North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un supervised tests of artillery systems targeting Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of nuclear-capable “super-large” multiple rocket launchers designed to target South Korea’s capital as he vowed to boost his war deterrent in the face of deepening confrontations with rivals, state media said Tuesday.

The report came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said they detected North Korea firing multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward waters off its eastern coast, adding to a streak of weapons displays that have raised regional tensions.

Experts say North Korea’s large-sized artillery rockets blur the boundaries between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery. The North has described some of these systems, including the 600mm multiple rocket launchers that were tested Monday, as capable of delivering tactical nuclear warheads.

Photos published by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency showed at least six rockets being fired simultaneously from launch vehicles and flames and smoke blanketing what appeared to be a small island target.

The KCNA said North Korean troops following the salvo launches also conducted a separate test that simulated a midair explosion of an artillery shell at a pre-set altitude. The report didn’t specify whether that test was to rehearse how a nuclear weapon would be detonated over an enemy target.

Kim called the 600mm multiple rocket launchers as key parts of his growing arsenal of weapons that are supposedly capable of destroying the South Korean capital of Seoul if another war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula.

“(Kim) said that it is necessary to further impress upon the enemies that if an armed