The North Korea’s KCNA (North’s Korean Central News Agency) state media said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised the test-firing of a “super-large” multiple rocket launcher and expressed great satisfaction with the results. This was the thirteenth time North Korea test-fired missiles this year, a suggestion that the country is preparing to deploy the new weapons system soon. South Korea’s military earlier said North Korea fired two projectiles, likely from the same “super-large” rocket launcher, on Thursday. It expressed “strong regret” over the launches and urged North Korea to stop escalating tensions.
The projectile is believed to have been a KN-25, a rocket many analysts consider to be a “ballistic missile” due to its large size, and because it follows an unpowered ballistic trajectory for part of its flight. Multiple rocket launchers were test-fired at a training range of North Korea’s Academy of National Defense. Kim Jong-un “was determined to arm the national army as soon as possible to ensure the country’s security,” the newspaper added. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier reported that North Korea test-fired two unidentified missiles toward the Sea of Japan late Thursday. Japan’s defense minister said that the two missiles reached the altitude of 100 km and flew for about 380 km.
