Amid all the hoopla over North Korea’s alleged test of a new long-range missile, state media on Friday released images of leader Kim Jong Un supervising tests of a multiple rocket launcher system. The tests involved “super-large multiple rocket sub-units,” according to a report on the official Korean Central News Agency.
KCNA said Kim watched the firing drills of artillery units in the western region using the new multiple rocket launchers, designed to fire shells with a range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles) – significantly farther than conventional artillery. Analysts say the North could be testing and ramping up production of such weapons as part of its plans to send them to Russia to help it in its war in Ukraine.
KCNA reported that the North’s artillery units also used a new rocket-firing radar. Such radar can track the trajectory of a fired missile and determine the exact location of its impact, allowing it to hit targets better.
KCNA said the tests were aimed at proving the combat readiness and military equipment of the artillery units and boosting the morale of the artillery unit operators. Kim, who appeared to be wearing a leather jacket, watched the firing drills from a command center surrounded by officers, his sister, and his close adviser, Kim Yo Jong. He clapped and smiled, punching the air with his fist to express satisfaction.
He did not appear to be wearing a mask, but he is often seen without one when addressing the public. Observers say he is likely trying to project his image as the nation’s strong man and the father figure who has the people’s trust to guide the country through economic hardship and rising tensions with the United States.
But if the North fires many missiles at the South, it will be breaking decades of inter-Korean policy and declaring Seoul a hostile enemy state. It would also be a clear violation of international law and warrant “strong and forceful” retaliation, Seoul’s defense minister said this week.
A KCNA report said the North launch appeared to have taken place out of Wonsan at the same site where it conducted a similar test in 2014. The ship sailed 217 miles before splashing down in the East Sea, better known as the Sea of Japan.
A separate KCNA report on Saturday carried a video of Kim visiting the Russian far eastern Primorsky region with the province governor, Oleg Kozhemyako. During the visit, Kozhemyako and the governor of the far northern region of Khabarovsk met with Shoigu. The two men discussed the joint projects in space and nuclear energy and the possible launch of a Russian long-range cruise missile from an aircraft carrier in the coming months.
