North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised a test launch on May 10 of a “technologically updated” multiple launch rocket system that Pyongyang plans to incorporate into its combat units between 2024 and 2026, state media reported.
The eight guided projectiles of 240 millimeter caliber that the gunners fired reached the target and, in this way, “the superiority and destructive power of the weapon system was intensely confirmed,” reports the Korean Central News Agency.
At the site, Kim Jong-un mentioned plans to “further accelerate” the military industry’s efforts to “raise to the highest level” the production of this class of artillery systems.
North Korea maintains an accelerated pace of weapons tests, with a special focus on artillery systems in recent weeks, while diplomacy with the United States and South Korea remains stalled, AP says.
According to experts cited by the agency, Kim’s goal is to eventually pressure Washington to accept the idea that Pyongyang is a nuclear power and negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.
In April, North Korea carried out its first nuclear counterattack drill using a 600 mm multiple rocket launcher. With RT