North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of an upgraded multiple rocket launcher, state-run media reported Wednesday. The 240 mm artillery shells pose a threat to nearby Seoul and may also be intended for shipment to Russia for its war against Ukraine. Photo by KCNA/UPI
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of an updated 240mm multiple rocket launcher, state-run media said Wednesday, as the isolated regime continues to develop weapons that threaten South Korea and may also be intended for shipment to Russia.
The rocket test was held Wednesday and demonstrated new guidance and maneuverability capabilities, Korean Central News Agency reported.
“The [multiple launch rocket system], technically updated in its maneuverability and concentrated firing capability, was proved to be advantageous in all indices, including newly applied guiding system, controllability and destructive power,” KCNA said.
Kim also “set forth an important policy to be pursued in producing new artillery pieces and equipping army units with them,” the report said, without adding details.
North Korea last reported testing a 240mm rocket launcher in April, prompting speculation by South Korean officials that it was showcasing the weapons in anticipation of sales to Russia.
Pyongyang and Moscow have strengthened their military cooperation in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signing a mutual defense treaty in June.
Seoul and its allies accuse North Korea of sending weapons and munitions to Moscow in exchange for fuel, raw materials and technology assistance. On Tuesday, a South Korean lawmaker said that the North has transferred some 13,000 shipping containers of arms to Russia over the past two years, news agency Yonhap reported.
The use of North Korean missiles on the battlefield in Ukraine has been documented as far back as January.
The updated guidance system on the 240mm artillery shells also increases the threat to targets such as Seoul, the South Korean capital located only 30 miles away from the border with the North.
On Monday, North Korean media reported on a test of “suicide” attack drones, which are loaded with explosives and nosedive into targets. Such weapons, also known as “kamikaze drones” or “loitering munitions,” have seen heavy use on the battlefield in Ukraine, from U.S.-supplied Switchblade drones to Russia’s Zala Lancet and Iranian Shahed drones.
The North’s weapons tests come as the United States and South Korea continue their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise, which ends on Thursday. The large-scale drills are focused on North Korean nuclear and missile threats as well as more recent developments such as GPS jamming and cyber-attacks.
Pyongyang frequently condemns the allies’ joint exercises as preparation for an invasion and maintains that its own nuclear and weapons programs are a necessary form of deterrence.