North Korea unveiled a 600mm missile launcher capable of firing nuclear warheads on Thursday. Leader Kim Jong-un must present the next stages of Pyongyang's weapons and deterrence program, including the atomic component, at the power congress scheduled for the end of the month.

Published on: 02/19/2026 - 04:55 Modified on: 02/19/2026 - 05:27

North Korea has acquired a new multiple missile launcher with nuclear capability, state media announced on Thursday February 19, ahead of a power congress where the question of armament will be central.

The day before, leader Kim Jong-un supervised the presentation of this imposing 600 mm missile launcher, capable of firing nuclear warheads, according to the official KCNA agency. The system is "suitable for a special attack, that is to say to accomplish a strategic mission", he welcomed, using a common euphemism to designate nuclear use.

The North Korean leader must unveil the next stages of Pyongyang's weapons and deterrence program, including the atomic component, during the high mass of power scheduled for the end of the month. This congress, seen as the most important political event in the country, is an opportunity for the Workers' Party to set national guidelines for the years to come. The previous gathering took place in 2021.

"Reduce the target to ashes"

Photos released by state media showed dozens of throwers lined up at the House of Culture Square in the capital Pyongyang, where the meeting will be held. Information about the arrival of delegations has also been circulating in recent days. The North did not give the exact date of the congress, which should also allow diplomatic and economic issues to be discussed.

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According to Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, the system revealed Thursday could fire projectiles with an estimated range of 400 kilometers, covering all of South Korea, described by the North as "the most hostile enemy." “Its main objective is to neutralize the combined air power of South Korea and the United States,” he told AFP, explaining that “a single salvo of four to five nuclear warheads could devastate an entire air base.”

“There is no need to say more about its destructive power and its military value,” Kim Jong-un said of the missile launcher, which he said can “reduce the target to ashes”. The leader has ordered the increase and modernization of missile production in recent months. And Pyongyang has accelerated its weapons tests.

Analysts believe the campaign is aimed at improving its precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States and South Korea, as well as testing weapons before potentially exporting them to its ally Russia.

With AFP

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