SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test firing of a new multiple rocket launch system the country plans to deploy to its forces starting this year, state media said Saturday, part of its move to bolster its lineup of weapons targeting South Korean population centers. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Friday’s test confirmed the “advantage and destructive power” of the 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher and its guided shells. Its testing activities included salvo launches of 600-mm multiple rocket launchers in April that state media described as a simulated nuclear counterattack against enemy targets. Following Friday’s test, Kim issued instructions to maximize the production of the 240-mm multiple rocket launchers and their guided shells, which he said would bring a “significant change” to the combat capabilities of his forces, the North Korean news agency said. U.S. and South Korean officials have accused the North of providing artillery shells, missiles and other military equipment to Russia to help extend its warfighting in Ukraine.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 11, 2024 18:33 UTC