North Korea’s ruling party newspaper says the country will deploy 250 new tactical ballistic missile launchers to the frontline military units near the South Korean border.
The Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday that a ceremony was held in Pyongyang on Sunday to mark the transfer of the missile system to the military, with leader Kim Jong Un in attendance.
The mobile launchers were reportedly mass-produced for ballistic missiles targeting the South Korean military and US bases in the South.
Photos carried by the newspaper show a number of launchers lined up and Kim’s daughter listening to her father’s speech.
Kim was quoted as saying that they must be prepared for confrontation, which is the basis for its policy toward the United States.
He emphasized the strengthening of his country’s deterrence capabilities against the US and South Korea.
He also touched on the floods that hit North Korea in July and said that the country will push ahead with the bolstering of defense capabilities without stopping under any circumstances.
North Korea had earlier said that it would test-fire a new short-range ballistic missile, the Hwasong-11, in July to verify the explosive power of what it calls its super-large warhead.
However, there have been no confirmations of such a test so far. The US and South Korean forces remain on alert.