SEOUL, South Korea – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae, observed a live-fire test of multiple rocket launch systems on the country’s east coast on Saturday, a demonstration likely aimed at countering ongoing joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, Baltimore Chronicle. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the drill involved twelve 600mm-calibre, ultra-precision rocket launchers deployed for a strike exercise to test the nation’s war deterrence capabilities.
South Korean authorities confirmed that around ten ballistic missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area toward the eastern sea. The South Korean National Security Council condemned the test as a deliberate provocation and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korea from engaging in ballistic missile activity.
KCNA quoted Kim Jong Un as stating that the exercise would make potential adversaries within the 420-kilometer (260-mile) striking range “uneasy” and provide them with “a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons.” The statement appeared to reference U.S. forces stationed in South Korea as well as South Korean military units. “If this weapon is employed, the opponent’s military infrastructure within its striking range can never survive,” Kim added, according to KCNA.
Photographs released by KCNA showed Kim Jong Un walking alongside his daughter near massive olive-green launch trucks as rockets were fired. Kim Ju Ae, reportedly 13 years old, has accompanied her father at numerous high-profile events including missile tests and military parades since late 2022, fueling international speculation that she is being positioned as a potential successor.
Analysts note that North Korea’s large-calibre rocket launchers blur the distinction between conventional artillery and ballistic missiles due to their guided delivery systems and ability to generate thrust independently. Some of these rocket systems, North Korea has claimed, are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The live-fire drill coincides with the spring U.S.-South Korean Freedom Shield exercise, a computer-simulated command post operation scheduled to continue through March 19. Historically, North Korea has frequently responded to these exercises with its own weapons tests accompanied by strong rhetoric and publicized demonstrations of military strength.
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