North Korea said on the 28th that it conducted a test firing the previous day of an improved large-caliber multiple rocket launcher weapons systems.
Korean Central News Agency said that "the Missile General Bureau on the 27th carried out a test firing to verify the effectiveness of an updated large-caliber multiple rocket launcher weapons systems with new technology introduced." Chairperson Kim watched the test firing on site that day.
Regarding this test, Chairperson Kim said it "has extremely important significance in enhancing the effectiveness of strategic deterrence," expressing satisfaction. Kim then assessed that "technical updates have been made to make the most accurate and effective use of the most powerful characteristics of the weapons systems, and all indicators have improved in a direction that maximizes striking power."
In particular, Chairperson Kim said that "the autonomous precision-guided flight system, which can ignore any external interference, is an important feature that shows the superiority of this weapons systems," and claimed that "at least for the next few years, no country will be able to reach such technology."
Kim added that "the purpose of this activity is to further advance nuclear war deterrence," emphasizing that it is a "responsible exercise of deterrence" for self-defense.
Chairperson Kim also said, "Building the most certain attack capability and implementing a deterrence strategy based on it is the unchanging line of our party's national defense policy," and foreshadowed that "at the 9th Congress of the Labor Party, the next-stage plans to further strengthen the country's nuclear war deterrence will be declared."
Accordingly, at the 9th Party Congress, which is expected to be held soon, there is a possibility that a new plan to strengthen defense power will be unveiled, following the 8th Party Congress that presented a five-year plan for defense development and five major tasks.
Korean Central News Agency said that "four launched multiple rocket rounds struck a maritime target 358.5 kilometers from the launch point," and released photos from the test-firing site. The photos also showed daughter Ju-ae attending with Chairperson Kim.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected several unidentified ballistic missiles launched into the East Sea from an area north of Pyongyang at about 3:50 p.m. the previous day. The detected missiles' flight distance was analyzed to be about 350 kilometers.
North Korea's ballistic missile launch came 23 days after the 4th and is the second this year. The launch took place during U.S. Ministry of National Defense Vice Minister Elbridge Colby's consecutive visits to South Korea and Japan, and is being interpreted as a show of force to demonstrate external presence ahead of the 9th Party Congress, expected in early next month.