TL:DR – “Kim Jong Un Unveils 50 New Rocket Launchers for ‘Special Attack’ Capabilities”
- Kim Jong Un unveiled a new 600mm multiple launch rocket system in Pyongyang, highlighting its nuclear capabilities amidst rising tensions with South Korea.
- The launchers, equipped with AI, are designed for “special attacks,” signalling a potential threat to the US and allies.
- The Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party is poised to announce plans for expanding military nuclear capabilities.
- Relations with South Korea remain strained, with dialogue stalled since 2019, as North Korea enhances border security.
Kim Jong Un shows off 50 new rocket launchers designed for ‘special attack’ | News World
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un driving a rocket artillery vehicle at a ceremony to unveil the new 600mm multiple launch rocket system in Pyongyang (Picture: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un got behind the wheel of a nuclear-capable rocket launcher at a ceremony in Pyongyang.
The despot attended the event marking the presentation of 50 new 600mm-calibre multiple rocket launchers to the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party.
Kim was quoted by state media as hailing the ‘wonderful’ weapons, which are said to be equipped with AI and advanced guiding technologies tailored for ‘a special attack’ – seen as a thinly veiled nuclear threat.
He said the upcoming party congress will issue plans to expand the military’s nuclear capabilities. Kim already has various systems targeting the US and its allies in Asia.
In a separate statement, his sister Kim Yo Jong – widely seen as the second most powerful person in the country – said the North is bolstering border security against the ‘enemy’ South.
North Korea has suspended nearly all talks and cooperation with the South since 2019 when Kim’s nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump derailed over US-led sanctions.
Relations worsened in recent years as Kim discarded the North’s long-standing goal of peaceful reunification and declared a hostile ‘two-state’ system on the Korean Peninsula.
A ceremony to unveil the new launchers (Picture: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Kim said the rocket launchers have ‘virtually no difference from a high-precision ballistic missile in terms of precision and power’ (Picture: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Kim attended a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the presenting of rocket launchers to the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party (Picture: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos from the ceremony show rows of launcher trucks lined up near the April 25th House of Culture, the venue of party congresses in 2016 and 2021.
The 600mm-caliber multiple rocket launchers were produced in two months, state media said.
Kim can be seen admiring the launchers while surrounded by fawning officials clapping and waving flags.
He has been touting the progress of various projects ahead of this month’s Ninth Congress, the country’s biggest political gathering that reviews performance, sets new policy goals, and can bring leadership change.
Kim said they are ‘appropriate for a special attack, that is, for accomplishing a strategic mission’ (Picture: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
The ceremony in front of the April 25th Cultural Center in Pyongyang (Picture: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
‘The Ninth Congress of our Party will declare the next phase of the self-reliant defence initiative and goal,’ said Kim in a speech at the rocket launcher ceremony, according to KCNA.
‘The project of constantly renewing our military capabilities that can strongly subdue any threats and challenges from outside forces will accelerate.’
The South Korean military is closely watching North Korea’s activities to develop weapons, a spokesperson for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday.
The Ninth Congress may start as soon as Thursday or Friday this week, according to Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.
South Korea’s defence ministry said on Wednesday it is reviewing a partial and unilateral restoration of a 2018 military agreement with North Korea by suspending some military activity along the border, including self-imposing a no-fly zone, through consultations with the United States.