N Korea says it conducted successful test of multiple rocket launchers

SEOUL - Reuters

This picture taken on March 29, 2020, and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 30 shows a test-fire of super-large multiple rocket launchers at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo by STR/KCNA via KNS/AFP)

North Korea's latest test of super-large multiple rocket launchers a day earlier was a success, state media said on March 30.

North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday, the latest in a flurry of launches that South Korea decried as "inappropriate" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The North's official KCNA news agency said the launch was aimed at examining the strategic and technical features of the "super-large multiple rocket launchers," which has been tested multiple times since last August overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, ahead of deployment.

KCNA did not mention Kim's attendance at the latest test, led by the ruling party vice-chairman Ri Pyong Chol and conducted at the Academy of National Defense Science.

"The operational deployment of the weapon system of super-large multiple rocket launchers is a crucial work of very great significance in realizing the party's new strategic intention for national defense," Ri was quoted as saying during the test, without elaborating.

"The test-fire was conducted successfully," KCNA added.

It marked the fourth round of tests this month since North Korea staged military drills and resumed missile launches following a three-month break.

The move indicated the progress of Pyongyang's weapons development while denuclearisation negotiations with the United States remain in limbo.