Kim Jong said the 600 mm-calibre multiple rocket launchers—double the size found in most multiple rocket launch systems—are among the best in the world.Pyongyang:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly took a nuclear-capable multiple rocket launcher for a stroll on the roads of the capital, Pyongyang. Images released by state media on Thursday showed Kim Jong, in a black jacket, smiling as he sat behind the wheel of a mobile missile launcher.

"He personally drove a launcher vehicle to review the weaponry symbolic of absolute power lined in the plaza of the venue for the glorious Party Congress," North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency said in a report.

The agency also aired a video showing the North Korean leader alighting the launcher near the main stage as thousands of people waved small flags of the country.

What Kim Jong Un Said

Kim Jong said the 600 mm-calibre multiple rocket launchers – double the size found in most multiple rocket launch systems – are among the best in the world. He said that their use of artificial intelligence in their guidance systems makes them as good as short-range ballistic missiles.

He said the rocket launchers have "virtually no difference from a high-precision ballistic missile in terms of precision and power", adding they are "appropriate for a special attack, that is, for accomplishing a strategic mission", and they incorporate "AI technology and compound guidance systems", according to KCNA.

"No other nations have got this kind of weapon system," Kim Jong said, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The North Korean leader's mention of a "strategic mission" is seen as a reference to the launchers' ability to carry out a nuclear attack, the Yonhap News Agency said.

Kim Jong attended a ceremony on Wednesday, the same day as a groundbreaking for a new construction project in the Hwasong District of Pyongyang

Party Congress Set To Start

Kim Jong has been touting the progress of various projects ahead of this month's Ninth Congress, the country's biggest political gathering that reviews performance, sets new policy goals, and can bring leadership change.

The Ninth Congress may start as soon as Thursday or Friday this week, according to Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.

"The Ninth Congress of our Party will declare the next phase of the self-reliant defence initiative and goal," said Kim Jong in a speech at the rocket launcher ceremony, according to KCNA.

"The project of constantly renewing our military capabilities that can strongly subdue any threats and challenges from outside forces will accelerate."

South Korea Concerns

This was not the first time Kim Jong touted the 600 mm launchers. In late 2022, his regime showed off 30 launchers of the same-sized rockets, but those were on tracked vehicles, each carrying six rockets.

At the time, a KCNA report said that the rocket system has all of South Korea in its range and can be loaded with tactical nuclear warheads.

However, international monitors believe North Korea only has around 50 nuclear warheads, with the fissile material to make 30 to 40 more.

South Korea's Reaction

The South Korean military is closely watching North Korea's activities to develop weapons, a spokesperson for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday.

South Korea's defence ministry said on Wednesday it is reviewing a partial and unilateral restoration of a 2018 military agreement with North Korea by suspending some military activity along the border, including self-imposing a no-fly zone, through consultations with the United States.