N. Korea test-fires upgraded multiple-rocket launcher shells

SEOUL, September 24 - North Korea has conducted a test firing of upgraded shells for a 240mm multiple rocket launcher system, highlighting the need to deploy some of the deadliest attack forces along the border with South Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The test took place on Tuesday under the country's five-year plan to modernize its artillery and missile forces, the KCNA reported.

Leading military officials overseeing the test emphasized that the development of range-extended rockets represents a significant improvement in the firepower readiness along the southern border, the KCNA report stated. Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party, stressed the importance of concentrating the deadliest and most destructive attack forces on the southern border, the KCNA added.

The upgraded rockets feature an autonomous pinpoint guide system, allowing them to strike targets up to 100 kilometers away in a trajectory flight mode and 115 kilometers away in a combined glide mode, the KCNA report noted. Since North Korea declared inter-Korean relations as those between two hostile states in 2023, the country has reportedly been focusing on upgrading the performance of its striking means to put South Korea within its range.