North Korea has conducted a coordinated, multi-tier weapons test involving an array of tactical ballistic missiles, artillery rockets, and precision cruise missiles engineered for modern combat scenarios, Reuters reported, citing North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency.
The report said that the comprehensive live-fire drills were executed under the direct personal supervision of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Having already advanced its strategic long-range ballistic missile program and expanding its nuclear weapons capabilities, Pyongyang is now steadily upgrading its tactical and conventional arsenal. The regime has repeatedly vowed to forward-deploy these modernized systems directly along its heavily fortified border with South Korea.
According to state media reports, the specialized tests evaluated the destruction power of a new special mission warhead mounted on tactical ballistic missiles.
Additionally, the military exercises assessed the operational reliability of the regime's long-range multiple-launch artillery rockets alongside the targeting accuracy of its artificial intelligence-guided tactical cruise missiles.
The successful weapons trials demonstrated that both the ammunition and the automated launch frameworks have been successfully upgraded to suit the proper conditions of modern warfare so as to enhance their application to combat, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Kim singled out the combat readiness of the precision cruise missiles, confirming they are slated for immediate deployment to frontline artillery units stationed along the South Korean border. These low-flying projectiles are outfitted with advanced precision navigation and AI-guided control systems, enabling them to strike high-value targets at a maximum distance of 100 kilometers.
The official statement from North Korea followed an earlier announcement by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The South Korean military reported on Tuesday that its radar systems had successfully detected the simultaneous launch of multiple projectiles from North Korean territory, including at least one tactical ballistic missile.
In late March, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang's status as a nuclear-armed state was irreversible and expanding a "self-defensive nuclear deterrent" was essential to national security.
In January, Kim personally oversaw test‑flights of hypersonic missiles, using the launch to stress the need to further strengthen the country’s nuclear war deterrent.
The launch followed a series of recent weapons activities by North Korea, which had earlier conducted a long-range strategic cruise missile launching drill observed by Kim, while also releasing images suggesting progress on the regime’s first nuclear‑powered submarine.