N. Korea fires artillery rockets in presumed military training Tuesday: JCS

A test-fire of a new 600mm multiple rocket launcher in this undated photo provided by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 13, 2024 / Yonhap

North Korea fired around 10 artillery shells from its multiple rocket launcher system earlier this week, in what appeared to be part of its regular wintertime drills, military officials said Wednesday.

“The military detected around 10 artillery rockets launched toward the northern waters of the Yellow Sea at around 3 p.m. Tuesday,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, adding a detailed analysis of the launch is under way.

The rockets were presumed to be launched from the 240mm multiple rocket launcher that puts Seoul and its adjacent areas in target range.

A military official said the artillery launch appeared to be part of North Korea’s regular wintertime exercises that usually start in December.

“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements under a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and maintains capabilities and posture that can overwhelmingly respond to any provocation,” the JCS said.

Last month, Pyongyang fired the artillery rockets, shortly before a joint visit by the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States to the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

It also launched the rocket shells when President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping held summit talks in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering.