North Korea Unveils 600mm Rocket Launchers, Kim Jong Un Says They Strengthen Nuclear Deterrence
en01.web.id – North Korea. The government of North Korea on Wednesday (Feb. 19, 2026) publicly unveiled dozens of 600-millimeter multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) during an official military ceremony in Pyongyang. Leader Kim Jong Un, who personally attended the event, stated that the weapons are designed to reinforce the country’s “strategic deterrence,” including what state media described as the capability to carry tactical nuclear warheads.
According to a report released the same day by the state-run KCNA, the super-large rocket launchers were produced by North Korea’s domestic defense industry and formally handed over to frontline military units. The ceremony featured rows of heavy transporter-erector-launcher vehicles equipped with large-diameter rocket tubes displayed in military formation.
In a speech quoted by KCNA, Kim Jong Un said strengthening national defense capabilities was an “inevitable choice” amid what he called escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. “What we are building today is a powerful and practical means of preventing war and defending the sovereignty of the state,” Kim said, according to the official report. He added that the newly deployed system is capable of carrying out “important strategic missions,” a phrase widely interpreted as referencing nuclear delivery capability.
The development of the 600mm rocket system traces back several years as part of Pyongyang’s broader military modernization program. Between 2023 and 2025, North Korea conducted multiple test launches of large-caliber rockets, claiming improvements in range, accuracy, and mobility. By early 2026, authorities declared that the system had entered mass production, culminating in the public unveiling and formal transfer ceremony on February 19, 2026.
The event took place at a military facility in Pyongyang and was attended by senior officials of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and high-ranking military commanders. State media presented the ceremony as both a military milestone and a political statement, occurring ahead of key party events and strategic planning sessions.
North Korean authorities said the deployment of the 600mm MLRS was intended to counter what they describe as growing external military threats, particularly joint exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea in the region. Pyongyang has repeatedly characterized such drills as provocative and destabilizing.
However, the claim that the rocket launchers are capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads originates from North Korean state media and has not been independently verified by international monitoring bodies. Analysts note that while the system’s size and prior test history suggest significant destructive capacity, confirmation of nuclear armament would require independent inspection or evidence not currently available.
The unveiling underscores continuing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where the 1950–1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty. With the public display of large-caliber rocket systems in significant numbers, regional security dynamics remain under close scrutiny by neighboring countries and the broader international community.