North Korea tests rocket launcher system in threat to Seoul and possible show for Russia

SEOUL, April 26 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of new 240mm shells for a multiple rocket launcher system, state-run media reported Friday, in a growing threat to Seoul that may also serve as a product demonstration for Russia.

The shells were produced at a newly established national defense industrial enterprise, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim "affirmed that the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system with new technology would bring about a strategic change in bolstering up the artillery force of the Korean People's Army," the KCNA report said.

The guidance system on the 240mm artillery shells would improve their range and accuracy, increasing the threat to targets such as the South Korean capital Seoul, which is roughly 30 miles away from the border with the North.

The test-firing, which was held on Thursday, was the second time the system has been evaluated this year, amid a steady stream of provocations from Pyongyang that has kept tensions at their highest in years on the Korean Peninsula.

On Monday, the North conducted what it called a "nuclear counterattack" drill using 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers tipped with simulated nuclear warheads. The United States and South Korea refer to the system as the KN-25 and characterize it as a short-range ballistic missile.

Speculation has emerged that the artillery tests are being performed in anticipation of sales to Russia. A spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a press briefing that Monday's test may have been "a demonstration of the performance of the super-sized projectile for export."

Washington and its allies accuse North Korea of sending arms and munitions to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in exchange for fuel, raw materials and technology assistance.

Pyongyang and Moscow deny the charges, but the use of North Korean missiles on the battlefield in Ukraine has been documented as far back as January.

U.S. officials have also recently expressed concern about growing military ties between North Korea and Iran. On Wednesday, KCNA reported that a delegation led by External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong Ho flew to Tehran for a rare official visit.

"We are concerned about the Iranians providing weapons to the Russians and the Russians also supporting efforts to help the DPRK expand their own research into developing weapons," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas-Greenfield said at a press conference in Seoul last week. "And certainly that would be the case with Iran as well."

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.