TOKYO -- North Korea state media outlet confirmed that leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test of a "super-large multiple rocket launcher" Tuesday, shortly after Pyongyang announced that it was willing to restart nuclear talks with the U.S.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency said today that the two rounds of weapons tests took place at an unidentified location Tuesday. The report likely was referring to the two projectile launches that South Korea said were made from North Korea's South Phyongan province.
South Korea had said the North fired "short-range projectiles" that flew about 200 miles and landed in its eastern seas.
Kim, military leaders and top officials "in the field of national defense science" saw two rounds of test fire of "tactical guided weapons including super-large multiple rocket launcher," the Korean Central News Agency reported.
"The Supreme Leader said that the weapon system of super-large multiple rocket launcher has been finally verified in terms of combat operation," the news agency said.
The Tuesday test came shortly after a top North Korean diplomat, Choe Son Hui, issued a statement saying the country would be willing to hold talks with the U.S. "at the time and place to be agreed late in September."
The North Korean statement cited recent comments by U.S. officials expressing a desire for negotiations and made no mention of any new concessions.
Kim, who has suspended testing of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles while in talks with the U.S., has given President Donald Trump until the end of the year to ease up on sanctions choking his nation's economy.
Information for this article was contributed by staff members of The Associated Press.
A Section on 09/11/2019