North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday inspected the test-firing of 240 mm multiple launch rockets manufactured by a newly established defence industry unit, the North's KCNA news agency reported on Friday.
The report did not give further details of the unit that produced the artillery. North Korea is believed to be ramping up production of artillery amid allegations by the United States and South Korea that it is supplying Russia with weapons.
Both countries deny the allegation. The test firing showed the rockets met the required standards for flight characteristics and accuracy, KCNA said.
Kim said the 240 mm multiple launch rocket system, which incorporates new technology, will "bring about a strategic change in strengthening our military's artillery capabilities," according to KCNA.
In a separate report, KCNA said Kim visited the Kim Il Sung Military University, named after his grandfather and state founder, to mark the anniversary of the founding of the revolutionary army, the precursor to the country's military.
South Korea and the United States will cut short annual joint military drills to five days from 11 and scale back some field training, the allies said on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in US participation.
At least 100 people were killed when a low-tech artisanal gold mine collapsed in the Central African Republic on Tuesday, a senior official at a local mining association said.
An Israeli airstrike killed nine Palestinians at a police station in Gaza on Wednesday, medics said, two days after US envoy Jared Kushner ended a trip to the region that failed to push forward Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the enclave.
Thai schools conducted active shooter drills on Wednesday, as authorities moved to strengthen security measures two weeks after a 14-year-old opened fire at a school and killed at least eight people.