Jonathan Frederic De Santos

This picture taken on August 24, 2024 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 26 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (front C) inspecting a performance test of drones organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defense Sciences at an undisclosed location in North Korea. KCNA via KNS/AFP

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

SEOUL — North Korea conducted a test of its &quot;state of the art&quot;, nuclear-capable multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), state media reported Sunday, a day after Seoul identified the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles.The test comes just days after South Korean and US forces kicked off their springtime military drills.Kim Jong Un oversaw the test on Saturday, which &quot;involved twelve 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies&quot;, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.Kim said the drill would give Pyongyang&#x27;s enemies &quot;within the 420-km striking range&quot; a sense of &quot;uneasiness&quot; as well as &quot;a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon&quot;, KCNA reported.KCNA said Sunday that the rockets battered an island target in the East Sea of Korea more than 360 kilometers away.Kim praised the MLRS as a &quot;very deadly yet attractive weapon&quot;.Photos released by KCNA showed several rockets blasting off large vehicles into the air.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/13/us-support-to-ph-unchanged-despite-middle-east-conflict-afp-1443?fbclid=IwY2xjawQi3gRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE5NUJ5M3NUNVVTY2pnTnFCc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHj9YfnrVD-9kc5iHML65y4BevXxhlz70KqcYNbFk2kDr-dtf-H8w0xQ2Vez0_aem_nqSqUqtEjoUM1n08YpE9-w">US support to PH &#x27;unchanged&#x27; despite Middle East conflict — AFP </a></div>Another picture shows Kim and his daughter Ju Ae watching the launch from afar, flanked by a military official.Ju Ae has long been seen as next in line to rule the country, a perception stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings.South Korea&#x27;s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected multiple launches on Saturday from the North into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.Seoul&#x27;s presidential Blue House condemned the launches as a &quot;provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions&quot; and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such acts.The launches came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said that US President Donald Trump thinks a meeting with Pyongyang&#x27;s Kim would be &quot;good&quot;.The Trump administration has pushed in recent months to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, eyeing a possible summit with Kim this year, potentially during Trump&#x27;s visit to Beijing set for late March.After largely ignoring these overtures, Kim said recently that the two nations could &quot;get along&quot; if Washington accepted Pyongyang&#x27;s nuclear status.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/1/2/south-korea-s-lee-abandons-hardline-course-on-pyongyang-0053">South Korea&#x27;s Lee abandons hardline course on Pyongyang</a></div><div> </div><div>JOINT DRILLS</div>The US and South Korea&#x27;s springtime military drills, dubbed &quot;Freedom Shield&quot;, will involve about 18,000 Korean troops and run until March 19.This week, Kim Yo Jong, a powerful confidante of her brother Kim Jong Un, said the joint drills &quot;may cause unimaginably terrible consequences&quot;.She went on to say the drills were taking place at &quot;a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world&quot;.Pyongyang has condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as an &quot;illegal act of aggression&quot;, claiming it shows the &quot;rogue&quot; nature of the United States.North Korea also recently carried out missile tests from the naval Choe Hyon destroyer, claiming the country was in the process of &quot;arming the Navy with nuclear weapons&quot;.

North Korea conducted a test of its "state of the art", nuclear-capable multiple rocket launcher system, state media reported Sunday, a day after Seoul identified the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes days after South Korean and US forces kicked off springtime military drills.

North Korea conducted a test of its "state of the art", nuclear-capable multiple rocket launcher system, state media reported Sunday, a day after Seoul identified the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes days after South Korean and US forces kicked off springtime military drills.

North Korea conducts test of nuclear-capable multiple rocket launchers

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

World

North Korea conducts test of nuclear-capable multiple rocket launchers

Agence France-Presse

Published Mar 15, 2026 08:45 AM PHT

Read More:

North Korea

South Korea

Korean Peninsula

Kim Jong Un

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.