North Korea has threatened to deployed 250 new tactical ballistic missile launchers to its border with South Korea, marking another aggressive move by leader Kim Jong Un.
The North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun published images of vehicle-based missile launchers, with numerous large green military trucks neatly arranged before Kim.
In a highly choreographed ceremony on Sunday night, spectators cheered as the vehicles paraded past, accompanied by fireworks.
Kim supervised the handover of the equipment to military commanders and chiefs of staff, claiming in a speech that the missile launchers were developed with North Korean technology.
He described the display as the initial phase of the missile force buildup for border units.
“Dialogue or confrontation can be our choice, but what we must be more thoroughly prepared for is confrontation,” Kim stated, emphasizing that this stance is central to North Korea’s policy toward the US.
He warned that the US would face severe repercussions if it continued actions perceived as undermining regional security.
The border between North and South Korea is among the most heavily militarized globally, with Pyongyang frequently asserting it has substantial artillery and military hardware aimed southward.
Sunday’s event in Pyongyang occurs amid a summer of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, highlighted by North Korea’s new military “strategic partnership” with Russia established in June.
Although the photos suggest dozens of green transporter-erector launcher vehicles and trucks with missile launchers behind the driver’s cab, it remains uncertain if any vehicles were armed with functioning missiles during the event.
A defense and military analysis research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Joseph Dempsey, commented on Monday that it was challenging to determine if the missiles were loaded during the ceremony, deeming it “unlikely and illogical” from a practical and safety standpoint.
He identified the launcher design as related to the Hwasong-11D, a short-range ballistic missile that North Korea claims can carry a tactical nuclear warhead.
Dempsey noted the improbability of North Korea having produced a corresponding number of missiles and tactical nuclear warheads to match the 250 launchers, suggesting it is unlikely they possess anywhere near that capacity.
North Korea said it test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile in July.
“We believe (the missile launchers) are intended to be used in various ways, such to attack or threaten South Korea… Deploying near the border would mean that the range is not long,” Lee Sung-joon, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a media briefing.
North Korea has made significant advances in its weapons capabilities since its first nuclear test over a decade ago, aspiring to miniaturize warheads to fit on long-range missiles.
However, experts remain uncertain about North Korea’s ability to deploy a nuclear warhead on any missile, as this capability has yet to be proven.
Tensions have been rising since North Korea warned late 2023 of deploying new military hardware along the military demarcation line after South Korea partially withdrew from a 2018 agreement aimed at reducing border tensions.
Any goodwill from that agreement has dissipated, with both countries now officially abandoning it.
Kim, dissatisfied with the lack of concessions from the US and South Korea in talks following 2018, has intensified North Korea’s ballistic missile program, seeking a nuclear deterrent similar to that of Washington.
In response, the US, South Korea, and Japan have increased their military cooperation through exercises and deployments, which North Korea views as a threat.
Since May, South Korea has fired warning shots on at least three occasions following North Korean military personnel crossing the Demilitarized Zone’s midpoint, further contributing to the heightened tensions.
