North Korea: Kim supervised test of ‘super-large multiple rocket launcher’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the testing of a “super-large” multiple rocket launcher on Saturday, state media said, according to The Associated Press.

Kim said the launcher tested was “indeed a great weapon,” the Korean Central News Agency said, adding that he emphasized the need to “continue to step up the development of Korean-style strategic and tactical weapons for resolutely frustrating the ever-mounting military threats and pressure offensive of the hostile forces,” according to the AP.

{mosads}North Korea has repeatedly condemned periodic military drills by the U.S. and South Korea, accusing the two nations of using the exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion, and has said its own recent series of rocket and missile tests are in response,  the news service noted.

The South Korean military said the North fired what it believes were two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast Saturday morning, saying the projectiles flew about 236 miles with a maximum altitude of 60 miles, the North’s seventh known weapons test in approximately one month.

President Trump has said he does not consider the recent tests a violation of international agreements, saying “Kim Jong Un has been, you know, pretty straight with me. … He likes testing missiles but we never restricted short-range missiles. We’ll see what happens.”

The test came two days after Seoul announced it would end an intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan due to trade disputes.

The Pentagon has expressed dismay at the end of the agreement.

“We strongly believe that the integrity of our mutual defense and security ties must persist despite frictions in other areas of the [Republic of Korea]-Japan relationship,” spokesperson Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn said last Thursday. “We’ll continue to pursue bilateral and trilateral defense and security cooperation where possible with Japan and the ROK.”