North Korea Tests 600mm Rocket Launchers Amid Joint US-South Korea Drills

North Korea on Sunday conducted a test of its 600mm-calibre multiple rocket launchers, targeting an island over 360 kilometres away in the East Sea, state media reported.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the live-fire exercise was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who described the system as “a very deadly yet attractive weapon.” KCNA images showed rockets fired from large launcher vehicles, while another photograph captured Kim observing the launch alongside his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, and top military officials.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed the launches on Saturday, describing the projectiles as fired toward the East Sea, also known internationally as the Sea of Japan. Seoul condemned the tests, calling them a provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions, and urged Pyongyang to halt such actions immediately.

The launch coincides with heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual joint military exercise, Freedom Shield, involving about 18,000 South Korean troops, scheduled to continue until March 19. Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong warned that the drills could trigger “unimaginably terrible consequences,” stressing they occurred at a “critical time when the global security structure is rapidly collapsing and conflicts are erupting worldwide.”

The development also comes amid renewed diplomatic overtures from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump signaled openness to meet Kim again to revive high-level negotiations with Pyongyang.

North Korea has recently tested missiles from its Choe Hyon naval destroyer, claiming progress toward “arming the navy with nuclear weapons.” Analysts note that the large rocket launchers blur the line between conventional artillery and ballistic missiles, as they are guided in flight and generate their own thrust. Some of these systems, both Pyongyang and international observers say, are potentially capable of carrying nuclear warheads.