Kim Jong-un watches test of upgraded North Korean rocket launcher

Kim Jong-un personally observed a test firing of an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system that North Korea’s state media said demonstrated improved accuracy and mobility. The Korean Central News Agency reported that the Missile Administration launched four rockets and that they "hit a target in the waters 358.5 km away from the point of launch." KCNA released photographs of Kim at the site and quoted him praising the system’s new guidance and vehicle mobility.

KCNA quoted Kim as saying the upgraded system features a "self-steered, precisely guided flight system, which can neglect any outside intervention" and that "all the indexes have been improved to maximise its strike capability, and the mobility, intelligence, and hitting accuracy of the rockets, in particular, have remarkably been upgraded." The agency described the firing as a verification of the MRLS "upgraded with new technology" and cited Kim calling the test of "great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent." KCNA did not publish technical specifications, the launch location, or full flight trajectories.

Regional militaries and observers tracked launches that broadly matched Pyongyang’s reported range but left key details unresolved. Japan’s Ministry of Defense said it tracked two ballistic missiles launched from North Korea’s west coast on Jan. 27, one of which reached an apogee of about 80 km and splashed down after flying roughly 350 km; Japan reported a liftoff time of 15:54 local time for that missile. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several unidentified ballistic missiles were detected about 15:50, launched toward the Sea of Japan and flying approximately 350 km. The differences between KCNA’s count of four rockets and outside tracking that recorded two to several launches remain unexplained in public reporting.

Outside analysts said KCNA’s description of a "self-steered" system likely signals an inertial navigation system-based precision guidance package with in-flight control, a capability intended to reduce dependence on satellite navigation or to resist external jamming. U.S. and South Korean sources have in past years characterized a 600 mm large-caliber rocket system tested by Pyongyang as the KN-25 and have assessed the design as a short-range ballistic missile; KCNA’s current report did not identify the system by model or caliber and did not repeat earlier warhead claims.

The timing of the test carries diplomatic weight. The launches occurred while U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby was visiting Seoul for defense talks and ahead of North Korea’s planned ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party, where new five-year development plans are expected to be announced. Tokyo, Seoul and Washington publicly registered concern and warned the launches threatened regional security and ran afoul of UN Security Council resolutions.

The test highlights how Pyongyang’s incremental upgrades to guidance, mobility and launcher design could complicate allied missile defense calculations and raise the political stakes for diplomacy. With many technical details still withheld by North Korea and discrepancies between Pyongyang’s account and external tracking, the episode will intensify scrutiny by regional militaries and analysts as they try to determine the precise capabilities being validated ahead of the party congress.