North Korea, Kim unveils new rocket launcher with nuclear capability
The dictator: 'It is an invincible strategic weapon, it will have a deterrent function'
North Korea's state media claim that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the official unveiling of "a huge multiple rocket launcher capable of firing nuclear warheads at the South". During a ceremony, Kim gave a speech in which he praised the new 600 millimetre multiple launch system as unique in the world and called it "appropriate for a special attack, i.e. to carry out a strategic mission", reports the Kcna news agency using a euphemism for the use of nuclear power.
Kim stressed that this new weapon was designed for 'deterrent' use, claiming that it is invincible. "If this weapon is used, no one can hope for God's protection," he added, according to Kcna's reconstruction. Officials and experts assessed during Kim's visit to the factory producing the multiple rocket launchers last month that they could be used against South Korea, including its capital, Seoul, located less than 50 kilometres from the dividing line between the two countries.
Analysts believe that this innovation is designed to improve North Korea's precision strike capabilities, challenging both South Korea and the United States, and that its unveiling could precede testing prior to its potential export to Russia, with which the partnership has strengthened since Moscow's war against Ukraine.
