North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday oversaw the first test firing of a “new-type large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system”, Reuters reported, citing North Korea’s state news agency KCNA.
The test verified the combat effectiveness of the overall system, and Kim predicted “it would be an inescapable distress to the forces becoming a fat target of the weapon”, said KCNA.
The rocket system “will play a main role in ground military operations”, the news agency added.
The report confirms the South Korean military’s statement that North Korea fired at least two missiles from its east coast into the sea.
Wednesday’s launches were from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s eastern coast, from which last week’s missiles had been fired, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
The JCS said later the North had fired ballistic missiles that flew about 250 km (155 miles).
The test came a week after North Korea test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
North Korea later said last week’s test was intended to send a warning to South Korea and was "personally organized" by Kim.
Talks between the US and North Korea on denuclearization continue to stall. The talks broke down after the failed summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in February in Vietnam.
Trump abruptly ended that summit with the North Korean leader, explaining that, while "we had a productive time," no deal was signed.
Trump met with Kim again last month, becoming the first US president to step onto North Korean soil at the demilitarized zone. He said the two leaders agreed to start working-level talks on a denuclearization deal.