North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw tests of upgraded artillery and missile systems on Thursday, state media reported, as Pyongyang continued to highlight its military capabilities amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim supervised tests of major weapons, including an upgraded 240mm multiple rocket launcher and a special mission warhead for a tactical ballistic missile.
During the tests, he stressed the importance of strengthening national defence to ensure that "no enemy dare to confront" North Korea, which remains technically at war with South Korea since the Korean War ended without a peace treaty.
North Korea remains under multiple international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme, which the country's leadership says is intended to deter the United States and South Korea.
The latest weapons tests followed a series of defence-related statements by Pyongyang after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung discussed security on the Korean Peninsula with US President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in France.
After returning home, Lee said Trump had told him it was time to "pay attention to the North Korea issue".
KCNA said the tests assessed the combat capabilities of the upgraded 24-tube, 240mm multiple rocket launcher, the power of a special mission warhead for a tactical ballistic missile and the accuracy of extended-range shells fired from a 155mm self-propelled howitzer.
The agency said the upgraded rocket launcher features a new precision guidance system and now has a range of 90 kilometres, enough to reach parts of the Seoul metropolitan area from positions near the inter-Korean border.
It added that the missile warhead is designed to inflict "fatal damage on major targets including airfields, ports and power facilities of the enemy".
Kim expressed satisfaction with the results, saying the tests demonstrated progress in increasing firepower along the southern border through greater automation, longer range and improved accuracy.
He also reiterated that Pyongyang was focused not only on strengthening its defensive capabilities but also on building what he described as a "deadly and destructive offensive posture".
Yang Moo-jin, a former president of the University of North Korean Studies, said the details released by Pyongyang amounted to "a show of force against the South Korean capital region".
He said the announced 90-kilometre range for the multiple rocket launcher, the 65-kilometre range for the howitzer and the identification of potential targets, including airfields, ports and power plants, underscored North Korea's strategic intentions.
"Notably, it has revealed its strategic intent by framing the provocation of public anxiety and fear through routine displays of military might as a form of war deterrence," Yang said.
North Korea is subject to multiple United Nations sanctions prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons and the use of ballistic missile technology, restrictions it has repeatedly violated.
Earlier this month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country's defence capabilities, accusing South Korea and the United States of accelerating military modernisation and pushing the region "to the brink of a nuclear war".
Days later, he announced plans to equip North Korea's navy with nuclear weapons and build larger warships.
