Key facts
- North Korea test-fired an upgraded 240mm guided multiple-launcher rocket system on Tuesday.
- Leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test and described it as significant for improving the country's strategic deterrent.
- Kim stated the weapon system could be used for "specific attacks."
- The rockets' mobility, intelligence, and hitting accuracy have been upgraded.
- The weapon features a "self-steered precisely guided flight system."
- The test involved four rockets hitting a target 358.5 kilometers away.
North Korea conducted a test firing of an upgraded 240mm guided multiple-launcher rocket system on Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported. Leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test, describing it as significant for improving the country's strategic deterrent and its ability to conduct "specific attacks."
Kim stated that "all the indexes have been improved to maximize its strike capability, and the mobility, intelligence and hitting accuracy of the rockets, in particular, have remarkably been upgraded." He also described the weapon's "self-steered precisely guided flight system" as a major feature, touting "the steady improvement and uninterrupted evolution of our defense technology." The relevant activities were aimed solely at raising the level of the country's "deterrent against a nuclear war."
Kim's daughter Ju-ae accompanied him to the test, along with Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the party's Central Committee, and Jang Chang-ha, chief of the Missile Administration. The missile launch is seen as a show of strength ahead of the ruling party congress, where North Korea is expected to unveil five-year development plans. The test also occurred during a visit by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby to South Korea.
KCNA reported that Tuesday's test of four MRLS rockets employing new technology hit a target in waters 358.5 kilometers away from the point of launch. Experts suggested the guided flight system may indicate a new navigation system to defy GPS jamming, with one researcher suggesting a military-grade GPS system from Russia may have been attached. Another professor suggested that the MRLS could carry tactical nuclear weapons.