A missile strike on the village of Radushne, on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih, on the night of July 30 was carried out by a North Korean KN-23 ballistic missile. russians used it to strike a civilian house where a large family lived. So far, the parents and three children are known to have been killed. Five more children are considered missing, as nothing remains of the house itself.
This missile was most likely manufactured at the November 11 factory in Hamhung, in eastern North Korea, where a new production facility was built and personally inspected by Kim Jong-un about six weeks ago.
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On July 7, the North Korean state news agency KCNA published photos of the visit showing Kim Jong-un posing against a backdrop of dozens of completed KN-23 (Hwasong-11) ballistic missiles.
In total, more than 70 ballistic missiles without warheads were counted in the footage. It is possible that this is the same batch that was transferred to russia.
It is also worth noting that the transfer of the first KN-23s to russia began in late 2023. By late 2024, construction of a new building had already begun at the November 11 Factory in Hamhung, North Korea. As NK Pro previously reported, between late 2024 and February 2026, a new building was constructed some distance from the factory's main complex.
After the 65-by-35-meter structure was completed, it was buried.
The building is believed to house a production facility equipped with new equipment transferred from russia specifically for the production of the KN-23.
In addition, according to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, russia is working closely with North Korea to modernize the KN-23, which is based on the 9M723 ballistic missile from the Iskander-M missile system. The main goal of the modernization was to improve the missile's reliability and accuracy. Its first launches against Ukraine showed deviations of several kilometers from their intended targets.
During testing, the KN-23 demonstrated a range of up to 690 km, though with an unknown warhead. The missile is estimated to carry a 500-kg warhead, although variants with 700-kg, 1,000-kg, and 1,500-kg warheads are also believed to exist, with the missile's range decreasing as the warhead weight increases. There are also variants with a significantly shorter range of up to 320 km, but carrying a 4.5-ton warhead.
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