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| 2026-01-28 07:18:47
(LEAD) N Korea-missile launch
(LEAD) N. Korea test-fires large-caliber multiple rocket launcher with Kim in attendance
(ATTN: UPDATES with more info, photos from para 5)
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has test-fired an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS) to assess its effectiveness, overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, state media said Wednesday.
Tuesday's test of four MRLS rockets employing new technology hit a target in 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."
Kim called Tuesday's test of "great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent," adding that improvements have been made to maximize the launcher system's strike capability, including mobility, intelligence and accuracy.
He also described the weapon's "self-steered precisely guided flight system" as a major feature, touting "the steady improvement and uninterrupted evolution of our defense technology."
He said the relevant activities were aimed solely at raising the level of the country's "deterrent against a nuclear war."
"To build up the most reliable offensive capability and enforce the deterrence strategy based on it is the invariable line of our party's national defense policy," the KCNA also quoted him as saying.
Released photos showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae accompanying him to the test, along with Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the party's Central Committee, and Jang Chang-ha, chief of the Missile Administration.
The missile launch appears to be a show of muscle flexing as the North is expected to unveil five-year development plans for defense, the economy and other fields at the upcoming ninth congress, the first since the eighth in 2021.
The test also came as U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby visited South Korea to discuss security issues, including Seoul's push to build nuclear-powered submarines. Following the three-day trip to Seoul, he left for Japan the previous day.
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