North Korea confirms it tested ‘super-large’ multiple rocket launcher, as it increases pressure on US
- Kim Jong-un expressed satisfaction over what North Korea described as a successful test of its new rocket artillery system
- North Korea continues to expand its military capabilities while pressuring Washington over a standstill in nuclear negotiations
KCNA said Kim expressed satisfaction over what North Korea described as a successful test of its new rocket artillery system, but it wasn’t clear whether the leader observed the launches on site. The North previously tested the system in August and September.
The latest test verified the “perfection” of the system’s continuous firing ability that allegedly allows it to “totally destroy” enemy targets with “super power,” the agency said.
North Korea fires two projectiles into sea in bid to ramp up pressure on US
Negotiations have faltered after the collapse of a February summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, where the US rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for piecemeal progress toward partially surrendering its nuclear capabilities.
The North responded with intensified testing activity while Kim said he would “wait with patience until the end of the year for the United States to come up with a courageous decision”.
Washington and Pyongyang resumed working-level discussions in Sweden earlier this month, but the meeting broke down amid acrimony with the North Koreans calling the talks “sickening” and accusing the Americans of maintaining an “old stance and attitude”.