NORTH KOREA CONDUCTS MAJOR WEAPONS TESTS AS KIM VOWS STRONGER STRIKE CAPABILITY

Fri 26 June 2026:

North Korea has conducted major weapons tests as part of its push to strengthen its military capabilities and reinforce its southern border amid ongoing tensions with South Korea.

Seoul said on Friday that it is building an army of “drone warriors” after the North’s leader Kim Jong Un observed the tests the previous day and called for the country to adopt a ”deadly and destructive offensive posture,” state news agency KCNA reported.

Kim supervised the tests on Thursday as part of a five-year national defense modernization plan.

The exercises assessed the combat performance of an upgraded 240mm 24-tube multiple rocket launcher, a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a special mission warhead, and extended-range 155mm self-propelled howitzer shells.

The improved multiple rocket launcher now has a firing range of 90 kilometers (55.9 miles) and features automated fire-control systems with self-guided precision technology.

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The tactical missile’s special warhead is designed to strike strategic targets, including airfields, ports and power facilities, while the new artillery shells have an effective range of 65 kilometers.

Kim said the tests demonstrated “the great technological progress” achieved under the ruling Workers’ Party’s military modernization policy.

“The present international situation, in which sovereignty can be defended and existence guaranteed only by complete upper-hand in strength, makes it unnecessary to add any rhetoric to explaining why the bolstering up of the defence capabilities is the indispensable first national strategic work,” Kim was quoted as saying.

He also reiterated that Pyongyang’s policy aims not only to strengthen defensive capabilities but also to build “a deadly and destructive offensive posture” that would deter potential adversaries.

“We would make the enemies recognize that the long-range strike means of our armed forces have been replaced with upgraded ones in the shortest possible time,” Kim said.

Analysts suggested that the upgrades are aimed at offering North Korea the ability to strike across the whole of the South.

The United States has several military bases in South Korea, which host about 28,500 personnel.

Pyongyang has sought to strengthen its military since talks with the US stalled in 2019.

Earlier this week, Kim said the navy would be equipped with nuclear weapons and larger warships, saying this would ensure the country is ready for “multifaceted and efficient” operations.

Kim has responded to US efforts to restart diplomacy by saying it needs to drop its demand that North Korea disposes of its nuclear weapons.

‘Drone warriors’

The ordered acceleration of the North’s military development has the South on edge, and hopeful of increased support from the US.

Last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that President Donald Trump had told him that “the time had come to pay attention to the North Korea issue“.

On Friday, the South Korean defence ministry said it plans to hugely expand its drone capacity, both in terms of numbers and range, in response to the increasing military threat from the North.

Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the military plans to train 500,000 “drone warriors” that will be able to use drones like “personal firearms”.

He noted there was an urgent need to respond to the evolving environment, saying Pyongyang was receiving technological assistance from Russia.

Meanwhile, President Lee announced plans to develop five defence firms worth $650m by 2030.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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