North Korea fires 600mm rocket salvo at drone exhibition

North Korea fired more than ten large rockets toward the East Sea on Thursday in a first public combat firing of its 600mm 'Sniper' system, staged at a drone exhibition observed by Kim Jong Un.

Why it matters: South Korea's military tracked the salvo independently, and Pyongyang used the event to pair the nuclear-capable rocket system with a drone showcase aimed at mock South Korean and US targets, under Kim's stated goal of absolute superiority in drones.

Data as of Yonhap report of October 30, 2026, in Korean, read in full via the live browser: the launch count, origin, time and range are South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff figures; the exhibition, the 'Sniper' naming, the mock targets and Kim Jong Un's remarks are the Korean Central News Agency's account as relayed by Yonhap, and KCNA's accuracy and reliability claims are its own and unverified. Developing item.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched more than ten short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea at about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, flying about 250 kilometres, and that the projectiles were presumed to be the 600mm super-large rocket artillery, a system Pyongyang says can carry a tactical nuclear warhead. State media said the firing was the first public combat display of the system, which it calls “Sniper”, staged at an unmanned aviation exhibition where drones struck mock targets representing a South Korean guard post, a K9 howitzer and a US Abrams tank. Kim Jong Un observed the event and called absolute superiority in the drone field an indispensable choice, saying strength is peace itself and peace is guaranteed only by strength.

North Korea fires 600mm rocket salvo at drone exhibition

Sources