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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a test firing of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher with a new guidance system, state media said on Wednesday, amid suspicion that the new artillery system could be supplied to Russia for use in its battle with Ukraine.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim attended a test of the multiple rocket launch system (MRLS) on Tuesday. The MRLS is built by defense industrial firms under the Second Economic Commission.
According to Yonhap, the weapon may target Seoul and its surrounding territories.
“The MRLS, 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,” the KCNA said.
Kim “set forth an important policy to be pursued in producing new artillery pieces and equipping army units with them,” it added, without providing further details.
North Korea announced in February that it had produced “controllable” 240mm rocket launcher shells, potentially increasing the range and precision of its weapons. In May, the country announced plans to deploy the weapon system to Korean People’s Army troops between 2024 and 2026.
According to observers, North Korea appears to be demonstrating the rocket launcher’s capabilities in an attempt to give it to Russia for use in its fight with Ukraine.
Hong Min, a senior research scholar at the Korea Institute for National Unification, believes the test is designed to improve North Korea’s old 240mm MRLS, which was created in the 1980s.
He also questioned the likelihood that the test-firing was a type of retaliation to ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the US.
The test firing occurred as South Korea and the United States were conducting their annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield drill, which is scheduled to end on Thursday. North Korea has always viewed the allies’ joint drills as preparations for an invasion against it.
When queried about North Korea’s report, the South Korean military stated that it detected and tracked the test-firing into the Yellow Sea.
“While maintaining a solid combined defence posture, our military will conduct the UFS exercise and combined field training exercises as normal, and is closely monitoring signs of North Korean provocations and military activities,” a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said.
Source:IANS
