On Monday, February 12, the North Korean news agency KCNA announced that the Academy of Defense Sciences of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has managed to develop a 240-mm guided missile and control system. It was also reported that a missile test was carried out on February 11 to verify its parameters and assess its accuracy.
Photos: KCNA
Dictator Kim Jong Un visited the missile production plant in August 2023 and noted that 122-mm and 240-mm guided missiles are a very important production target, and it was then that the larger caliber missile was presented for the first time.
The Korean People’s Army has multiple launch rocket systems with a caliber of 122 mm (licensed BM-21 Grad), 240 mm (M1989 and M1991) and 300 mm (KN-09 and KN-16). The basic caliber of North Korean long-range rocket artillery is 240 mm. According to a report by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea, 430 M1991 launchers and 100 M1989 launchers have been produced so far.
It is also known that the currently used North Korean 240 mm missiles have an effective range of up to 40 km, but the South Korean National Security Research Institute published a report which shows that if North Korea actually developed and improved a 240 mm guided missile, its range could be increased to 60 km.
In fact, North Korea’s 240mm rocket artillery is the deadliest conventional threat to South Korea because it is within striking distance of Seoul. Therefore, in response to this threat, the K239 Chunmoo self-propelled multiple launch rocket system was developed in the South Korea. Current 240mm munitions have low accuracy rates even if they have enough range to keep Seoul in threat, but there are now concerns that the new missiles could directly hit Ministry of Defense buildings and other government facilities if they actually have a guidance system.
The Republic of Korea Ministry of Defense has warned that South Korean and U.S. forces will respond by destroying the Korean People’s Army’s multiple launch rocket systems pre-emptively if they detect signs of an attack on it or its allies. Therefore, if new missiles are introduced into service, it will not affect the assumptions and procedures of South Korea’s defense system.