What did North Korea say it tested in the latest 240mm multiple rocket launcher drill?

North Korea said it tested upgraded 240mm-caliber controlled multiple-launch rockets. The system was described as having an autonomous pinpoint guide system and being part of a broader artillery and missile modernization plan.

Why did Pak Jong-chon say North Korea should strengthen its southern border forces?

Pak Jong-chon said North Korea should concentrate the deadliest and most destructive attack forces on the southern border. He also said the country needed to replace all long-range strike means with the latest ones as early as possible.

How far can the upgraded North Korean rockets reportedly strike?

KCNA said the rockets can hit targets 100 kilometers away in trajectory flight mode and 115 km away in combined glide mode. North Korea said the range improvement would significantly change firepower readiness along the southern border.

N. Korea test-fires upgraded multiple-rocket launcher shells

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Summary

North Korea said Thursday it test-fired shells for an upgraded 240mm multiple rocket launcher system, saying the weapons are meant to strengthen border firepower against South Korea. KCNA said the test was conducted Tuesday under a five-year plan to modernize artillery and missile forces. Pak Jong-chon said North Korea should concentrate its deadliest attack forces on the southern border. The rockets were said to reach 100 kilometers in trajectory mode and 115 km in combined glide mode.

Key Facts

The test involved upgraded 240mm-caliber controlled multiple-launch rockets under North Korea’s five-year plan to modernize artillery and missile forces.
KCNA said the rockets use an autonomous pinpoint guide system.
The weapons were described as capable of hitting a target 100 kilometers away in trajectory flight mode and 115 km away in combined glide mode.
Pak Jong-chon is the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party.
North Korea said it has focused on upgrading striking means since declaring inter-Korean ties as relations between two hostile states in 2023.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 24, 2026 8:57 am KST

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday, shows the North test-firing shells for an upgraded 240mm multiple rocket launcher system on Tuesday. Yonhap

North Korea said Thursday it has test-fired shells for an upgraded 240mm multiple rocket launcher system, stressing the need to deploy the "deadliest" attack forces along the border with South Korea.

North Korea conducted a test of upgraded 240mm-caliber controlled multiple-launch rockets Tuesday under the country's five-year plan for modernizing artillery and missile forces, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Leading military cadres overseeing the test said "the development of range-extended rockets assures them of a significant change in the firepower readiness along the southern border," according to the report.

Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party, stressed the need to "concentrate the deadliest and destructive attack forces on the southern border," according to the KCNA.

"He underscored the need to make the enemy aware of the fact that we have replaced all our armed forces' long-range strike means with the latest ones at the earliest date," it said.

The rockets equipped with the "autonomous pinpoint guide system" are capable of striking a target 100 kilometers away in a trajectory flight mode and 115 km away in a combined glide mode, according to the report.

Since North Korea declared inter-Korean ties as those between "two states hostile to each other" in 2023, it appears to have focused on upgrading the performance of striking means that could put South Korea within its range.

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