North Korea unveils new missile launcher

North Korea said Wednesday it conducted test launches of a “new lightweight multipurpose missile launch system” and a “multiple rocket tactical cruise missile system,” with leader Kim Jong Un observing the drills the previous day, according to state media.

The Korean Central News Agency said the tests took place Tuesday. It released images showing what appeared to be short-range tactical ballistic missiles, believed to be the Hwasong-11Ra variant, and 240mm multiple rocket artillery rounds fired in quick succession. The launches were carried out from a wheeled multiple launch platform, with the images highlighting its ability to fire both ballistic missiles and rocket artillery from a single system.

The state-run news agency said Kim described the test as proof that advanced defense technologies had been successfully incorporated into operational weapons systems. He added that North Korea must field weapons with enough destructive power to make an adversary’s survival “theoretically impossible.”

The comments were widely read as a warning that North Korea could carry out coordinated launches involving ballistic missiles, rocket artillery and cruise missiles in a conflict scenario designed to overwhelm South Korea’s missile defenses and target the Seoul metropolitan area.

Analysts said the system appears broadly similar in concept to South Korea’s Cheonmu multiple rocket system or the U.S. HIMARS, allowing a single launcher to deploy multiple types of precision-guided munitions with high mobility and rapid reload capability.

The system is viewed as part of North Korea’s broader push to modernize aging frontline artillery units while improving the range and accuracy of its strike capabilities against South Korea.

Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said the launch system appears to be the first publicly disclosed test of a platform previously unveiled during a Workers’ Party military parade marking its 80th anniversary. He added that if deployed, it could extend the operational range of frontline artillery units from about 70 kilometers to just under 200 kilometers.

North Korea also released footage of a short-range tactical cruise missile test, saying the weapon is intended for deployment with long-range artillery brigades near the southern border and is capable of striking targets within 100 kilometers.

The agency said that if positioned near the Military Demarcation Line, the system would bring most of the Seoul metropolitan area within range.

Experts said the demonstrations underscore Pyongyang’s intent to showcase its ability to conduct mixed missile salvos designed to saturate and strain South Korea’s air and missile defense networks.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said the deployment of AI-guided cruise missiles to frontline units appears aimed at intensifying pressure on South Korea’s capital region and forward-deployed forces. He added that the tests reflect confidence in North Korea’s ability to challenge South Korea’s Kill Chain and Korea Air and Missile Defense systems.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com