▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) walks with military officials as he observes the Hwasong-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile being test-fired at an unspecified location, in this file photo from April 19, 2026, to verify the characteristics and power of a cluster bomb warhead and fragmentation mine warhead applied to the tactical ballistic missile, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-missile

(LEAD) N. Korea tests new lightweight missile launcher, tactical cruise missiles under Kim's watch: KCNA

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SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has tested a newly developed lightweight multipurpose missile launching system and multiple tactical cruise missiles, state media said Wednesday, with leader Kim Jong-un overseeing the test as part of Pyongyang's ongoing weapons modernization drive.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published the report a day after South Korea's military detected the launch of multiple close-range ballistic missiles (CRBMs) and artillery rockets toward the Yellow Sea from the Jongju area of North Phyongan Province at around 1 p.m.

CRBMs refer to ballistic missiles that have a relatively short range of less than 300 kilometers.

Tuesday's test was "part of the plan for modernizing the artillery and missile armed forces to attain the five-year goal for national defense development," the KCNA report said.

The test "analyzed and estimated the power of special mission warhead of tactical ballistic missile, the reliability of 240mm controlled artillery rocket with expanded firing range which employed an ultra-precision autonomous navigation system, and the AI-guided hit accuracy of tactical cruise missile," it added.

According to the report, Kim expressed "great satisfaction" over the test, calling it "a clear signal of" military advancement and growing combat capability.

Kim gave particular praise to the tactical cruise missile, which the report said is set to be deployed at long-range artillery units near the southern border.

The missile combines multiple navigation systems, including terrain-mapping and AI-guided targeting, allowing it to strike any target within 100 kilometers with high precision, it said.

Kim reaffirmed Pyongyang's drive to build up both its nuclear and conventional forces remains unchanged, warning that its determination to defend its military sovereignty and right to self-defense would "be expressed in a clearer action."

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