L. TODD WOOD: N. Korea preparing new large-caliber rocket launch system to threaten U.S. troops

OPINION:

North Korea is preparing to deploy a new large-caliber multiple rocket launch system, or MRLS, that will directly threaten South Korea and U.S. troops stationed there as a trip-line against North Korean aggression. The new system, once deployed, will be able to strike Seoul; recent test-firings suggest the 300mm projectile weapon soon will be operational.

Han Min-koo, the South Korean defense minister said, “Under this assessment, I think North Korea will deploy the 300-mm MLRS as early as the end of this year,” reports The Washington Post.

“The 300-millimeter rockets are cheaper than missiles and are believed to have a range of 125 miles, giving them the ability to strike Seoul, a city of nearly 26 million people that lies just 35 miles from the demilitarized zone, the Post reported. North Korea recently has threatened to “scorch” South Korea’s presidential offices with its “powerful large-caliber multiple-rocket-launching systems,” according to statements from the regime.

This development comes upon the heels on news that North Korean medium-range ballistic missiles could be fitted with a nuclear warhead, according to recent South Korean analysis. This gives the North the ability to strike targets in Russia, Japan, and China, in addition to the Korean Peninsula, with nuclear weapons. Although this capability has not been confirmed by the United States, U.S. officials state there is no reason to doubt the North’s assertions.