North Korea has developed a new rocket launcher controller and a new caliber of "controllable shell" that it believes will further increase its firepower on the battlefield, according to state media.
Images published on Monday by the official Korean Central News Agency were said to be from a test the day before, when the country's scientists verified 240-millimeter "controllable multiple rocket launcher shells," fired from a new "ballistic control system."
The pictures showed missiles fired from a truck-mounted multiple rocket launch system, later striking a target at an undisclosed location. It was the latest event in a months-long series of test firings that have continued into the new year.
North Korea's repeated shows of force, as well as its pessimistic stance on reconciliation with the South, have led long-time observers of the Korean Peninsula to conclude that some form of military action is likely this year.
The Academy of Defense Science—responsible for Pyongyang's various missile programs—oversaw the new weapons test "to evaluate their accuracy and prove their advantages," reported KCNA, which said the system would "make a qualitative change in our army's multiple rocket launcher force."
Kim Jong Un's regime was convinced of the new shell's "strategic value and utility," the agency said, noting that "its role in battlefields" would increase due to "rapid technical improvement."
Officials in South Korea told the country's Yonhap News Agency that they had detected the North's rocket test, which launched projectiles toward the Yellow Sea. The information was not disclosed because they did not consider it to be a major weapons test, according to the report.
Last month, the United States and allies including South Korea accused Russia of striking cities in Ukraine using ballistic missile launchers and missiles supplied by North Korea, in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit the transfer of arms from the regime.
Moscow previously denied accepting weapons from Pyongyang, and Pyongyang denied sending munitions and other equipment to Moscow. The Kremlin at the time said it had "no comment" on the accusations.
North Korea's government could not be reached for comment.
Kim has pointed to increasingly frequent U.S. and allied military exercises near the peninsula as reasons for ordering a military buildup of his own. However, Washington, Seoul and Tokyo say they are responding to Pyongyang's nuclear threats.
On Monday, an annual assessment released by the Norwegian Intelligence Service said North Korea had showcased both tactical and thermonuclear warheads, and was "likely to possess a few nuclear warheads adapted to short- and intermediate-range missiles."
"North Korea considers a credible nuclear retaliatory capability against the United States and South Korea to be a guarantee of regime survival," the report said. "It is possible that North Korea will conduct new nuclear tests before phasing in additional warheads."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He ... Read more
