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Kim Jong-un warns of 'destructive strike' on enemies after North's rocket launcher test

Published: 15 Mar. 2026, 18:53

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from right, and his daughter Kim Ju-ae attend North Korea's firepower strike drill involving 600-millimeter (24-inch), ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers on March 14 in this photo published by the state-run Rodong Sinmun on March 15. [NEWS1]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that enemies within a 420-kilometer (260-mile) range would face a “massive, destructive strike” if war breaks out on the peninsula, state media said Sunday.

The statement was made while Kim oversaw a live-fire drill utilizing 600-millimeter (24-inch), ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers on Saturday in a show of force that appeared aimed at South Korea and the United States during their ongoing combined exercise.

The North Korean drill involved long-range artillery units from the western front of the Korean People’s Army and included 12 of the large-caliber rocket launchers and two artillery companies, according to the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper. Kim observed the exercise alongside his daughter, Kim Ju-ae.

The Rodong Sinmun published photographs showing a row of transporter erector launchers firing in succession. The rockets struck an island target in the East Sea located about 364.4 kilometers away with “100 percent” accuracy, the newspaper reported.

Kim Jong-un said the exercise was intended to ensure that the military remained prepared to carry out its mission, but he also used it to send a warning to what he described as hostile forces within striking distance.

North Korea's enemies “within the 420-kilometer striking range” would feel “uneasiness” and gain “a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons,” he said, according to the report.

Kim added that such drills would continue regularly to test what he described as the country’s defensive posture and war deterrence capability.

“If this weapon is used, the opponent's military infrastructure within its striking range can never survive,” Kim said. “If such deterrents fail to prevent foreign forces from launching an armed provocation or invading our state [...] they will immediately be used for their second mission — as a means of massive, destructive strike.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a ceremony where workers of the munitions industry present 600-millimeter (24-inch) multiple rocket launchers to the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Feb. 18 in Pyongyang in this photo published by the Rodong Sinmun on Feb. 19. [NEWS1]

South Korean military authorities believe the weapons used in the exercise were newly delivered 600-millimeter, large-caliber multiple rocket launchers that North Korea showcased during a ceremony on Feb. 18, shortly before the Ninth Workers' Party Congress.

Analysts say the North leader’s reference to a 420-kilometer strike range and tactical nuclear weapons underscores North Korea’s ability to target major South Korean and United States military facilities on the peninsula and signals that the system can carry the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead.

“It openly signals that major U.S. military air bases in South Korea, including those in Pyeongtaek, Osan and Gunsan, fall within the strike range,” Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said.

“It also showcases North Korea’s ability to conduct ‘tactical nuclear saturation’ strikes to counter the combined air power of South Korea and the United States,” Hong added.

Experts also noted that the launcher shown in the drill appeared to be a five-tube wheeled platform designed to reduce vibration from launches and allow faster firing and repositioning.

“The improved launcher likely shortens the time needed to erect the system to less than one minute, enabling units to fire quickly and relocate before being targeted,” said Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum.

North Korea carries out a firepower strike drill involving 600-millimeter (24-inch), ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers on March 14 in this photo carried by the Rodong Sinmun on March 15. [NEWS1]

The drill notably came shortly after comments by U.S. President Donald Trump suggested renewed interest in dialogue with North Korea.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who was visiting the United States, said Trump told him during a meeting at the White House on Friday that he maintained a good relationship with Kim Jong-un and wondered whether the North Korean leader was interested in talks with Washington.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said North Korea’s recent rhetoric reflects its insistence that inter-Korean relations are now those of “two hostile states,” rejecting Seoul’s past role as an intermediary in nuclear diplomacy.

“Prime Minister Kim’s remark that he had ‘shared several thoughts’ about restarting U.S.–North Korea dialogue may have greatly offended Kim Jong-un’s pride,” Lim said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, and his daughter Ju-ae carry soil during an event marking North Korea's Tree Planting Day at a park on Saebyol Street in Pyongyang on March 14, in this photo released by the Rodong Sinmun on March 15. [NEWS1]

Separately, Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim Jong-un visited a newly built housing district in Pyongyang on Saturday to mark North Korea's Tree Planting Day, which falls on March 14. The district, known as Saeppyol Street, was constructed for the families of soldiers who died after being dispatched overseas.

Photographs showed the leader planting trees with his daughter and senior officials and carrying materials at the site.

During the visit, Kim praised soldiers who died during overseas military operations and said their spirit should inspire patriotism among North Koreans.

He described them as people who loved their families and homeland deeply and who showed “indomitable heroism” on foreign battlefields, according to the report.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]