KN-02 Short Range Ballistic Missile

The KN-01 and 02 are surface-to-surface missiles with a horizontal range of 120 km. The North had not launched any short-range missiles since it test-fired five KN-02 missiles over the East Sea in October 2009. The KN-06 missile is said to be a more accurate version of the KN-01 and 02. The KN-02 is said to be an upgraded version of the Russian SS-21, with a longer range.

The 9K79 Tochka ("Viper") (SS-21 Scarab) is a single-stage solid-propellant guided missile with a range of up to 70km and a CEP of 160m. Designed to replace the older, inaccurate FROG-7 unguided artillery rocket, it can carry a nuclear, chemical or conventional warhead.

In 1983 Syria acquired SS-21 missiles supplied from the USSR. During mid-1996 Syrian missile technicians spent two weeks training in North Korea. The Syrian technicians reportedly provided North Korea with data on the SS-21 missile. In August 1996 Syria shipped Soviet-built 70km-range SS-21 Scarab missiles to North Korea.

North Korea test-fired a short-range missile off its eastern coast toward Japan on 01 May 2005. The missile, fired into the East Sea [Sea of Japan], appeared to have a range of between 100 to 120 kilometers. It is called by the North the KN-02, an upgraded version of the Russian SS-21, with a longer range. The KN-02 nomenclature was disclosed by Kim Sung-il [Kim Seong-il], chief information officer at Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a closed-door parliamentary session. The DPRK test-fired the same type of missile in April 2004, but the test failed.

North Korea has developed a new type of tactical missile after making improvements to a Soviet-era missile which is capable of carrying nuclear, chemical or biological warheads. Nonproliferation expert Jeffery Lewis from the 38North website, which monitors North Korea's nuclear activities, said the missile was tested at least twice at a site northwest of the North's eastern coastal city of Wonsan, in late June and mid-August 2014. The missile is believed to be an extended range version of the Soviet SS-21 Tochka surface to surface missiles developed by Moscow in the 1970's. Lewis said Pyongyang could develop a new series of long-range ballistic missiles based on the Russian model.