North Korea fires upgraded rocket launcher (PHOTO) — RT World News

North Korea’s military has successfully tested an upgraded version of the Large Caliber Multiple Rocket Launch System (MLRS), state news agency KCNA reported.

The missiles, equipped with the new technology, hit a target 358.5 km (223 miles) off the North Korean coast, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

A day earlier, South Korea’s military said it had spotted several short-range ballistic missiles fired from north of Pyongyang towards the Sea of ​​Japan.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who oversaw the test with his daughter Yu-ae, said the MLRS was “enhanced to maximize its striking ability and mobility, intelligence.”

The key feature of the upgraded launcher is “self-guided precision guided flight system,” which allowed the rockets to be accurate “remarkably” improved, Kim added, as quoted by KCNA.

The test was aimed solely at increasing North Korea’s deterrence level “against nuclear war” which requires him to own “most reliable offensive ability,” he said.

The launch of the MLRS comes ahead of the first congress of North Korea’s ruling party in five years, due to be held in early February. Assembly “will clarify plans for the next phase of further strengthening the country’s nuclear deterrent,” according to Kim.

This coincided with a visit by US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby to South Korea, where he discussed Seoul’s plans to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Pyongyang has accused the US, South Korea and Japan of undermining regional security by conducting joint military exercises, calling them an attempt to create “The Asian version of NATO.”

Russia and North Korea have signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in 2024. In his New Year’s greeting to Kim, Russian President Vladimir Putin said relations between the countries would “contribute to the establishment of a just order of the multipolar world.”

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