The ‘super-large multiple rocket’ is the latest in the armoury of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. During the test event on Thursday, the South Korean military said two missiles were launched and flew 370 km towards the East sea. In a statement the Korean Central News Agency said: “The Academy of Defense Science of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea succeeded in another test-fire of super-large multiple rocket launchers on Thursday afternoon.
“The perfection of the continuous fire system was verified through the test-fire to totally destroy with super-power the group target of the enemy and designated target area by surprise strike of the weapon system of super-large multiple rocket launchers.”
Chairman Kim, who did not oversee the weapons test but expressed his “satisfaction” over the event.
The North Korean dictator said the latest military weapon added to the “self-defensive military muscle of the country”.
This year Pyongyang has ramped up its arsenal of weapons and the latest test is the 12th recorded in 2019.
The continued advancement of its military weapons follows on from a continued stand-off in nuclear negotiations with the US.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has expressed his concern at the latest launch and said it violates UN Security Council resolutions.
Mr Raab urged North Korea to ends its weapon testing programme and commit towards full denuclearisation.
The Foreign Secretary said: “The UK is concerned about the latest North Korean ballistic missile launches – in clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
“North Korea must end this reckless brinkmanship and take meaningful steps towards denuclearisation.”
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North Korea also tested new short-range ballistic missile and rocket artillery systems in recent months in what experts saw as an effort to advance its military capabilities and increase its bargaining power.
Negotiations have faltered after the collapse of a February summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The US rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for piecemeal progress toward partially surrendering its nuclear capabilities.