North Korea test-fires upgraded 240mm multiple-rocket launcher shells

North Korea reported a test of upgraded 240mm multiple-rocket launcher shells on Tuesday, describing it as a key element of its five-year program to modernize artillery and missile forces. The rockets feature an autonomous pinpoint guidance system and can strike targets 100 km away in a trajectory mode and up to 115 km in a combined glide mode. Officials overseeing the trial said the new range-extended rockets represent a significant shift in firepower readiness along the border with South Korea.

Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party, stressed the need to concentrate the deadliest attack forces on the southern frontier and to replace older long-range strike means with the latest versions. The announcement follows Pyongyang’s 2023 declaration that inter-Korean relations are those of two hostile states, underscoring its focus on weapons that can reach South Korean targets.