Rodong medium-range missiles.
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