PNN – North Korea unveiled new missile launchers capable of carrying nuclear warheads during a ceremony that is capable of targeting the entire territory of South Korea.
The North Korean government unveiled a series of advanced missile launchers capable of carrying nuclear warheads in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of an important congress of the country’s ruling party.
France 24, noting that the North Korean ruling party congress is held every five years and is the country’s most important political event, wrote: The unveiling of this 600mm multiple rocket launcher system is receiving the most media attention.
Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea National Unification Institute, said: This launch system can fire missiles with a range of approximately 400 kilometers, covering all of South Korea.
The North Korean Workers’ Party, as the country’s ruling party, holds its National Congress every five years with the aim of determining major political, economic, and military strategies. The party’s eighth congress was held in January 2021, in which Kim Jong-un emphasized strengthening nuclear deterrence, developing defense industries, reforming the economic structure, and reducing foreign dependence. Following this congress, North Korea conducted a series of missile and weapons tests in the following years, which sparked widespread international reactions.
In recent years, Pyongyang’s foreign relations have been affected by intensifying international sanctions, the impasse in nuclear negotiations with the United States, and geopolitical developments in East Asia. At the same time, North Korea’s strategic proximity to China and Russia has increased and trilateral political and economic cooperation has been strengthened, a trend that observers believe will be strongly reflected in the Ninth Party Congress.