North Korea’s Kim Jong Un tours a factory producing new multiple rocket launchers, touting their ability to annihilate the enemy in a concentrated attack.
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has toured a factory producing new multiple rocket launchers capable of targeting South Korea.
State media reported Kim touted the weapons’ ability to “annihilate the enemy” through a sudden, precise, and concentrated attack.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim described the system as a “super-powerful weapon system” and a “main strike means” for his military.
He also suggested the launchers could be used in a “strategic attack”, a term often used as a euphemism for nuclear weapons use.
State media images showed Kim inspecting the massive new missile systems inside a large factory adorned with propaganda.
The report follows Pyongyang’s announcement a day earlier of a test-fire of two strategic long-range cruise missiles.
Analysts say North Korea’s recent weapons drive aims to improve precision strike capabilities and challenge both South Korea and the United States.
Hong Sung-pyo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said the development means “the military threat from the North is increasing.”
A 2020 RAND think tank study assessed that North Korean artillery could inflict 10,000 casualties in an hour if targeting major population centres like Seoul.
Kim has recently ordered the expansion and modernisation of the country’s missile production to meet growing demand.
Professor Lim Eul-chul from the Institute for Far Eastern Studies said Kim seems to judge the country is in its best position to accelerate nuclear and conventional weapons upgrades.
“Systems to mount various types of small nuclear warheads on multiple rocket launchers are already in place,” Lim added.
Pyongyang is set to hold a landmark congress of its ruling party in early 2026, where defence planning will be a key agenda item.
