North Korea Showcases Giant Rocket Launchers, Claims Nuclear Warhead Capability

North Korea has showcased a series of large rocket launchers claimed to possess nuclear capability. The Pyongyang-built rocket launcher systems were revealed to the public ahead of a key congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as reported by AFP on Thursday (19/2/2026), attended the unveiling ceremony for the rocket launcher systems in Pyongyang. He is expected to outline the next phase of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme when he opens the Workers’ Party congress in the coming days.

The 600mm multiple rocket launcher systems were the centrepiece of preparations for the congress, which is held every five years and is widely regarded as the most important political event in North Korea.

“When this weapon is actually used, no force can hope for God’s protection,” Kim Jong Un said during the ceremony, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday.

“This is truly a remarkable and fascinating weapon,” he added.

Photographs released by North Korean state media showed dozens of vehicles carrying large rocket launchers parked in neat rows at the plaza of the Pyongyang Palace of Culture, which will serve as the venue for the Workers’ Party congress.

During the ceremony on Wednesday (18/2), Kim Jong Un described the weapons as “suited for special strikes, for completing strategic missions” — a common euphemism for nuclear weapons.

He said the weapons system would deter enemies, whom he did not name. The rocket launcher systems were described as a gift from munitions workers to the congress.

“There is no need to further explain its destructive power and military value,” Kim Jong Un said in praise of the armaments.

“This is because the weapon can reduce intended targets to ashes through sudden and simultaneous strikes by concentrating its destructive energy,” the North Korean leader claimed.

Hong Min, an observer from the Korea Institute for National Unification, estimated that the North Korean launcher system could fire rockets with a range of up to 400 kilometres, covering the entirety of South Korea. Seoul, the South Korean capital, is less than 50 kilometres from the nearest North Korean border point.

“The primary objective is to neutralise the combined air power of South Korea and the United States. If equipped with tactical nuclear warheads, a single battery firing four to five rounds could destroy an entire air base,” he said.