North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a test of an upgraded 240mm missile launcher. The system “proved its superiority in mobility and strike concentration” during the inspection test, Asian media reported on Wednesday.
“The technically upgraded multiple rocket launcher system with manoeuvrability and concentrated fire capability proved its superiority in all aspects, including the new guidance system, controllability and destructive power,” the Korean Central News Agency said in a report.
The updated guidance system for 240-millimetre artillery shells also increases the threat to targets such as Seoul, the South Korean capital just 30 miles from the North’s border.
The North’s weapons tests come as the USand South Korea continue their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise, which endes on Thursday. The large-scale exercise focuses on North Korean nuclear and missile threats, as well as more recent developments such as GPS jamming and cyberattacks.
In May, media reported that the upgraded missile launcher would be “put into service with units of the Korean People’s Army as replacement equipment from 2024 to 2026.”
Earlier this week, Kim oversaw tests of the new “suicide drones” and urged researchers to develop artificial intelligence for the drones.
North Korea has recently been developing new weapons, including MLRS. Last year, the country’s army received 600-millimetre multiple rocket launchers, which Pyongyang claims can be used to launch tactical nuclear weapons.
