As part of a move to expand its arsenal of weaponry aimed at South Korean population centers, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un oversaw another test firing of a new multiple rocket launch system that the nation intends to equip its military with starting this year, state media reported on Saturday.
According to the North Korean government’s official Korean Central News Agency, the test conducted on Friday verified the 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher’s “advantage and destructive power” along with its guided shells.
According to the organization, the system—which the North has already tested twice this year—will be replaced by newer weaponry in combat units between 2024 and 2026.
North Korea in recent months has maintained an accelerated pace in weapons testing as it expands its military capabilities while diplomacy with the United States and South Korea remains stalled.
Experts say Kim’s goal is to eventually pressure the United States into accepting the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength.
North Korea has focused on artillery systems in recent weeks. 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.
The North also this year conducted various cruise missile tests and flight-tested what it described as a solid-fuel intermediate range missile with hypersonic warhead capabilities.
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.
While North Korean artillery systems are intended to target South Korea’s capital area, which houses half of the country’s 51 million people, South Korean military experts believe the North’s recent tests are targeted at analyzing weapons it intends to ship to Russia.
Officials in the United States and South Korea have accused the North of giving Russia with artillery shells, missiles, and other military equipment to assist it extend its warfighting in Ukraine.
Kim has recently moved to raise the visibility of his ties with Moscow and Beijing in an effort to break out of diplomatic isolation and form a united front against Washington.
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