▲ A hypersonic missile flies during a test launch by a subunit of a major Korean People's Army strike group in Pyongyang on Jan. 4, 2026. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test, the Korean Central News Agency said in a file photo released the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

N Korea-missile launch

N. Korea test-fires large-caliber multiple rocket launcher with Kim in attendance

SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has test-fired a renewed large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS) to assess its effectiveness, overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, state media said Wednesday.

The test on Tuesday of four MRLS rockets employing new technology hit a target in the waters 358.5 kilometers away from the point of launch, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The previous day, South Korea's military said it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles launched from north of Pyongyang toward the East Sea, as the regime is widely expected to convene its first ruling party congress in five years early next month.

The KCNA quoted Kim as saying that the ninth congress "will clarify the next-stage plans for further bolstering up the country's nuclear deterrent."

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