The Diplomat

On Monday, North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency reported that the country had fired two missiles from “super-large multiple rocket launchers” during a test conducted on Sunday. According to South Korean authorities, two missiles were launched, marking the seventh and eighth missile launches so far in 2020 — all of which have taken place in the month of March.

Sunday’s test was notable for apparently not featuring North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has otherwise guided every other major military test and missile launch this month. Instead, Ri Pyong Chol, a senior North Korean official thought to lead the country’s Munitions Industry Department, “guided” the event. Other prominent North Korean officials, including Jang Chang Ha and Jon Il Ho, were reported by state media to have been present. North Korea’s limited release of images from the test did not show any of the men present.

According to KCNA, Sunday’s test verified “once again the tactical and technological specifications of the launch system to be delivered to units of the Korean People’s Army.” The KCNA report said that the test was successful. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on Sunday that the missiles flew into the East Sea/Sea of Japan, flying for 230 kilometers and reaching an apogee of 30 kilometers. The launches took place from near Wonsan, a city on North Korea’s eastern coast.

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