North Korea Deploys 60‑km Artillery, Preps Destroyer
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- North Korea will deploy new long‑range artillery systems this year that can strike the South Korean capital region, with a range over 60 kilometres (37 miles).
- Kim Jong Un inspected a munitions factory on May 6 and oversaw production of 155‑mm self‑propelled gun‑howitzers to be deployed at a border artillery unit within the year.
- North Korea also plans to deploy various operational and tactical missile systems and powerful multiple rocket launcher systems along the border.
- North Korea will commission its first naval destroyer, the Choe Hyon, in mid‑June after successful maneuverability tests off its west coast.
- South Korea noted that North Korea's revised constitution now drops references to Korean unification, signaling a shift to a two‑state system.
Why it matters: South Korea's 10‑million‑person capital now sits within 60 km of new North Korean guns, prompting a surge in defense budgeting and heightened NATO‑US alertness before the destroyer’s June handover.
