North Korean ‘K9-type’ howitzer poses new military threat to South

North Korea has reportedly developed self-propelled artillery capable of striking Seoul and the greater capital area, raising concerns that the North is escalating its long-range artillery threat. According to the North’s Rodong Sinmun, Friday, leader Kim Jong-un visited a key munitions factory two days earlier to inspect a new weapons system. It included self-propelled artillery equipped with a 155-milimeter gun, comparable in caliber to South Korea’s K9 howitzer, but reportedly with a range exceeding 60 kilometers, while the K9 has an approximate range of 40 kilometers. The official newspaper of the Worker’s Party, Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim described the country’s 155-milimeter self-propelled artillery as a “new-generation artillery weapon with very high mobility and firepower” and said that the system would be deployed within the year to three battalions along the southern border. Defense experts said that if North Korea’s claim of developing a system with a range exceeding 60 kilometers is accurate, it would place Seoul within striking distance. “It appears North

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