{"id":12719,"date":"2026-02-19T05:15:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T05:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12719"},"modified":"2026-02-19T05:15:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T05:15:04","slug":"n-koreas-kim-unveils-50-rocket-launchers-ahead-of-key-congress-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12719","title":{"rendered":"N Korea\u2019s Kim unveils 50 rocket launchers ahead of key congress | News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Kim Jong Un hails the nuclear-capable weapons as \u2018wonderful\u2019 and \u2018attractive\u2019 as North Korea gears up for a once-in-five-year congress.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled dozens of nuclear-capable rocket launchers ahead of a key congress of the governing Workers\u2019 Party, according to state media.<\/p>\n<p>Kim hailed the 600mm-calibre rocket launchers as \u201cwonderful\u201d and \u201cattractive\u201d during the ceremony on Wednesday, adding that new military and construction goals will be set during the upcoming congress.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Fifty such \u2060launchers were presented by North Korean munitions workers, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen this weapon is used, actually, no force would be able to expect God\u2019s protection,\u201d Kim said, according to the KCNA<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is really a wonderful and attractive weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Photos released by state media showed dozens of launch vehicles parked in neat rows on the plaza of Pyongyang\u2019s House of Culture, which will host the congress.<\/p>\n<p>The weapon was \u201cappropriate for a special attack, that is, for accomplishing a strategic mission\u201d, Kim said, using a common euphemism for nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n<p>He said the weapons incorporate \u201cAI technology and compound guidance systems\u201d and would deter unnamed enemies.<\/p>\n<p>Kim has been touting the progress of various projects ahead of this month\u2019s 9th Congress of the Workers\u2019 Party, which is widely viewed as North Korea\u2019s most important political event.<\/p>\n<p>Kim said on Wednesday that the 9th Congress \u201cwill declare the next phase of the self-reliant defence initiative\u201d and accelerate the \u201cproject of constantly renewing our military capabilities\u201d in order to \u201csubdue any threats \u2060and challenges from outside forces\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The political gathering is expected to lay out North Korea\u2019s foreign policy, war planning and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.<\/p>\n<p>State media have in recent days carried reports of delegates arriving for the gathering, fuelling speculation it could start any day.<\/p>\n<p>The South Korean military is closely watching North Korea\u2019s activities to develop weapons, a spokesperson for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told the AFP news agency that the launch system could fire rockets with an estimated range of 400 kilometres (250 miles), covering all of South Korea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIts primary purpose is to neutralise the combined air power of South Korea and the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf equipped with tactical nuclear warheads, a single battery firing four to five rounds could devastate an entire airbase.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>South Korea\u2019s capital Seoul is less than 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the North Korean border at its nearest point.<\/p>\n<p>North Korea has suspended nearly all talks and cooperation with South Korea since 2019, when Kim\u2019s nuclear diplomacy with United States President Donald Trump derailed over US-led sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>Relations worsened in recent years as Kim discarded North Korea\u2019s longstanding goal of peaceful reunification and declared a hostile \u201ctwo-state\u201d system on the Korean Peninsula.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate KCNA report on Thursday, the North Korean leader\u2019s sister, Kim Yo Jong, acknowledged a South Korean minister\u2019s apology regarding alleged civilian drone incursions, but said Pyongyang is bolstering border security against the \u201cenemy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>North Korea had said the incidents occurred in September of last year and again in January.<\/p>\n<p>The South Korean government has denied operating any drones during the times specified by North Korea, but law enforcement authorities are investigating three civilians suspected of flying drones into the North from border areas.<\/p>\n<p>Kim Yo Jong said \u2060it would be to South Korea\u2019s benefit to prevent the recurrence of such severe infringement of North Korea\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe border with the enemy should be solid,\u201d Kim Yo Jong said, according to KCNA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kim Jong Un hails the nuclear-capable weapons as \u2018wonderful\u2019 and \u2018attractive\u2019 as North Korea gears up for a once-in-five-year congress. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled dozens of nuclear-capable rocket launchers ahead of a key congress of the governing Workers\u2019 Party, according to state media. Kim hailed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}