# Kim oversees upgraded 240mm rocket launcher and special warheads on Korean War anniversary > North Korea announced tests of four upgraded weapons on June 25, the 76th anniversary of the 1950 war's outbreak: a 90km-range multiple rocket launcher with autonomous guidance, special warheads to destroy South Korean power grids and airports, extended-range howitzer shells, and tactical cruise missiles **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-25 · heads: The Long Game, What They're Not Saying · 16 takes · 4 lenses · 7 regions ## Summary [North Korea's](/en/entity/north-korea) state media KCNA announced June 26 that [Kim Jong UN](/en/entity/kim-jong-un) personally oversaw tests of four upgraded weapons systems on June 25, the 76th anniversary of the 1950 Korean War outbreak. The systems tested: an upgraded 240mm 24-tube multiple rocket launcher with autonomous precision guidance and a 90-kilometre range, placing Seoul within reach; "special-mission" warheads for tactical ballistic missiles that KCNA described as capable of inflicting "fatal damage" on [South Korean](/en/entity/south-korea) airfields, ports and power-grid infrastructure; 65km extended-range shells for a 155mm self-propelled howitzer; and tactical cruise missiles. [Seoul's](/en/entity/south-korea) military confirmed detecting approximately 10 rounds from the rocket launchers and began analysis. The test sequence extends the pattern tracked in [earlier 2026 tests](/en/n/north-korea-2026-missile-tempo): simultaneous advances across long-range, medium-range, artillery and cruise tiers, timed to the Korean War anniversary as deliberate strategic messaging. ## Why it matters The June 25 anniversary date was not incidental. The 240mm MLRS's 90km range and autonomous guidance addresses the same battlefield gap that US HIMARS has shaped in [Ukraine](/en/entity/ukraine-russia-war): a precision long-range system that can range Seoul's population density and critical infrastructure with reduced counter-battery exposure. The special-mission warheads targeting power stations and airports describe an infrastructure-paralysis strike sequence intended to degrade [South Korea's](/en/entity/south-korea) military and economic response before US reinforcement can arrive. Taken together, the four systems announced June 25 form a coherent anti-South Korea strike package advancing on schedule regardless of US attention elsewhere. ## What to watch - Full KCNA technical release confirming the 90km range and guidance-system specifications with telemetry data. - Whether [South Korea](/en/entity/south-korea) accelerates counter-battery radar deployments or requests additional US interceptor batteries. - Any US-South Korea joint exercise response or adjustment to [Korean Peninsula](/en/entity/korean-peninsula) Force Protection posture. - Whether [Kim Jong UN](/en/entity/kim-jong-un) issues an operational deployment directive for any of the tested systems. ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### South Korean mainstream, security focus - **The Korea Times** (South Korea, ko) — Lead report on KCNA's June 26 announcement: Kim personally oversaw tests of four upgraded systems on June 25, including the 240mm 24-tube MLRS with 90km range and autonomous guidance, special-mission warheads for tactical ballistic missiles designed to destroy airports and power stations, 65km extended-range shells for the 155mm self-propelled howitzer, and tactical cruise missiles. South Korea's military detected approximately 10 rounds from the launchers and was analysing the results. > "Kim Jong-un oversaw tests of an upgraded 240mm rocket launcher with 90km autonomous-guidance range alongside special warheads designed to hit South Korean power grids and airfields." Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260626/n-coreas-kim-oversees-tests-of-key-weapons-seen-as-aimed-at-s-korea ### North Korea specialist tracking - **NK News** (South Korea / United States, en) — Focuses on the special-mission warheads: KCNA described them as designed to deliver 'fatal damage' to South Korean power stations and airports, consistent with a penetrating or cluster warhead design. Notes the Korean War anniversary timing as deliberate strategic signalling directed at Seoul during a period when US strategic attention is concentrated on the Middle East. > "KCNA described new warheads designed to inflict fatal damage on South Korean power stations and airports." Source: https://www.nknews.org/2026/06/north-korea-tests-ability-to-strike-rok-power-stations-with-tactical-nukes-kcna/ ### South Korean business and security press - **Korea Herald** (South Korea, ko) — Reports South Korea's military detection of approximately 10 rounds from the MLRS and its ongoing analysis; contextualises the test sequence as an advance across multiple tiers simultaneously, long-range, medium-range, artillery and cruise, rather than a single-system demonstration. > "South Korea's military detected roughly 10 rounds from North Korea's multiple rocket launchers and began analysis of the test." Source: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10788918 ### unlabelled - **NBC News** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-kim-jong-un-rocket-launcher-test-south-korea-nuclear-power-rcna151796 - **CBS News** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kim-jong-un-oversees-latest-test-of-new-multiple-rocket-launcher/ - **Yonhap News Agency** (South Korea, ko) — Source: https://en.yna.co.kr/ - **JoongAng Daily** (South Korea, ko) — Source: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/ - **Chosun Ilbo** (South Korea, ko) — Source: https://english.chosun.com/ - **Reuters** (United Kingdom, en) — Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ - **Associated Press** (United States, en) — Source: https://apnews.com/ - **BBC News** (United Kingdom, en) — Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia - **Kyodo News** (Japan, ja) — Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/ - **Global Times** (China, en) — Source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/ - **Xinhua** (China, en) — Source: https://english.news.cn/ - **The Diplomat** (Japan / Global, en) — Source: https://thediplomat.com/ - **38 North** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.38north.org/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[north-korea-2026-missile-tempo]], [[korea-dmz-seoul-eases-north-fortifies]] - Entities: Korean Peninsula, North Korea, Kim Jong UN, South Korea --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/north-korea-mlrs-test-jun25